On Jan. 7, 2026, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he had flipped the food pyramid and created new dietary guidelines during a Trump administration press briefing. Replacing the previous MyPlate system with an inverted triangle which emphasizes a diet of protein, dairy, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables over heavily processed foods and grains.
Dietary guidelines for Americans are written every five years by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. This document aids in numerous food programs supported by the government such as school lunch offerings and the SNAP program, which must adhere to its suggestions.
Kennedy, throughout his time as Secretary of Health and Human Services has repeatedly made claims about “ending the war on saturated fats” in the U.S. despite pushback on this idea from numerous public health figures. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) advises that saturated fats should take up only less than 10 percent of the total calories you consume each day. Additionally, the American Heart Association recommends that less than 6 percent of daily total calories should be made up of saturated fats.
In the 1950s, health authorities began advising against the consumption of high saturated fat consumption in light of growing evidence linking them to heart disease and high cholesterol. Conversely, this shift in opinions surrounding aspects of the American diet seems less fueled by advances in scientific discovery and more by undiscussed alternate motives.
The fear around the changes to the dietary guidelines surrounds the idea that Kennedy is not necessarily qualified to make these changes. Doctors For America issued a statement calling for the removal of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the basis that he isn’t qualified to be a leader in these sectors.
In the beginning of his term, Kennedy, like other leaders in the Trump administration, rolled out numerous layoffs cutting thousands across government agencies including the CDC and FDA along with other health bodies. In a letter former health leaders outlined how Kennedy’s tenure is “unlike anything our country had ever experienced.”
Across the U.S., there are mixed opinions surrounding Kennedy’s role in the government as a whole. These dietary guidelines, RFK Jr.’s opinions around anti-vaccination and COVID-19 have sparked massive discussion and discourse within the country. With these conversations comes a growing distrust in RFK Jr., and the Trump administration as a whole.
