New federal dietary guidelines emphasize whole foods, protein, and healthy fats while urging Americans to sharply reduce sugar and ultra-processed foods.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday unveiled sweeping new dietary guidelines that replace the long-standing food pyramid with a model prioritizing protein, whole foods, and healthy fats, while discouraging refined grains, added sugars, and highly processed foods.
Speaking during a White House press briefing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes mark a fundamental shift in federal nutrition policy. “Today the lies stop,” Kennedy said, adding that the revised recommendations are designed to address rising rates of chronic disease and reduce long-term health care costs
“The new guidelines recognize that whole nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the administration is formally abandoning decades of guidance that discouraged fat consumption, particularly unsaturated fats. “Protein and healthy fats are essential and we were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines,” he said. “We are ending the war on unsaturated fats.”
At the same time, Kennedy said the federal government is refocusing its nutritional warnings on sugar and ultra-processed foods. “Diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduced disease risk more effectively than many drugs. Whole grains outperform refined carbohydrates. Added sugars, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, drive metabolic disease – and today our government declares war on added sugar,” he said.
Kennedy also warned against processed foods, saying, “Highly-processed foods loaded with additives, added sugar and excess salt damage health and should be avoided. As secretary of health and human services my message is clear: eat real food.”
The announcement follows the administration’s launch of Realfood.gov, which contrasts the new guidance with the previous federal food pyramid that encouraged Americans to consume six to 11 daily servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta, while limiting meat and dairy intake. The new pyramid inverts that model, emphasizing whole, nutrient-dense foods rich in protein and healthy fats, while recommending fewer servings of grains.
“These Guidelines return us to the basics,” Kennedy said in a statement released by HHS. “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.”
Video from the announcement circulated widely on social media following the briefing, including a clip shared online showing Kennedy outlining the shift in federal nutrition policy.
The updated food pyramid places protein sources, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and dairy at the foundation of daily eating patterns, while refined carbohydrates and added sugars are minimized. Federal officials said the changes are intended to align dietary guidance with emerging nutrition science and to reverse what they described as decades of policy that contributed to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disease.
The administration said additional public education efforts will follow, including outreach through federal agencies and schools, to encourage Americans to adopt diets centered on minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods.
The full White House briefing outlining the new dietary guidelines was made available online in a video released Wednesday.
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