Experts speak out on RFK Jr.'s new iteration of US food pyramid and dietary guidelines: 'This messaging is confusing'

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., just inverted the long-standing USDA food pyramid.

According to Britannica, the food pyramid concept began in the 1970s in Sweden, before the USDA adopted a version of it in 1992. 

While that iteration was perhaps the most recognizable, it was revamped in 2011, reducing its emphasis on carbohydrates and upping the emphasis on produce and protein.

On Jan. 7, Secretary Kennedy and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins issued a press release decreeing the "most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades" with a "clear, common-sense" directive to "eat real food."

In addition to the announcement, the USDA launched realfood.gov, a slick, scrolling view of RFK Jr.'s vision for the ideal American diet. 

In a small section at the top of the flashy interface, the government defines "real food" as "whole, nutrient-dense, and naturally occurring" foods. The site features a number of citation-free statistics that were not immediately able to be verified.

As a user scrolls the site, an undercurrent of food replacing medicine or medical treatment is ever-present, beginning with the assertion that improved health began on American plates rather than in a "medicine cabinet."

"We are ending the war on protein," a section in the new food pyramid section confusingly declares, given that modern food scientists and dietitians widely agree on the importance of protein, albeit typically with guidance to reduce red meat due to its links to cancer. 

Subsequent sections emphasize unprocessed vegetables and fruits and discourage "highly processed, refined carbohydrates that displace real nourishment" — sound advice widely supported by modern science.

The accompanying press release exhorted Americans to consume "full-fat dairy," in part to "support American farmers, ranchers, and companies that grow and produce real food."

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Experts like Dr. Neal Barnard told the New York Post that some of the new guidelines ran counter to established nutritional science. For instance, he said the recommendations failed to note that excessive meat and dairy intake represented "principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity."

Registered dietitian nutritionist Hope Barkoukis generally endorsed the USDA's protein recommendations but, like Barnard, quibbled with a guideline.

"While it is true that not all saturated fats negatively impact our health, given our current typical American diet where French fries are our main vegetable and hot dogs our main protein, I think this messaging is confusing," Barkoukis remarked, per the Post.

A separate HHS press release acknowledged plant-based protein was acceptable, but primarily as a supplement to proteins from "a variety of animal sources."

Ultimately, the inverted USDA food pyramid was a mixed bag for experts. 

Outlets like Mother Jones speculated that the popularity of "carnivorous" diets among influencers on social media influenced it, pointing out that excessive meat consumption was unhealthy for people and the planet.

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