RFK Jr. unveils nutrition guidelines, pushing protein, less processed food

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday shared new U.S. nutrition guidelines, advising Americans to eat more “real food” and reduce their intake of highly processed foods and added sugars.

The government’s new food pyramid replaces the MyPlate diagram released under President Barack Obama, and emphasizes protein, full-fat dairy and vegetables. The most significant changes under the updated guidelines include prioritizing protein over carbohydrates and calling out processed foods like white bread, chips and candy.

“Healthy fats” like full-fat dairy and avocados have also been added to the pyramid, and the guidelines recommend cooking with olive oil, butter or beef tallow.

“We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said at a White House press briefing on Wednesday.

Similarly, the website announcing the new guidelines declares, “We are ending the war on protein.”

Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda has taken aim at processed foods and sugary beverages, while pushing more controversial dietary changes like cooking with beef tallow and consuming more red meat, which many public health experts say can lead to cardiovascular and other health issues in excess. The backbone of the MAHA platform is that healthier diets will prevent chronic disease, according to Kennedy.

Kennedy called the new guidelines the “most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.”

The USDA and HHS release updated dietary guidelines every five years. While many Americans may brush off the recommendations, the guidelines are intended as a public health tool to inform health care providers, federal agencies, policymakers and nutrition experts. The food industry also takes them into account, given the wide reach of the guidelines.

Changes in the dietary recommendations will trickle down to school lunches and federal nutrition programs. The consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest estimates that one in four Americans will be directly affected by changes in the guidelines.

More than a year ago, an advisory committee of health and nutrition experts said that Americans should eat more plant-based food and low-fat dairy and consume less red meat and sugary beverages, based on a review of scientific evidence. However, it is unclear if the USDA and HHS used the report to inform the dietary guidelines announced on Wednesday.