by Linda Boyle

DHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is re-imagining what health and healthy eating should look like.  We have transformed from a low fat, high grain pyramid to one that places protein, dairy, and saturated fats at the top while putting grains at the bottom of the heap.  The Department of Agriculture has released a new set of dietary guidelines, with the food pyramid of the 1990s and 2000s literally flipped upside down. 

What are the major changes?  Under the old paradigm, meat and fats were at the narrow part of the pyramid, meaning one should eat less of these foods.  And grains and starches including bread, cereal, rice and pasta were shown as the biggest portion of daily food intake.

Kennedy’s pyramid prioritizes protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and whole foods.  The HHS is declaring a “war” on added sugar, placing a newfound focus on avoiding it or capping intake at 10mg per meal. Starches and grains are also dramatically decreased.   

The guidelines do include the need to drink water and to eat the amount of food that is appropriate for your age, sex, size and activity level.

It also calls for a decrease in alcohol—down from past recommendations of up to one a day for women and two a day for men to “no amount of alcohol is safe” messaging for less.  Apparently, we now have “equity” for alcohol intake.  https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2026/01/09/trump-administration-rfk-jr-updates-food-pyramid-see-new-dietary-guidelines/88083025007/

Kennedy’s motto is “eat real food” with a focus on ridding your diet of ultra-processed foods (UPF) which are found in many food products today. These ultra-processed foods include such foods as cookies, ice cream, sodas, chips as well as breakfast cereals, soy milk and canned vegetables. 

Ultra processed foods (UPF) is a huge problem in the U.S.  This is one area that I don’t want to be a world leader in.  However, we are. UPF accounts for 60% of our caloric intake versus a 14-44% intake in Europe. 

“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” said Secretary Kennedy.  “We must act boldly to eliminate the root causes of chronic illness and improve the health of our food supply.  Defining ultra-processed foods with a clear, uniform standard will empower us even more to Make America Healthy Again.” https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/07/23/hhs-fda-and-usda-address-health-risks-ultra-processed-foods

So, what do most people think about these changes?  For many of us it was a ‘nothing burger’ as we have been ditching carbs for more protein for a while. 

Some good news is the American Medical Association (AMA) lauded the dietary guidelines for “spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuels heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses.”

AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, M.D., also pledged to work with Congress to improve food labeling, define ultra-processed foods and “increase investment in nutrition research.” https://www.ms.now/news/rfk-jr-s-new-food-pyramid-draws-mixed-responses-from-health-experts

Are there critics of the new pyramid??  Of course there are.  The climate change people are worried the earth will continue to get warmer now because people will be eating more red meat.  Those cows are known to belch and pass flatus of methane gas that will disrupt the atmosphere. 

The American Cancer Society considers red meat to be “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The American Heart Association has long advised people to limit consumption of red meat especially when it comes to heart disease. I haven’t seen an updated food pyramid yet from the American Pediatric Association. 

Big food is taking a hit.  Kraft and Conagra stocks sagged following the newly updated food pyramid.  Ultra processed foods are a mainstay of their revenue. And Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other soda companies are not happy.

The new food pyramid is here for five years.  This will shape what is served for school lunches, military chow halls and VA facilities.  It will have an effect on those dependent on federal programs such as WIC and Head Start along with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Will it change what you see in the grocery store? Hopefully. 
Manufacturers can adapt. They proved that when the recommended changes to food dyes came out. They will have to adapt to survive in the slim profit margin food industry.  The first sign may be in the high sugar breakfast cereals for our children.  Changes were made to Lucky Charms in Europe when the Europeans banned the super sugary cereal our children still eat.   

We need to change our eating habits.

We need to exercise.

We need to get our children out in the sunlight.

In retrospect, the 50s weren’t so bad.  We got fewer shots. Children played  outdoors. Went on “adventures” in the woods and played pick up baseball and football.