WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is “turning the food pyramid upside down” with new guidelines for feeding programs that will emphasize eating plenty of protein and healthy fats — while discouraging the consumption of highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates, officials told The Post.
The White House is set to release the revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans as part of a news conference Wednesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that will tout their benefits in reducing chronic diseases for all Americans.
High-quality proteins like poultry, red meat and beans; fats from eggs or dairy; fruits, vegetable and “fiber-rich” whole grains are in — and starchy carbs such as white bread, crackers, or “sugar-sweetened” beverages as well as pre-packaged and ready-to-eat treats like chips, cookies and fast food are out.
A major goal of the so-called “whole food framework” will be “reducing health care costs,” as the US has seen surging rates of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other chronic diseases that are costing taxpayers roughly $600 billion per year, according to a White House fact sheet.
At least 78% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants are also on Medicaid, per the fact sheet, and administration officials expect the nation’s chronic disease rate could be “dramatically” lowered if different incentives are made.
Officials said that the shift won’t directly alter SNAP, which is overseen by Congress and feeds more than 40 million Americans, but will become the gold standard for “over 100 government feeding programs in over 10 government agencies.”
That’s expected to drastically improve the quality of school lunches, meals on military bases and other taxpayer-funded nutrition for veterans, making good on Kennedy’s campaign pledges for Make America Healthy Again moms and independents who voted for President Trump in 2024.
“We have five times higher obesity rates than any other country in the developed world,” one official said. “This is because of our diet.”
Kennedy’s MAHA movement gained traction during his 2024 bid for the presidency — and he’s since extolled the benefits of protein-rich diets while in office.
In a March 2025 visit to West Virginia, the health secretary gave a few diet tips and even offered to be the personal trainer of Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
“The first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,’” RFK said in a joint appearance with the governor of America’s fattest state. “I am going to put him on a really rigorous regimen, and we’re gonna put him on a carnivore diet.”
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, the president of the American Medical Association, celebrated the move in a statement noting the organization is “focused on helping physicians translate this science into everyday care and helping patients improve their overall health.
“The American Medical Association applauds the Administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses,” Mukkamala continued. “The Guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health.”
The AMA will also “work with Congress to enact meaningful, lasting nutrition change that can improve lives,” its president noted, and provide additional educational resources for medical students and doctors as well as host roundtables to “make it easier for physicians to talk to patients about the role of food in preventing, and even treating, chronic disease.”
The Department of Agriculture previously switched from the food pyramid to MyPlate with then-first lady Michelle Obama and then-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in 2011, which began de-emphasizing the foundation of carbohydrates in a balanced diet.
The Trump White House’s fact sheet faulted the Biden administration for backtracking on addressing chronic diseases and improving Americans’ diets by making equity the “central prism” of all nutritional guidelines.
“We reject this logic: a common-sense, science-driven document is essential to begin a conversation about how our culture and food procurement programs must change to enable Americans to access affordable, healthy, real food,” the sheet stated.
“The Trump administration welcomes all stakeholders to be part of this conversation in the coming year.”
