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By G. A. McNeeley
February 6, 2026 (Washington D.C.) -- Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month announced new dietary guidelines for Americans that are focused on promoting whole foods, proteins and healthy fats, according to NPR. Health and nutrition experts have praised portions of the new guidelines, but sharply criticized other changes as lacking a scientific basis.
At a press conference, the Trump Administration unveiled their version of the food pyramid, which has red meat, cheese, vegetables, and fruits pictured at the top, and whole grains pictured at the bottom, a major shift from the prior food pyramid that had advised eating 7-9 helping of fruits and vegetable daily, while limiting meats, cheeses and other foods high in fat.
However, these updated guidelines also take a new stance against "highly processed" foods, and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid "packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy,” according to PBS News.
HHS is no longer advising how many alcoholic drinks are safe for Americans, and instead urges people to "consume less alcohol," and abstain altogether if they have certain health conditions, according to USA Today.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Claims He’s “Ending the War on Saturated Fats”
"Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines," Kennedy claimed, according to NPR. "We are ending the war on saturated fats," Kennedy claimed, ABC News reports. "My message is clear. Eat real food, nothing matters more for health care outcomes, economic productivity, military readiness and physical stability."
NPR reports that the administration’s guidelines also called for a "dramatic reduction" in the consumption of "highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives."
PBS News reports that the new guidelines seem to be backing away from revoking long-standing advice to limit saturated fats, despite conflicting signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats, to end the "war" on saturated fats.
Instead, the HHS document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat, such as meat, whole-fat dairy, or avocados, while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of daily calories. The guidelines also say "other options can include butter or beef tallow," despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats linked to high cholesterol and cardiovascular concerns.
The American Heart Association and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics both point to evidence that excess saturated fat is linked to heart disease.
NPR reports that Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested in these new guidelines that "this approach can change the health trajectory for so many Americans," pointing out that more than 70% of American adults are overweight or obese due to a diet that has "become reliant on highly processed foods and coupled with a sedentary lifestyle."
Kennedy ignored committees’ findings on alcohol harm
USA Today reports that the new advice from Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services is an about-face from a longstanding government guideline that said drinking in moderation meant two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.
Scientists, nutritionists and advocates are saying this new guidance is too vague for people to apply to their everyday lives, and are criticizing the administration for missing an opportunity to warn about alcohol’s link to cancer, as well as other health problems.
USA Today reports that for the first time, the committee that put together the bulk of the dietary guidance didn’t address alcohol themselves, according to Deirdre Kay Tobias, a nutrition professor at Harvard University who was on that committee. Instead, The Trump Administration relied on advice from two outside committees to study how alcohol affects health.
The first study found that the risk of breast cancer increases with every drink a person consumes each day, among other things. A draft of the second report said the risk of dying from alcohol use “begins at very low levels of average use,” and linked alcohol use to seven types of cancers. But, the administration wrote in a document that it chose not to "consider the findings" of those two committees.
USA Today reports that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, claimed “there was never really good data to support” women having one drink per day and men having two drinks per day. “That data was probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectiveness.”
Health and nutrition experts weigh in
NPR reported that Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University, says he’s “very disappointed in the new pyramid that features red meat and saturated fat sources at the very top, as if that's something to prioritize. It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research.”
Gardner added that he’s also in favor of increasing plant-based sources of protein, such as beans, rather than emphasizing animal protein.
The Hill reported that Frederic Bertley, president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry, cautioned that “long-term impacts of high saturated consumption can lead to elevated LDLs, which can increase the risk of heart disease and other associated cardiovascular diseases.”
NPR reported that Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist, a public health scientist, and the director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, says "it's pretty clear that overall milk and cheese and yogurt can be part of a healthy diet. Both low-fat and whole-fat dairy versions of milk, cheese and yogurt have been linked to lower cardiovascular risk.”
Mozaffarian says he also supports the recommendations to lower the consumption of highly processed foods. "Highly processed foods are clearly harmful for a range of diseases, so to have the U.S. government recommend that a wide class of foods be eaten less because of their processing is a big deal and I think a very positive move for public health.”
USA Today added that Mike Marshall, the CEO of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, said his group advocated to reduce the level of moderate drinking to one drink per day for men. He also said they’ve tried many times to meet with Kennedy or his staff, but were unsuccessful.
Marshall cited the draft study that shows that men who have seven drinks per week have a one in 1,000 chance of dying from an alcohol-related issue, compared to a one in 25 chance at 14 drinks per week.
USA Today reports that Teresa Fung, a registered dietician and professor at Simmons University in Boston, said people who come to her want specific guidance that gives them a clear message, and not a general recommendation to eat or drink more or less of something.
“The current recommendation of ‘drink less alcohol’ is vague,” Fung said, according to USA Today. “Like, what does it mean? I drink a six pack a day, do I now drink five? It’s less, but is it good enough? And those who drink once a month, do they have to drink less?”
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition
https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf
https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-historic-reset-federal-nutrition-policy.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK614681/
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-draft-public-comment-alcohol-intake-health-study.pdf
https://cdn.realfood.gov/Scientific%20Report.pdf
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5675784-kennedy-saturated-fat-guidelines/
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