WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Trump Administration Puts Real Food First in Dietary Guidelines

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are the U.S. government’s official nutrition recommendations. They give science‑based advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and reduce the risk of chronic disease, and they are updated every five years. The Guidelines are jointly developed and issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Secretary Rollins” is Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and “Secretary Kennedy” is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. As the heads of USDA and HHS—the two departments responsible for the Dietary Guidelines—they co‑led the process, oversaw the review of the advisory committee’s scientific report, and jointly announced and signed the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

In the 2025–2030 Guidelines, “real food” means whole, naturally occurring, nutrient‑dense foods that are minimally processed. Examples include:

• Vegetables and fruits (fresh, frozen, or minimally processed)
• Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and plain dairy products
• Beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds
• Whole grains like oats, brown rice, and whole‑grain breads
• Fats from whole foods such as olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and full‑fat dairy

“Ultra‑processed foods” are industrial formulations made mostly from refined ingredients and additives, with little or no intact whole food. Typical examples are sugar‑sweetened beverages, packaged sweets and desserts, chips and snack foods, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products (e.g., many frozen nuggets), breakfast cereals and bars high in added sugars, and many ready‑to‑heat frozen meals. The new Guidelines encourage prioritizing real foods and cutting back sharply on ultra‑processed products high in refined grains, added sugars, and additives.

Key practical differences between the 2025–2030 and 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines include:

• Processing vs. nutrients: 2025–2030 explicitly tells Americans to “eat real food” and to avoid or sharply limit ultra‑processed foods and refined carbohydrates. The 2020–2025 Guidelines focused on nutrients (like added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat) and healthy dietary patterns, but did not directly single out ultra‑processed foods in the core advice.

• Protein and animal foods: 2025–2030 places strong emphasis on getting substantial, high‑quality protein at every meal and is more favorable toward meat, eggs, and dairy (including red meat) as “protein powerhouses.” Earlier guidance (2020–2025) recommended a variety of protein foods but put more stress on lean meats and plant proteins and on limiting red and processed meat.

• Dairy fat: 2025–2030 recognizes dairy “at all fat levels,” including whole and full‑fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, as compatible with healthy eating patterns. The 2020–2025 Guidelines recommended that most choices in the Dairy Group be fat‑free or low‑fat (1% milk) and treated higher‑fat dairy mainly as something to limit because of saturated fat.

• Grains vs. other foods: The new Guidelines shift emphasis toward protein foods, dairy, vegetables, and fruits, and relatively away from grains, especially refined grains. While 2020–2025 advised that at least half of grains be whole, grains still featured prominently as a base calorie source; 2025–2030 coverage highlights reducing refined grain products and processed grain foods in favor of other whole foods.

• Added sugars and drinks: Both editions advise limiting added sugars and sugar‑sweetened beverages. 2025–2030 reinforces this but frames it within cutting ultra‑processed foods; 2020–2025 set a numerical limit of less than 10% of calories from added sugars for ages 2 and older and no added sugars for children under 2.

• Alcohol: Both sets of Guidelines say that if alcohol is consumed, it should be in moderation; 2025–2030 explicitly notes this continuity.

“Dairy at all fat levels” means the new Guidelines consider dairy foods ranging from fat‑free and low‑fat to whole and full‑fat (e.g., whole milk, full‑fat yogurt and cheese) as acceptable parts of a healthy eating pattern when they are nutrient‑dense and not loaded with added sugars. This is a shift from previous federal advice, which strongly favored fat‑free and low‑fat dairy to limit saturated fat intake.

For consumers, this means they have more flexibility to choose the type of dairy fat that fits their preferences, culture, and satiety needs, while still keeping overall diet quality in mind. It does not mean “unlimited” dairy fat is recommended; rather, saturated fat should still be moderated, but the Guidelines acknowledge that dairy foods of different fat contents can fit into healthy patterns and are not automatically discouraged.

The Dietary Guidelines are the policy foundation for major federal nutrition programs, but turning the 2025–2030 recommendations into actual foods and standards in programs such as WIC, SNAP, and school meals requires separate USDA rulemaking and guidance. Historically:

• Congress and USDA use each new DGA edition to update standards for programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, WIC, and some SNAP‑related nutrition education.
• For school meals, USDA typically proposes and finalizes new meal‑pattern rules after the Guidelines are released; aligning school nutrition standards with the 2020–2025 DGA, for example, took multiple years of rulemaking and phased implementation.

For the new 2025–2030 Guidelines, USDA and HHS have stated that today’s release is the starting point. Specific implementation timelines and rule changes for WIC, SNAP, and school meals have not yet been finalized, but based on past cycles, changes are expected to roll out gradually over several years as USDA updates regulations and program guidance.

The new Guidelines expand on earlier advice about preventing food allergy by supporting early introduction of allergenic foods beyond peanut during infancy, in line with accumulating evidence and existing pediatric/allergy guidance.

The evidence base shows that:

• Introducing peanut and other common allergenic foods (such as cooked egg, dairy in safe forms like yogurt or cheese, and non‑choking forms of tree nuts and other allergens) starting around 4–6 months of age, once an infant is developmentally ready for solids, can lower the risk of allergy rather than increase it.
• Delaying introduction of these foods past infancy does not prevent allergy and may increase risk in some children.

How to act on this:

• Parents of generally healthy infants can introduce common allergenic foods alongside other solids around 6 months (but not before 4 months), in age‑appropriate textures, and then continue offering them regularly as part of the diet.
• Clinicians (pediatricians, allergists, primary care) are encouraged to actively discuss early allergen introduction with families, identify infants at high risk (e.g., severe eczema or existing food allergy), and for those high‑risk infants, consider evaluation or supervised introduction rather than blanket avoidance.

The DGA itself provides high‑level endorsement of early, not delayed, introduction beyond peanut; for specific protocols (exact timing, quantities, and handling of high‑risk infants), clinicians and parents should follow detailed guidance from pediatric and allergy organizations.