Health Experts React as Andrew Huberman Backs Trump Admins’ New Food Pyramid
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The Trump administration has taken a new approach to the food pyramid.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines Wednesday with an updated inverted pyramid. The top of the pyramid, now the widest part of the structure, is built on meat, fats, fruits and vegetables, while whole grains are found at the narrow base.
This follows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s mission to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA), which aims to address chronic diseases, childhood illnesses, and ultra-processed foods.
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“The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense foods are the most effective path to improving health and reducing health care costs,” Kennedy said during a news conference in Washington, DC.
“Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in previous dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fat.”
Trump administration announces Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, putting “real food” back at the center of health. (USDA)
The HHS secretary spoke out against refined carbohydrates, food additives and added sugar, highlighting the health risks associated with sugary drinks.
Kennedy’s main message to Americans was to “eat real food.”
THE TRUMP ADMIN’S NEW NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES TARGET ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS, FACILITATING THE CONSUMPTION OF RED MEATS AND SATURATED FATS
The announcement sparked reactions from leading voices in health and wellness, including Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, host of the “Huberman Lab” podcast.
In a post on X, Huberman shared the graphic of the new White House pyramid, praising the decisions that were made.
“Oats (and I think it’s rice and sourdough) made the cut!” he commented. “In all seriousness, assuming total calories stay under control and people exercise and get (daytime) sunlight, this seems perfect.”
He added: “Maybe increase the vegetables a little, add low-sugar fermented foods like sauerkraut and this is great.”
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Huberman said in a thread on the same publication that Americans “don’t have to eat all the foods” shown in the diagram.
“You won’t see me drinking milk or eating shrimp,” he said. “I have nothing against shrimp, I just don’t like the taste. Aversion to crustaceans.”
“Maybe increase the vegetables a little, add low-sugar fermented foods like sauerkraut and this is great,” Huberman commented on X. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; iStock)
The new guidelines received praise from other top health figures, including former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler.
“There should be broad agreement that eating more whole foods and reducing highly processed carbohydrates is an important advance in the way we approach diet and health,” Kessler told The News.
“Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in previous dietary guidelines.”
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, shared in a statement that these guidelines “affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction that patients and doctors can use to improve health.”
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“The American Medical Association applauds the Administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for highlighting highly processed foods, sugary drinks and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases,” Mukkamala wrote.
The American Medical Association applauded HHS for its updated nutritional guidelines. (iStock)
But not all the comments were positive.
Some people expressed concern about prioritizing red meat and dairy, while calling for limiting saturated fats.
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Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, shared in a reaction to STAT that while the guidelines “have one or two good points, emphasizing fruits and vegetables and limiting alcohol,” the guidelines are “for the most part a strong reflection of industry influence.”
Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University, also spoke out against the new guidelines, NPR reports.
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“I’m very disappointed with the new pyramid that features sources of red meat and saturated fat at the top, as if it’s something to prioritize. It flies in the face of decades and decades of evidence and research,” said Gardner, who was a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and News’ Alexandria Hoff contributed reporting.
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for News Digital.