On January 7, 2026, the Trump Administration unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. dietary guidelines, sparking intense debate among health experts, advocacy groups, and the American public. The new guidance, presented at a White House briefing by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., marks a dramatic shift in the nation’s official stance on what constitutes a healthy diet. Gone are the days of demonizing red meat, full-fat dairy, and butter. Instead, the new recommendations encourage Americans to prioritize these foods—alongside vegetables and fruits—while urging a sharp reduction in sugar and highly processed foods.
The new guidelines are visually represented by an inverted food pyramid, a stark departure from the traditional model that placed grains at the base. In this new pyramid, protein-rich foods such as red meat, poultry, eggs, and full-fat dairy share the top tier with fruits and vegetables. Whole grains, once the staple of American nutrition advice, are relegated to the bottom. According to NBC News, this upside-down pyramid is intended to highlight the importance of “real food”—a term Kennedy used repeatedly during the announcement.
"Nothing matters more for health outcomes, economic productivity, military readiness," Kennedy declared at the White House. He emphasized that the guidelines reflect his Make America Healthy Again movement’s core beliefs and his personal conviction that highly processed foods are a root cause of the country’s chronic disease epidemic. The guidelines describe these foods as “laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives.”
The new recommendations call for Americans to eat more protein than ever before, with the government suggesting a daily intake of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. This is a significant increase from previous guidelines, which had much lower protein targets. "The old guidelines had such a low protein recommendation that we are increasing that by 50% to 100%. Kids need protein," FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at the briefing, as reported by NBC News.
For the first time, the guidelines openly encourage the consumption of full-fat dairy and cooking with butter and beef tallow—foods that are high in saturated fats. This marks a sharp reversal from decades of federal advice to minimize saturated fat intake. Kennedy was unequivocal: “We are ending the war on saturated fats.” Yet, the document maintains the longstanding recommendation to limit saturated fats to 10% of daily calories, a point that some nutrition experts say is contradictory. Marion Nestle, a professor emerita at New York University, pointed out, "If you increase the amount of protein, meat, and full-fat dairy in your diet, you will not be able to keep your saturated fat intake below 10% of calories, and will have a harder time maintaining calorie balance, since fat has twice the calories of proteins or carbohydrates."
The American Heart Association (AHA) expressed concern about the increased emphasis on animal-based proteins and saturated fats. In a statement, the group urged, “Pending that research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.” The AHA maintains its own recommendation to keep saturated fat intake below 6% of daily calories, a more stringent target than the new federal guidelines.
Other medical voices echoed a mix of praise and caution. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), applauded the guidelines for “spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses.” Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, took a more critical stance, warning, “The Guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy products, which are principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.” He also noted that some processed foods, such as vitamin-fortified cereals and breads, can play a positive role in public health.
One of the most controversial aspects of the new guidelines is the softened approach to alcohol consumption. Previous federal advice set clear daily limits—one drink for women, two for men. The updated guidelines, however, simply advise Americans to “consume less alcohol for better overall health,” without specifying a maximum. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz addressed this change, saying, “Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.” This looser language has drawn criticism from public health advocates, especially in light of guidance from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both of which have warned that even moderate alcohol consumption increases cancer risk.
The guidelines also take a hard line on added sugars, recommending that adults limit their intake to no more than 10 grams per meal and advising that children under age 10 should avoid added sugars entirely. For children under age two, the advice is even stricter: no added sugars at all. School meal programs will be required to meet these sugar limits by 2027, according to NBC News.
In addition to changes in protein and fat recommendations, the guidelines urge Americans to avoid highly processed foods and limit sodium intake to less than 2300 milligrams per day. This advice is in line with longstanding public health efforts to reduce rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, the definition of “highly processed foods” remains somewhat vague, leaving room for interpretation and debate.
The process behind the updated guidelines has also come under scrutiny. As reported by Medscape, Kennedy took over the guideline-writing process and replaced the original scientific advisory panel—whose 2025 report had favored plant-based diets—with a new group that included several members with ties to the beef, dairy, and supplement industries. Critics argue that this shift may have influenced the guidelines’ strong emphasis on animal-based foods.
Despite the controversies, the guidelines are expected to have a wide-reaching impact. They set the standards for government-funded nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program, military meals, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The document itself has been dramatically shortened, now just 10 pages compared to the previous 164-page version, a move intended to make the advice more accessible to the public.
Looking ahead, the guidelines will remain in effect until their next scheduled revision in 2030. As the dust settles from this latest update, one thing is clear: the debate over what constitutes a healthy diet in America is far from over. The new guidelines may have ended the “war on saturated fats,” but they have ignited a fresh round of discussion about the best path to national health.
