RFK Jr. reveals nutrition guidelines, promotes protein, and less processed foods

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert 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 chart issued under President Barack Obama, and focuses on protein, full-fat dairy products and vegetables. The most significant changes under the updated guidelines include prioritizing protein over carbohydrates and eliminating processed foods such as white bread, potato chips and candy.

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

“We have ended the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said at a White House news conference on Wednesday.

Likewise, the website announcing the new guidelines declares: “We have ended the war on protein.”

Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda targeted processed foods and sugary drinks, while pushing more controversial dietary changes such as cooking with beef tallow and consuming more red meat, which many public health experts say could lead to an increase in cardiovascular and other health problems. The backbone of the MAHA platform is that healthy diets will prevent chronic diseases, according to Kennedy.

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

The USDA and Department of Health and Human Services issue updated dietary guidelines every five years. While many Americans may ignore the recommendations, the guidelines are intended to be a public health tool to inform health care providers, federal agencies, policy makers, and nutrition experts. The food industry also takes them into consideration, given the breadth of the guidelines.

The changes in 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 the changes to the guidelines.

More than a year ago, an advisory panel of health and nutrition experts said Americans should eat more plant-based foods and low-fat dairy products and consume less red meat and sugary drinks, based on a review of scientific evidence. However, it is not clear whether the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services used the report to inform the dietary guidelines announced Wednesday.