The USDA’s new dietary guidelines highlight a message nutrition experts have long emphasized: eat real and minimally processed foods. Warning against foods high in added sugars, industrial oils, artificial flavors, and preservatives, they encourage Americans to focus on whole ingredients.
Dr. Jean Butel is an assistant specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences. She also directs the university’s SNAP-ed and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. According to her, understanding what the word “processed” actually means is key.
“It’s very important, I think, for everyone, students and the public, to understand what processed foods are and how they affect health,” she said. She added that “even cooking meat is technically processed,” emphasizing that the focus should be on limiting foods with excessive added ingredients.
She also noted that convenience often drives consumption. “Most people consume these because they’re convenient, they’re affordable, and they’re widely available,” she said.
Focus on Whole Food
The major spotlight on eating real food is part of an update in federal nutrition guidance announced in January, when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced MyPlate with a new inverted food pyramid under the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The updated model allows whole milk to be served in schools again, which had been banned in 2010, almost doubles the recommended protein intake to 1.2–1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, and moves grains to the bottom of the pyramid.
While the new model has sparked debate, nutrition experts say the implications are more nuanced than the visuals suggest. Butel said the biggest concern is how these recommendations are interpreted by the public.
“We really want to keep nutrition guidance clear and focused on small, achievable changes,” Butel said. “People shouldn’t feel like they have to start over or throw out everything they already know.”
Although MyPlate is no longer part of the official guidelines, Butel emphasized that the new pyramid does not eliminate food groups. Instead, it shifts attention toward food quality and moderation, concepts that were already central to MyPlate.
Affordability and access also remain key considerations, as community nutrition programs continue to teach families how to shop smart, use canned or frozen foods without added sugars, and prepare simple, balanced meals.
When the USDA nearly doubled the recommended amount of protein Americans should eat each day, it sounded like a dramatic shift in nutritional guidelines. But according to Butel, most Americans already consume that amount.
“Americans generally already eat enough protein in their diet,” Butel said. “So for most people, the typical American protein intake falls within the new recommendation range already.”
Butel also emphasized that protein does not need to come from red meat alone.
“It does not need to be red meat, you can get it from things like beans or lentils and nuts and seeds, eggs, seafood, tofu, and more,” she said, adding that choosing a variety of proteins is a more practical approach and is healthier over time.
One striking aspect of the new pyramid is its inclusion of butter and beef tallow as recommended cooking fats alongside olive and avocado oil. While this acknowledges common cooking methods, Butel cautioned against interpreting these fats as everyday staples.
The same principle of moderation applies to the updated guidance on full-fat dairy, which is now allowed as long as it contains no added sugar. According to Butel, the research surrounding full-fat dairy is still evolving.
“It’s kind of a mixed bag out there on the full fat. You’re hearing pros and cons,” she said.
For adults, heart health remains a concern. Dr. Butel explained that research consistently shows adults should limit saturated fat intake to support cardiovascular health, which is why low-fat and fat-free dairy products are generally recommended for most adults.
She also said that the benefit of the new recommendation is its moving away from sugary milk products.
“The main part of this is they’re removing the sugar from the milks. And so it moves us away from that sugary milk product and the processed high sugar milk in the dairy,” Butel said.
Grains, which were moved to the very bottom in the inverted pyramid, represent one of the most noticeable visual changes. Butel explained that this shift is more about portion size and quality than elimination.
“Grains are still part of the diet,” she said. “The emphasis is really on choosing fiber-rich whole grains and being mindful of how much and what kind of grains people are eating.”
Student Perspectives
On campus, students say the new guidelines are making them rethink what eating habits the USDA actually enforces—habits that affected their own school lunch as children and continue to shape what children eat today.
UH Mānoa senior Reagan Claggett said the pyramid’s focus on processed foods caught her attention because it reflects what she tries to do in her own diet.
“The new food pyramid does a good job at emphasizing and advising people to limit their highly processed foods, which I feel like is very important,” she said.
However, when she looked at the graphic, she was surprised to see grains moved to the bottom.
“I do think it’s interesting that grains are all the way at the bottom, considering that whole grains have a bunch of benefits,” she said.
UH Mānoa junior Bailey Cernuto said the shift reminded her of how past guidelines prominently shaped her school experience growing up.
“I remember seeing posters of it everywhere, while in the lunch line, and our plates were always set up to match the proportional guidelines,” she said.
Cernuto also shared her thoughts on both the new and previous food pyramid recommendations.
“I agree that Americans should be consuming more protein and veggies, rather than grains,” she said. “I think grains being at the bottom is more ideal and makes sense. I think the only reason they used to be recommended more in the past is because it was cheaper.”
While students are analyzing the new graphic, the guidelines carry considerable impact. They influence meals in school cafeterias, military bases and federal nutrition programs such as WIC and SNAP, affecting millions of Americans.
Yet, while the inverted pyramid may look different, Butel emphasized that the underlying message remains familiar.
“When you really drill down to it, it’s all about variety, portion control and eating a balanced diet,” she said.
