January 7, 2026 – New Dietary Guidelines from the Trump administration largely warned against “highly processed” foods and added sugar consumption, while giving animal protein, full-fat dairy, and fats a boost.
Throughout the 10-page document issued Wednesday, the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize reduced consumption of highly processed foods that are high in added sugars, salt, and refined carbohydrates like chips, cookies, and candy. This theme was baked into other recommendations like those on protein, vegetable, fruit, and dairy consumption across age groups.
The DGAs not only provide recommendations that support dietitians and physicians in advising their clients. They also shape what’s served on the plates of school meals and underpin other federal nutrition programs.
The guidelines specifically state that “no amount” of added sugars should be considered healthy, but recommends that one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugar. Previous guidelines have recommended limited added sugar consumption to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that equates to 200 calories or about 12 teaspoons of added sugar—which would roughly equal 50 grams per day.
Overall the guidelines prioritize meat, protein, full-fat dairy, vegetables, fruits, and fats. It distinguishes whole grains from other forms of carbohydrates, and it discourages the consumption of refined carbs like white bread, flour tortillas, and crackers.
Along with the guideline document, the administration released a new inverted food pyramid that puts meat, vegetables, dairy, fruit, and fats at the top. Whole grains make up a smaller portion of the recommended diet at the bottom of the pyramid.
The website promoting the guidelines calls this the “New Pyramid” and compares it to previous food pyramids, which recommended a larger share of carbohydrates in a diet. (The last food pyramid was replaced by MyPlate in 2011).
One of the biggest questions for health advocates ahead of the new guidelines was how they would treat saturated fats. Previous nutrition guidance has encouraged limited saturated fat intake. However, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in the administration have argued this recommendation was based on inaccurate science.
During a press conference announcing the guidelines on Wednesday, Kennedy said the update was “ending the war on saturated fats.” Even so, the guidelines do not change the actual recommended limit of 10 percent of daily calories coming from saturated fats.
The new guidelines could inadvertently push more saturated fat consumption through their stance on red meat and full-fat dairy, which are higher in saturated fat. The guidelines also largely rejected recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the independent panel that reviews available nutrition science, to promote proteins from plants, including vegetables, beans, and lentils, over processed animal proteins.
“In this new guidance, we are telling young people, kids, schools, you don’t need to tiptoe around fat and dairy,” Food and Drug Administrator Marty Makary said during the press conference.
The guidelines are a win for industrial meat and dairy groups. But shortly after the guidelines were released, medical groups like the American Heart Association and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine cautioned against the emphasis on animal protein and dairy products that contain more saturated fats, though they celebrated the focus on whole foods and vegetables and cuts to foods high in sugar. (Link to this post.)
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