New dietary guide from Trump administration flips food pyramid for Americans to eat more protein

Americans should eat more whole foods and protein, fewer highly processed foods and less added sugar, according to the latest edition of federal nutrition advice released Wednesday by the Trump administration.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer updated recommendations for a healthy diet and provide the foundation for federal nutrition programs and policies. They come as Kennedy has for months stressed overhauling the U.S. food supply as part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.

“Our message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy told reporters at a White House briefing.

The guidelines emphasize consumption of fresh vegetables, whole grains and dairy products, long advised as part of a healthy eating plan.

But they also take a new stance on “highly processed” foods, and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy.” That’s a different term for ultra-processed foods, the super-tasty, energy-dense products that make up more than half of the calories in the U.S. diet and have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

The new guidance backs away from revoking long-standing advice to limit saturated fats, despite signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats to end the “war” on saturated fats.

Instead, the document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat — such as meat, whole-fat dairy or avocados — while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10 per cent of daily calories. The guidance says “other options can include butter or beef tallow,” despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats.

Guidelines were due for an update

The dietary guidelines, required by law to be updated every five years, provide a template for a healthy diet. But in a country where more than half of adults have a diet-related chronic disease, few Americans actually follow the guidance, research shows.

The new recommendations drew praise from some prominent nutrition experts.

“There should be broad agreement that eating more whole foods and reducing highly processed carbohydrates is a major advance in how we approach diet and health,” said Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner who has written books about diet and nutrition and has sent a petition to the FDA to remove key ingredients in ultra-processed foods.

Others expressed relief after worrying that the guidelines would go against decades of nutrition evidence linking saturated fat to higher LDL or “bad” cholesterol and heart disease.

WATCH | Ways to cut back on ultra-processed food:

What would it take for Canadians to eat less ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods are not good for your health, but they tend to be cheaper, easier to prepare and shelf stable. CBC’s Jennifer Yoon explains why it’s hard to stop eating them and what Canada could do to help you consume fewer of them.

“I guess whoever is writing these had to admit that the science hasn’t changed,” said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert who advised previous editions of the guidelines. “They haven’t changed in any fundamental way except for the emphasis on eating whole foods.”

The new document is just 10 pages, upholding Kennedy’s pledge to create a simple, understandable guideline. Previous editions of the dietary guidelines have grown over the years, from a 19-page pamphlet in 1980 to the 164-page document issued in 2020, which included a four-page executive summary.

The guidance will have the most profound effect on the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which is required to follow the guidelines to feed nearly 30 million U.S. children on a typical school day.