The federal government on Wednesday unveiled a new food guide pyramid and updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans in what Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades.” The guidance reverses decades of misguided nutritional advice and places whole, minimally processed foods at the center of a healthy eating approach.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, replace the MyPlate model, which has guided U.S. eating advice since 2011, with a revised pyramid emphasizing “real food,” increased protein and healthy fats, and a sharp reduction in processed foods and added sugar.
Under the updated guidelines, Americans are encouraged to prioritize protein at every meal, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and plant proteins; consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars; eat vegetables and fruits throughout the day; and incorporate healthy fats from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, olives, seafood, and selected animal fats. The recommendations also call for focusing on whole grains while sharply reducing refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and artificial additives, and choosing water and unsweetened beverages for hydration.
“These Guidelines return us to the basics,” Kennedy said. “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.”
The reintroduced pyramid, which replaces the MyPlate graphic that divided food into sections on a plate, inverts traditional dietary messaging by placing protein, dairy, and healthy fats alongside fruits and vegetables at the pyramid’s broadest levels, with whole grains toward the smaller base. Additionally, the guidelines no longer recommend fortified soy in the place of dairy.
The updated duiance also recommend—for the first time—limits on highly processed foods as a category, urging people to avoid packaged, ready-to-eat products that are high in added sugar, sodium, and artificial additives. Previous editions of the nation’s dietary guidance did not explicitly target “highly processed” foods.
Nutrition policy experts said the new pyramid reflects Kennedy’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” agenda—an effort rooted in addressing chronic disease through dietary changes. Supporters of the new inverted pyramid praised the emphasis on whole foods and the focus on reducing processed foods and added sugar. Critics, however, are clinging to their fake meats, fat-free foods, and skim milk.
The Biden administration in 2024 updated dietary guidelines to emphasize plant-based proteins and encouraged people to eat more whole grains and decrease their intake of sugary drinks, sodium and processed foods.
The update released Wednesday limits sugary drinks, sodium and processed food, but it does not promote eating plant-based protein, and instead emphasizes meat and dairy.
A White House spokesperson said the new guidance is based on “scientific consensus” and “common sense.”
