12 January 2026

Work in Progress. That’s how I described the US Dietary Guidelines when I reviewed worldwide guidance for my Dietary Guidelines Olympics in 2023. I even came up with my own version - admittedly, it doesn’t include everything you need to be healthy (update to come), but following these suggestions would be a big improvement over the Standard American Diet. Last summer, I had the honor of meeting a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and hearing his explanation of the two-year scientific process they followed to make their recommendations.

Does anyone actually pay attention to the Dietary Guidelines? As a Registered Dietitian, I have utilized MyPlate in client and public health education for the past fifteen years. It has its flaws, but overall, I believe it’s a pretty helpful tool. Yet, despite its sensible guidance - make half your plate fruits and vegetables, make half your grains whole, vary your protein sources - it seems that Americans keep getting sicker. Obesity and chronic disease have surged. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!?

For starters, Americans are, by and large, NOT following those guidelines: a 2019 CDC survey found that only one in ten Americans were meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake; they are still confused about what constitutes a whole grain, with refined versions making up most of their grain intake; Americans consume over 200 pounds of beef and poultry per person each year, and only 10% eat legumes daily.

So why should we even care about the new guidelines? Importantly, these dictate where the government spends its money. Food assistance programs like SNAP and the National School Lunch Program are based upon them. The Farm Bill should consider them - to date, it hasn’t really done that. If it did, we’d be growing more vegetables and fewer crops for biofuel, animal feed and junk food.

If you go to realfood.gov, you’ll be greeted by a healthful (sarcasm) triad of steak, milk and broccoli! Read further, though. The actual guidance within is fairly sensible - and very similar to previous iterations, with a few glaring inconsistencies (I’ll get to that in a minute). But hallelujah - someone in charge finally said it:

Food choice and other lifestyle habits contribute more to heart disease, diabetes and cancer incidence than genetics. We have the power to improve our health (and save billions in health care costs). Decades of cumulative research have suggested the diet most conducive to good health is based on whole foods and plant predominant.

What I want to know is why RFK Jr. - a former environmental attorney and one of Time magazine’s 1999 “heroes for the planet” - is now putting animal foods at the top of the pyramid? Let’s look a little closer…

First off, it’s not a pyramid. We all know a pyramid has a strong (and wide) base. This triangle of food pictures seems (not ironically) precarious. Comparing the picture to the written guidance reveals some conflicts.

The information about healthy fats is both inaccurate and confusing. Olive oil can fit into a healthy diet, but it’s not a source of Essential Fatty Acids. Other recommendations (butter and beef tallow) are saturated fats associated with heart disease risk (when compared to unsaturated oils). And it would be difficult to keep saturated fat below 10% with meat and whole fat dairy as primary dietary components, as suggested in the pictures.

Whole grains, minimized in the triangle, provide fiber and other nutrients critical to gut health. Plant proteins (beans and nuts) are represented so tiny as to be barely recognizable.

Within the clever graphics (scroll), realfood.gov uses the 1992 Food Pyramid to prove we’ve been MISLED. Of course, science evolves, but one could argue that the food industry has done so exponentially. Thirty four years ago, more than half the ultra processed foods of today did not even exist!

Next up: protein. By framing previous public health guidance as a “war on protein”, the Dietary Guidelines are creating the illusion of a binary decision. Food is nuanced. Acknowledging that most Americans consume a diet inadequate in fiber - and eat plenty of protein - does not exclude either nutrient as unimportant. The target set is reasonable, 0.5 - 0.7 grams per pound of body weight. In real-life terms, this is 20-25 grams per meal, easily achieved - even on a vegan diet.

The “new” guidance for vegetables/fruits and grains are consistent with current [and previous] research on optimal health. Additionally, including recommendations for hydration (water is best) and gut health (vegetables, fruits, fermented foods, and high-fiber foods support a diverse microbiome, which may be beneficial for health) are welcome additions to our national guidelines.

So, even though the Real Food framework excluded 30 of the 56 recommendations submitted by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, it does include some ideas that may inspire better health. The pyramid may be performative, some recommendations inconsistent with the evidence, and the disclosures reveal (transparency!) most reviewers have financial ties to the meat and/or dairy industries, but the goal of encouraging all Americans to eat real food is a good one.

Secretaries Kennedy and Rollins claim they will realign our food system “to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies who grow and produce real food…and ensure all families can afford it.” I applaud this! Let them believe it’s their original idea, and follow their own guidance (excluding pictures and inaccuracies) to support access to whole [predominantly plant based] food for everyone.

The “changing everything” narrative got everyone’s attention…and that’s a good thing. Let’s continue the discussion.