The next set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans is coming soon, and they could look very different this time. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said the government is streamlining hundreds of pages into just four, promising simpler and clearer advice on what to eat.
Every five years, these guidelines are updated as the federal government's official nutrition playbook. They shape everything from school lunches and military meals to SNAP and WIC benefits, influencing what millions of Americans eat every day.
Kennedy criticized the previous guidelines, falsely claiming they were issued during the Biden administration and describing them as "industry generated."
"The dietary guidelines that President Biden gave us, 453 pages long, and it's just an industry-generated document," Kennedy said during a May Senate hearing on the 2026 Department of Health and Human Services budget. "The same industry impulse that put Froot Loops at the top of the food pyramid. We are creating a four-page document that can be locally sourced that will drive the diet to the school lunch program."
A fact check by The Associated Press showed that the current guidelines, released near the end of President Donald Trump's first term, are actually 164 pages long, not 453. There are also no specific products listed in the original food pyramid. At the top, it suggests that oils, fats and sugar should be consumed sparingly.
Kennedy's remarks reflect his broader criticism that U.S. nutrition policy has become overly complicated and swayed by corporate influence. He argues that a concise, whole-food-focused version would be easier for families and schools to follow. He has also promoted whole milk and a diet heavy in saturated fats, including foods cooked in beef tallow.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is a panel of independent scientists who review decades of research before submitting a report to the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). The latest 421-page report was delivered earlier this year, and the agencies announced in March that they would conduct a line-by-line review before final approval.
According to the committee, the new recommendations emphasize flexibility and cultural adaptability. A new model called "Eat Healthy Your Way" was designed to align with diverse cuisines and personal preferences.
The plan slightly reduces starchy vegetables and calls for more dark-green vegetables and whole grains compared to the 2020 version. It also continues to encourage limited added sugar, sodium and saturated fat -- consistent with long-standing dietary science.
The report highlights that Americans still fall far short of recommended dietary patterns.
To close that gap, it urges HHS and USDA to collaborate with behavioral, implementation and communication scientists to change eating behaviors at multiple levels -- individual, community and policy.
While Kennedy has promised clarity for the public, some are viewing the process itself as less than transparent. Sentient Media recently reported that with no sign of the updated dietary guidelines, Kennedy said, "We're probably going to get them out at the end of October."
Christopher Gardner, a member of the advisory committee, told Sentient he and his team were "completely ghosted" by the HHS after handing over their report.
"No one will tell us the name of a person who's working on it," Gardner said.
The advisory committee's 2025 report also recommended moving beans, peas and lentils from "vegetables" to the "protein foods" group. Their goal was to recognize legumes as a viable source of both protein and fiber while encouraging Americans to replace some red and processed meats with plant-based options.
However, Kennedy has suggested disregarding that recommendation. Sentient reports that more than 130 physicians signed an open letter urging Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to keep the committee's plant-based protein guidance intact.
Kennedy has specified that the updated guidelines will be easier to read. Kevin Klatt, a nutrition research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said the scientific report is not meant for casual readers.
"The 160 pages is not intended for the everyday American to sit down and wade through," Klatt said. "It is supposed to be a scientifically rigorous document, so that when you tell the school lunch program you can't serve whole milk, you have to buy 1% or 2% or skim, there is a scientific document that backs up that rationale."
Klatt also noted that changing behavior requires more than simple advice.
"If you look at every nutrition education campaign that's ever happened, there's limited long-term penetration because they don't change the fact that in our food environment, the easy-to-obtain option is often the opposite of our dietary guidelines," he said. "It's not like you walk out into your food environment and it's easy to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, or to get whole grains and lean proteins.
Rollins said in a March media release that the new guidelines will prioritize evidence over ideology.
"We will make certain the 2025-2030 Guidelines are based on sound science, not political science," Rollins said. "Gone are the days where leftist ideologies guide public policy."
Kennedy echoed that sentiment, saying the upcoming version will "reflect the public interest and serve public health, rather than special interests." He called the update "a giant step in making America the healthiest country in the world."
The push to simplify U.S. nutrition advice could make the guidelines more accessible to the public. However, reducing the document to four pages risks losing nuance -- especially on issues like saturated fat, dairy and portion balance.
While Kennedy's message of "eat whole food" resonates with many Americans, researchers emphasize that evidence-based recommendations are critical for guiding schools, hospitals and public health programs.
For now, the final guidelines are expected later this year, with the administration's Make America Healthy Again strategy promising a "user-friendly format" grounded in science and data.