NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Trump administration rolled out new dietary guidelines this week, emphasizing healthy proteins and vegetables over whole grains and eliminating highly processed foods.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the main focus is on eating "real food".
The updates are significant because the guidelines inform what your kid eats at school through school meal programs and are used as a baseline for federal programs like SNAP. The whole idea is to address deeply-rooted diet issues in our country, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
This is the first time the guidelines have told Americans directly to avoid highly processed foods, like "ready-to-eat" meals and super sweet drinks like soda and energy drinks.
The visual of an upside-down pyramid, which has meats and veggies at the top, grains at the bottom, might look a little new. Otherwise, the rest of the suggestions are what you would expect.
"Most of what is evidence-based in the nutrition/science world are things that are really common sense and things that a lot of us already know to be true, which is eat your fruits and vegetables, eat lean meats, consume healthy sources of fat, and everything in moderation," explained local dietitian Emma Nelson.
It's not just food: the guidelines also say you should "consume less alcohol for better overall health".
If you have an illness or specific nutritional needs, your diet may look a little different. You can always reach out to a dietitian or nutritionist to help you.
You can find more information about the new guidelines on the Real Food website.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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