Photo: Alamy
On Wednesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled the new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, marking what may be the “most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades.”
Kennedy and Rollins announced the new guidelines during a press conference at the White House, where Kennedy came out swinging, accusing the government of lying about nutritional guidelines for decades to “protect corporate profit-taking.”
“Federal policy promoted and subsidized highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates and turned a blind eye to the disastrous consequences,” he said. “Today, the lies stop. The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower healthcare costs.”
The new dietary guidelines prioritize protein and healthy fats as the building blocks of an essential diet, while encouraging the minimization of sugar-based or sweetened products such as sugar or white bread.
“As Secretary of Health and Human Services, my message is clear,” Kennedy said, “Eat real food.”
In a press release breaking down the new guidelines, which represent a stark departure from the nutritional advice from yesteryear, where bread, pasta, and grains formed the bottom of the food pyramid, it noted that roughly 90 percent of American health care spending goes toward the treatment of chronic disease, largely linked to poor diet and lifestyle. The agencies also noted that over 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.
“These Guidelines return us to the basics,” Secretary Kennedy said in a statement. “American households must prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains—and dramatically reduce highly processed foods. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
The agencies emphasized the following simple but common-sense guidelines:
- “Prioritize protein at every meal
- Consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars
- Eat vegetables and fruits throughout the day, focusing on whole forms
- Incorporate healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados
- Focus on whole grains, while sharply reducing refined carbohydrates
- Limit highly processed foods, added sugars, and artificial additives
- Eat the right amount for you, based on age, sex, size, and activity level
- Choose water and unsweetened beverages to support hydration
- Limit alcohol consumption for better overall health[.]”
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said, “At long last, we are realigning our food system to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies that grow and produce real food. Farmers and ranchers are at the forefront of the solution, and that means more protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains on American dinner tables.”
Read more about the updated dietary guidelines here.