The White House on Wednesday announced a sweeping overhaul of federal nutrition guidelines, pitching it as a reset that puts protein, fats, and whole foods back at the center of the American diet. Standing beside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins framed the shift as overdue and bluntly corrective, CBS News reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opened the briefing by saying the Trump administration was updating nutrition standards to ensure Americans receive “data-driven information supported by science and hard facts,” not ideology.
Kennedy followed with sharper language. “For decades, the government has lied about food to protect corporate interests,” he said, arguing that protein and healthy fats were wrongly discouraged in prior guidelines. “We are ending the war on saturated fats.”
President Trump is making healthy food AFFORDABLE for ALL Americans! 🇺🇸🍎💪 pic.twitter.com/bTGHBkZyCK
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) January 7, 2026
Behind him sat a redesigned food pyramid. Vegetables and meat near the top. Whole grains pushed lower. Ultra-processed foods did not even make the chart. As for alcohol, the recommendation was softened. Instead of throwing numbers at them, Americans are now encouraged simply to drink less.
Kennedy said the new guidelines directly target highly processed foods and impose firm sugar limits across federal procurement, including school meals, with the aim of reducing added sugar nationwide.
Rollins took over the message and widened it. “We are putting real food back at the center of the American diet,” she said. That means “more protein, more dairy, more healthy fats, more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables,” whether fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
MAHA
Secretary Rollins: We are finally putting real food back at the center of the American diet. Real food that nourishes the body, restores health, fuels energy and builds strength. pic.twitter.com/vQmBmN5k6m
— Ellie A (@EllieGAnders) January 7, 2026
Her presence mattered as she carried much of the administration’s economic and agricultural framing. Rollins said the U.S. is facing “the worst chronic health crisis in our nation’s history,” citing federal data showing more than 40% of American children have at least one chronic condition, with most health care spending tied to chronic disease treatment.
“For decades, under both parties, federal incentives promoted low-quality, highly processed foods and pharmaceutical interventions instead of prevention,” she said. “Thankfully, the solution is simple. Eat real food.”
RFK Jr. and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins just flipped the food pyramid on its head.
“It’s upside down, a lot of you will say, but it was actually upside down before and we just righted it.”
Farm Action President Angela Huffman celebrated the new Dietary Guidelines for putting… pic.twitter.com/7YVPbAVaJp
— Farm Action (@FarmActionUS) January 7, 2026
The guidelines are part of the administration’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, a project Kennedy began championing during his 2024 presidential run before aligning with President Donald Trump.While the recommendations are sweeping, how they will be enforced across schools, prisons, and other government-run institutions remains unclear.
“There is a lot of work to do,” Rollins said. “Nothing changes overnight.”
The reset comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly scaled back several childhood vaccine recommendations, a move that drew concern from medical groups and added tension to Kennedy’s expanding influence over public health policy. Kennedy defended the administration’s broader approach Wednesday, saying the goal was to rebuild trust by grounding guidance in science and common sense.
Thank you RFKJr – you legend! Here’s the REAL FOOD pyramid as a photo for you all to save or print put on your fridges https://t.co/GPHL4qkSex pic.twitter.com/oQ1ua1qOcp
— Luke Elvy (@Luke_Elvy) January 7, 2026
Meanwhile, the USDA released its full Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, describing the shift as the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades and emphasizing food — not pharmaceuticals — as the foundation of health. The document prioritizes protein at every meal, full-fat dairy without added sugar, whole fruits and vegetables, healthy fats from whole foods, and sharp reductions in refined carbohydrates and ultra-processed products, according to RFD TV.
As Rollins and the team wrapped, the message stayed simple and deliberately repetitive. Real food. Fewer additives. Less sugar. Washington, for once, wasn’t hedging.
