The following is from Children’s Health Defense.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled new dietary guidelines that dramatically invert the traditional US food pyramid, placing protein, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables, and fruit at the top — with grains at the bottom.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Kennedy called the move the “most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.” The guidelines, which remain in effect through 2030, will shape meals served to schoolchildren, military personnel, veterans, seniors, and low-income families enrolled in federal programs such as WIC and Head Start.

Kennedy said the changes reject decades of what he described as corporate-driven nutrition policy.

“These guidelines replace corporate-driven assumptions with common sense goals and gold-standard scientific integrity. For decades, Americans have grown sicker while healthcare costs have soared.”
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Health Secretary

He accused the federal government of promoting ultraprocessed foods and refined carbohydrates while discouraging healthy fats and protein.

“The hard truth is that our government has been lying to us to protect corporate profit-taking. Today, the lies stop.”
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Under the new framework, Americans are encouraged to consume higher levels of protein and healthy fats from whole foods such as eggs, seafood, meat, full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. Vegetables and fruit are emphasized, while grains are deemphasized.

Kennedy acknowledged critics may say the new pyramid is “upside down,” but said the prior model was the one that was wrong.

“It was actually upside down before — we just righted it”
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The guidelines continue to recommend limiting saturated fat to 10% of daily calories but place new emphasis on avoiding ultraprocessed foods and added sugars. The pyramid excludes added sugars entirely and encourages children to avoid them altogether.

For the first time, the dietary guidelines explicitly address ultraprocessed foods, which make up more than half of calories consumed by Americans, including children. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary cited recent research showing widespread dependence on refined carbohydrates.

“We now have a generation of kids addicted to refined carbohydrates, low in protein.”
— Marty Makary, FDA Commissioner

Kennedy warned that the nation’s dependence on ultraprocessed foods carries serious consequences for public health, the economy, and national security.

“If a foreign adversary sought to destroy the health of our children, there would be no better strategy than to addict us to ultraprocessed foods.”
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The guidelines also aim to reshape food offerings under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves more than 40 million Americans. USDA officials said new “stocking standards” will require participating retailers to offer more nutritious staple foods.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said reducing obesity rates could significantly lower federal healthcare spending.

“If we reduced obesity by just 10%, Medicare spending could drop by $30 billion”
— Mehmet Oz, CMS Administrator

Officials said the revised food pyramid reflects a broader effort to prioritize “real food” — minimally processed items prepared without artificial ingredients — and to reverse decades of dietary policy that coincided with rising chronic disease.

For more information, read the full article here.