WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump Administration on Wednesday unveiled what it called the most dramatic reset of federal nutrition policy in decades, releasing new Dietary Guidelines for Americans that urge families to abandon highly processed foods and return to diets built around protein, dairy, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, issued jointly by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, come amid what officials described as a national health emergency fueled by diet-driven chronic disease. More than 70% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, nearly one in three adolescents has prediabetes, and almost 90% of U.S. health care spending now goes toward treating chronic conditions linked to diet and lifestyle.
“These Guidelines return us to the basics,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “American households must prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains—and dramatically reduce highly processed foods. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the new guidance also marks a shift toward supporting U.S. farmers and ranchers by placing real, whole foods back at the center of federal nutrition policy.
“At long last, we are realigning our food system to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies that grow and produce real food,” Rollins said. “That means more protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains on American dinner tables.”
Under President Trump’s direction, the administration said it is restoring “scientific integrity, accountability, and common sense” to nutrition guidance, reclaiming the food pyramid as a tool for nourishment rather than pharmaceutical-style intervention.
The new guidelines urge Americans to prioritize protein at every meal, consume full-fat dairy without added sugars, eat vegetables and fruits throughout the day in whole forms, and rely on healthy fats from foods such as meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. They also call for sharply reducing refined carbohydrates, added sugars, artificial additives, and highly processed foods, while encouraging water and unsweetened beverages and limiting alcohol.
The guidance includes tailored recommendations for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, older adults, people with chronic disease, and those following vegetarian or vegan diets, in an effort to ensure nutritional adequacy across every stage of life.
Administration officials said the stakes extend far beyond personal health. Diet-driven chronic disease is now disqualifying large numbers of young Americans from military service, eroding national readiness and cutting off a key pathway to economic opportunity.
Rollins and Kennedy underscored the shift in a joint opinion piece, arguing that decades of federal incentives pushed Americans toward low-quality, highly processed foods and drug-based interventions instead of prevention. They said the new guidelines aim to reverse that trend by putting nourishment, not pills, at the center of public policy.
Dr. Ben Carson, the USDA’s national adviser for nutrition, health, and housing, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, echoed that message in a separate commentary, saying the revised guidelines mark a return to “common sense, science-backed policy” after decades of rising diet-related disease.
“Real food that nourishes the body, restores health, fuels energy, and builds strength is the foundation that will Make America Healthy Again,” Carson and Oz wrote.
The Trump administration is also tying the nutrition shift to broader agricultural and economic policy, including investments in regenerative agriculture, U.S. cattle production, and school meal reforms designed to connect farmers directly to lunchrooms and child nutrition programs.
More information on the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, is available at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dga-fact-sheet.pdf.
With the new rules now in place, the administration is betting that a back-to-basics approach to food can reverse decades of declining health — and reshape everything from school lunches to hospital costs in the process.
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