Trump admin. revises 'food pyramid' to prioritize protein, veggies; Americans urged to 'eat real food'
Quick Summary
- The Trump administration revises dietary guidelines to prioritize protein and vegetables.
- Americans are urged to 'eat real food' as part of a significant reset in federal nutrition policy.
- The updated food pyramid emphasizes whole foods and reduces reliance on highly processed items.
The Trump administration has what it calls a clear, common-sense message to the American people: eat real food.
In what officials say is the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins released updated dietary guidelines for the 2025-2030 period, including a re-imagined “food pyramid” prioritizing protein and vegetables over carbohydrates.
The guidelines were released as part of the launch of RealFood.gov, an official government website with a simple diagnosis: “America is sick.” The site points to data showing half of all Americans are either prediabetic or diabetic, while 75% of adults report suffering from at least one chronic condition.
The “Eat Real Food” website also directly criticizes decades of previous guidance, noting that “for decades we've been misled by guidance that prioritized highly-processed food, and are now facing rates of unprecedented chronic disease.” Yet it offers a message of optimism, adding, “For the first time, we're calling out the dangers of highly-processed foods and rebuilding a broken system from the ground up with gold-standard science and common sense.”
Despite its grim assessment that “for decades we've been misled by guidance that prioritized highly-processed food, and are now facing rates of unprecedented chronic disease,” the site offers a plan to solve the crisis. “For the first time, we're calling out the dangers of highly-processed foods and rebuilding a broken system from the ground up with gold-standard science and common sense,” the site states.
Featuring an inverted version of the familiar American food pyramid, the new version places protein, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables, and fruits at the top, with whole grains positioned further down the pyramid.
Declaring an end to the “war on protein,” the site states, “Every meal must prioritize high-quality, nutrient-dense protein from both animal and plant sources, paired with healthy fats from whole foods such as eggs, seafood, meats, full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados.” The guidelines also include a protein target of between 1.2 and 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.
Vegetables and fruits in their minimally processed forms are ranked alongside protein in the revised pyramid, with U.S. recommendations for three servings of vegetables and two fruit servings per day.
The guidance also distinguishes between whole grains and refined carbohydrates, and urges Americans to “prioritize fiber-rich whole grains and significantly reduce the consumption of highly processed, refined carbohydrates that displace real nourishment” with up to 4 servings of whole grains daily.
“Our message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said at a White House briefing Wednesday morning. “... 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.”
Pointing to the “reset” of federal nutrition policy to more natural foods, Rollins said the changes will also benefit “American farmers, ranchers and companies that grow and produce real food.”
Under federal law, the guidelines are required to be updated every five years based on current nutrition science.
