The Trump administration announced new dietary guidelines on Wednesday, including an inverted food pyramid that places red meat and whole-fat dairy at the top alongside fruits and vegetables.

“We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a press conference at the White House this week. “My message is clear. Eat real food.”

The new guidelines encourage research-backed practices like eating more whole foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as reducing intake of highly processed foods. But it also offers different guidance than what health experts say about eating large amounts of red meat, whole milk and cheese.

A high intake of red meats and processed meats has been associated with a higher risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and premature death, Dr. Frank B. Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a Harvard Health Publishing article in 2020.

Having too much saturated fat in your diet can lead to spikes in your cholesterol levels and increase your chances of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Full-fat dairy tends to be high in saturated fat.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is updated every five years. It is then “used to formulate guidance for school lunch requirements, hospitals. Other institutions use them to determine what their meals and other services [are],” said Dr. Teresa Fung, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, during a press call held by the school on Thursday.

Here’s what health experts say about the new guidelines, plus their advice for how consumers should structure their diets moving forward.

A diet of only animal-based proteins can increase saturated fat intake and lower fiber, experts say

Fung and Dr. Deirdre Kay Tobias, an obesity and nutritional epidemiologist affiliated with Harvard, were members of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory committee that researched scientific evidence to formulate the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report.

“Most of the committee’s recommendations were ignored,” Cristina Palacios, professor and chair of the Department of Dietetics & Nutrition at Florida International University who also served on the committee, wrote this week in an article for The Conversation.

Fung and Tobias adamantly encourage eating various sources of protein, including plant-based proteins, for a well-rounded diet. If people only eat animal-based proteins like beef and dairy, their concern is that they will lack certain nutrients they need and up their intake of saturated fat.

“Having protein, the food, only come from beef every day, or chicken or just eggs, really runs the risk of creating an overall pattern very low in fiber, because there’s no fiber in those foods [or] key nutrients and phytochemicals and minerals that are found in plants,” Tobias said during Harvard’s press briefing.

“If folks were to follow that and have more protein coming from meat sources, it really puts them at risk of exceeding the limit for saturated fat.”

The 2025 DGA suggests keeping intake of saturated fat below 10% of daily calories, but Tobias explained that that could be difficult if people are getting all of their protein from red meats and whole-fat dairy.

“It’s unclear what health benefits are being promoted by that sort of emphasis to swap to full-fat milk or other dairy,” Tobias said.

“That same glass of milk would have all of the protein and nutrients, but more saturated fat and more calories” than low-fat milk, she added.

Follow these staples for a healthy diet

Fung and Tobias shared a few simple tips for eating healthier that the research they reviewed supports. Here are some staples:

Focus on whole foodsEat a diet rich in fruits and vegetablesVary your protein sources to include both animal-based and plant-based proteins. A strictly plant-based diet is also ok. “Shift the protein intake a little bit more evenly throughout the course of the day, and not really the quantity of protein that is being consumed,” Fung said.Lower added sugar intake (less than 150 calories for men, less than 100 calories for women daily)Maintain low sodium intake (less than 2,300 mg a day)Reduce ultra-processed foodsStick to whole grains

You can also use the 2020 DGA or the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report as references, they suggest.

“I don’t think it should be so hard to know what’s healthy and what to eat. It’s also not a public debate. It’s science,” Tobias said. “What’s healthy and what’s not, the core of that has not changed.”

Want to get ahead at work with AI? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course, Beyond the Basics: How to Use AI to Supercharge Your Work. Learn advanced AI skills like building custom GPTs and using AI agents to boost your productivity today. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 25% off. Offer valid from Jan. 5 to Jan. 19, 2026. Terms apply.

Take control of your money with CNBC Select

CNBC Select is editorially independent and may earn a commission from affiliate partners on links.