<div class="" data-article-body="true"><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/01/07/rfk-jr-new-us-dietary-guidelines/88063817007/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:released a new set of dietary guidelines on Wednesday, Jan. 7;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">released a new set of dietary guidelines on Wednesday, Jan. 7</a>, and it includes a food pyramid that looks very different from the one you probably remember.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Championing protein and healthy fats while minimizing grains, the new nutrition recommendations are a departure from past government guidance. In fact, the accompanying food pyramid visual is a near-complete inverse of what it once was, both visually and in terms of content.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">In a White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:press briefing;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">press briefing</a>, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted the changes, saying the announcement aligned with <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/donald-trump/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:President Donald Trump;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">President Donald Trump</a> and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr</a>'s promises to "Make America Healthy Again."</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">"As Secretary of Health and Human Services, my message is clear: eat real food," Kennedy said of what he called “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.”</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Used to seeing the pyramid of the early aughts? It may take you a moment to wrap your head around just how much has changed. Here are some of the standout differences between the old and new food pyramids.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words"><span class="exclude-from-newsgate"><strong>New food pyramid: </strong><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/01/07/rfk-jr-new-us-dietary-guidelines/88063817007/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:RFK Jr. overhauls dietary guidelines, calls for less sugar, more meat;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">RFK Jr. overhauls dietary guidelines, calls for less sugar, more meat</a></span></p><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">What does the new food pyramid look like?</h2><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The United States stopped using the pyramid model for dietary suggestions in 2011 when it moved to a visual that more closely resembled a dinner plate. The <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:RFK Jr.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">RFK Jr.</a>-led HHS has returned to the familiar relic of the '90s and 2000s, effectively turning it on its head.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The upside-down triangle now features food groups that should be eaten in abundance at the top and those that should constitute less of your diet at the bottom.</p><figure class="relative mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt="New dietary guidelines released by the USDA on Jan. 7." loading="lazy" width="960" height="1200" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0Rz0CuVgoAramU79GUZfcA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyMDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_news_641/fc3067650821658508310beded2fa5bf"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5"><div style="max-height:none;overflow:visible">New dietary guidelines released by the USDA on Jan. 7.</div></figcaption></figure><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">The old versus the new</h2><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The visual isn't the only thing that was flipped. Grains, which were once the foundation of the suggested diet, are now the smallest group and relegated to the bottom. Protein, dairy, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables are the largest categories competing for the top.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">"Protein" itself wasn't a category on the popular diet visual until 2011, at which time it was still suggested in smaller portions. The latest guidelines not only focus on protein as a category, but the suggested intake has increased as it's recommended to consume 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, up from the previous long-standing minimum of 0.8g/kg.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The attitude towards fats also made a near 180-degree turn. Previous nutrition guideline iterations suggested minimizing or avoiding full-fat dairy and all types of fat, including healthy and saturated. Now, three servings of full-fat dairy are recommended a day, and RFK Jr. declared that the USDA is "ending the war on saturated fats."</p><figure class="relative mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt="The new dietary guidelines released USDA on Jan. 7 places a renewed emphasis on meats." loading="lazy" width="960" height="483" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/m6ZSbdFnzQ62Ws0Q5QQKJQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ4MztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_news_641/897251c8fbeaf1222f72687adf5877d8"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5"><div style="max-height:none;overflow:visible">The new dietary guidelines released USDA on Jan. 7 places a renewed emphasis on meats.</div></figcaption></figure><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The guidelines now encourage the consumption of "healthy" fats, including saturated, placing it at the top of the pyramid in the same category as protein and dairy. It still caps saturated fat at 10% of your daily calories; however, it suggests these healthy fats come from naturally occurring, whole food sources, such as avocado.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The HHS is declaring a "war" on added sugar, placing a newfound focus on avoiding it or capping consumption at 10mg per meal.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Recommendations around alcohol consumption were also notably changed. Instead of placing a numerical limit on the number of drinks considered acceptable per day, which was previously up to one for women and two for men, it says simply to minimize consumption, stressing the "no amount of alcohol is safe" messaging less.</p><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">From pyramid, to plate and back to pyramid</h2><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The food pyramid, as we knew it, was first adopted by the United States in 1992, when the USDA released a four-level image. Food groups at the bottom of the pyramid were meant to reflect a larger portion of the recommended diet, while those at the top were supposed to be incorporated more sparingly.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">This original iteration, from bottom up, featured:</p><ul class="mb-4"><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">6-11 servings of grains and starches, including bread, cereal, rice, and pasta.</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit.</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">2-3 servings of dairy and meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">A sparing amount of fats, oils and sweets.</p></div></li></ul><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The original pyramid was revised in 2005 to the "MyPyramid" model, which was still shaped like a triangle but featured color strips stretching from the top to the bottom to represent each food group, as opposed to ascending levels. This iteration was based on a typical 2,000-calorie-a-day diet and recommended, from bottom to top:</p><ul class="mb-4"><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">6 ounces of grains</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">2.5 cups of vegetables</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">2 cups of fruits</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">3 cups of milk or dairy</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">5.5 ounces of meat, fish, beans, eggs and nuts per day.</p></div></li><li class="ml-4 list-disc"><div class=""><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">A "limited intake" of fats and oils.</p></div></li></ul><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">In 2011, the United States transitioned to the MyPlate model, which switched up the visualization style. Gone was the pyramid; instead, an image of a dinner plate with color-coded slices represented how much of each food group should be present in people's meals. It focused more heavily on individual needs, but generally reserved the largest portions for vegetables and grains, and smaller slices for protein, fruits and dairy.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words"><em>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2026/01/07/old-food-pyramid-versus-rfk-jr-new-food-pyramid/88068047007/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:RFK Jr. updated the food pyramid. See what's different for your plate.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">RFK Jr. updated the food pyramid. See what's different for your plate.</a></em></p></div>

The food pyramid released by RFK Jr's USDA looks very different from the one you probably remember. See what's changed.

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