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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a former health policy adviser in the Obama administration, has delivered an assessment of the Trump administration’s new dietary guidelines, praising some recommendations while flagging that others could harm public health.
The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) released the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030" on January 7. Signed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, the update calls for a return to “whole, nutrient-dense foods” and warns that chronic disease linked to poor diet accounts for nearly 90 percent of U.S. health care spending.
The new food pyramid places proteins—including red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy products such as whole milk, yogurt, and cheese—at the top, alongside vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocados. Seeds and whole grains form the base. Long-standing advice on saturated fat remains unchanged.
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Emanuel, who spearheaded the move from the food pyramid to MyPlate and now serves as a vice provost and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, posted his initial reaction on Threads: “GOOD: Limit ultra-processed foods [and] added sugars...BAD: Push for MORE red meat...MISSING: Fermented foods."
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He elaborated on those points in comments to Newsweek: “What is good in the new guidelines...Recommendation to avoid ultra-processed foods like packaged cakes, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, and added sugars and artificial sweeteners, and added salt. Recommendations to eat more plant proteins, more fruits and vegetables, seafood, whole grains, and nuts. Recommendation to eat more full fat dairy products...Yogurt, kefer, aged cheese and milk. Recommending people cook at home instead of eating out so much.”
However, he spoke out about red meat's position at the top of the pyramid.
"Red meat, especially processed red meats like salami, is high in saturated fats and associated with diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and cancer especially colon, pancreatic and prostate cancers," he said. "And high consumption of red meat leads to higher deaths."
He also raised concerns about the call to boost protein intake.
"The recommendation on protein is way too high," he said. "Americans already get enough proteins, and most people should consume about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight.
"No reason to go up to 1.6 grams per kilogram unless you are training for a major physical competition or are older and losing muscle mass.”
Emanuel continued to talk about the nuance needed when it comes to discussing seed oils, something that the new guidelines had recommended people avoid.
"Seed oils are high in unsaturated fats," he said.
When it comes to what was missing, he added that Americans should be encouraged to eat more fermented foods and more fiber through fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
A spokesperson for HHS had told Newsweek that the “nutrition scientists and subject matter experts” involved in the new guidelines were selected through a federal contracting process based on demonstrated expertise.
The spokesperson said the experts’ views were reviewed through an external peer review process coordinated by the National Institutes of Health Office of Nutrition Research, with reviewers chosen for experience and absence of “conflicts of interest.”
Emanuel served as Special Advisor for Health Policy to Peter Orszag, the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama administration, and years later, Joe Biden had named Emanuel to be one of the 16 members of his coronavirus advisory board.
His concluding point is that the low levels of whole grains, nuts and some fruits being suggested in the pyramid is not the right message for Americans. He attributes that to the look of the inverted pyramid which could cause confusion.
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