In the coming days, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture are going to release a new version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a>, a detailed document released every five years that relies on science and nutrition experts to make food and drink recommendations. <\/a><\/p>\n The new version is expected to be shorter than previous reports and could contain several changes that reject previous scientific findings from a committee of experts \u2013 such as adopting Kennedy\u2019s recommendation that Americans eat more saturated fats.<\/a><\/p>\n Calling the new version \u201ccommon sense,\u201d Kennedy asserted in July<\/a> that it would \u201cstress the need to eat saturated fats, dairy, good meat, fresh meat and vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n Some may conflate the dietary guidelines with the food pyramid, a visual representation of recommended servings based on food groups (the food pyramid graphic was replaced with \u201cMyPlate\u201d in 2011). However, the guidelines are an important matter of policy. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Secretary Kennedy has been extremely vocal about his disdain for current nutrition standards that he believes are not doing enough to promote healthy habits (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n They play a crucial role in shaping food policy in schools, public health advice, military bases and federal assistance programs, such as SNAP and Women, Infants, and Children, by translating scientific findings into adoptable policies. <\/p>\n But Kennedy has criticized the lengthiness of the guidelines.<\/p>\n Kyle Diamantas, the deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA, told Fox & Friends at the end of December<\/a> the new version would \u201cbe small\u201d and \u201cstreamlined.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Kevin Klatt, a nutrition research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR in October that shortening the document could confuse policy-shapers.<\/p>\n “Replacing that with a four-page, consumer-oriented document telling people to eat ‘whole foods’ and ‘unprocessed foods,’ none of which has a real definition \u2013 There’s no way that that can hold any policy weight,\u201d Klatt said.<\/p>\n Some health officials have also raised concerns about potential recommendations that Kennedy has touted \u2013 such as increasing recommendations for saturated fats, which experts have consistently advised people to<\/a> limit because it\u2019s linked to cardiovascular disease.<\/a><\/p>\n Kennedy and other MAHA officials have also told the public to limit intake of ultraprocessed foods, which many health experts agree with. But the government has yet to define \u201cultra-processed,\u201d which makes it difficult to understand what people should eliminate from their diets. <\/p>\n The current dietary guidelines, which were issued in 2020, recommend consuming fruits, vegetables, lean meat, legumes and whole grains while avoiding added sugar, refined carbohydrates and limiting saturated fats. <\/p>\n The Independent has asked the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Kennedy and Rollins have adopted and promoted \u2018MAHA\u2019 policies, such as eliminating food dyes, removing fluoride from drinking water, promoting locally-sourced meat and full-fat milk (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Every five years, a committee of experts reviews the guidelines, issues new potential recommendations, receives public comments and then publishes the new set of guidelines. But after the committee issued its new potential recommendation in December 2024, Kennedy heavily criticized them. <\/p>\n The HHS secretary has insinuated that the recommendations were made to serve \u201cspecial groups\u201d within the food industry, rather than the public<\/a>. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also accused the guidelines of promoting \u201cleftist ideologies\u201d rather than science-based evidence. <\/p>\n![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2245821166.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Kennedy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2225108824.jpg\")
<\/p>\n