New Food Pyramid highlights produce and higher protein but raises visual questions

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans present a much shorter report and an upside-down food pyramid that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, higher protein, and healthy fats; dietitians praised the focus on produce and gut health but raised concerns that the pyramid’s imagery may conflict with written advice on red meat, fiber, sodium, and alcohol.

The Trump administration released the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans alongside an upside-down food pyramid intended to represent the new recommendations. The written guidance is much shorter than the 2020 edition, and it places emphasis on "real food," healthy fats, higher protein intakes, and gut health. Registered dietitians were consulted to interpret what the updated guidance gets right and where it may fall short. Their comments point to both clearer consumer-facing messages and some potential mismatches between text and visuals. Key observations: - The guidelines are shorter (about 10 pages) and include an upside-down pyramid visual that is meant to simplify recommendations. - The guidance raises the recommended protein range to about 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram, moving away from the prior 0.8 g/kg figure, according to dietitians quoted in the article. - Fruits and vegetables are emphasized, with explicit mention that frozen, canned, and dried produce count, and the guidelines spotlight gut-friendly foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kefir. - Dietitians praised the continued focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods, healthy fats, and more consumer-forward, approachable messaging. - Several dietitians noted a disconnect between the pyramid image and the written text: the pyramid places red meat, whole milk, and cheese alongside many fruits and vegetables, which may conflict with recommendations to limit saturated fat. - The article reports that fiber and sodium receive limited emphasis in the guidance, and the document offers less specific alcohol guidance than the previous version. Summary: The updated guidelines reinforce patterns built around fruits, vegetables, whole foods, healthy fats, and increased protein while explicitly highlighting gut health, but dietitians say the pyramid’s visual choices may create mixed signals about saturated fat, whole grains, fiber, sodium, and alcohol. Undetermined at this time.