RFK Jr. releases new dietary guidelines
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new dietary guidelines and said his message was clear: “Eat real food.”
(All) Do you have milk? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it’s time to “drink it up.”
The agency shared an image of President Donald Trump with a milk mustache on social media on January 11, quickly garnering millions of views and thousands of comments. The post, accompanied by the hashtag #DrinkholeMilk, features an image of Trump leaning on a desk in the Oval Office, holding a glass of milk and looking into the camera.
Reminds me of “Do you have any milk?” In ads from the ’90s and 2000s, President Trump is seen in an obviously edited image with a line of milk across his upper lip, under the title “The Milk Mustache is Back. Drink Whole Milk.”
The commitment to whole dairy products is part of new guidelines released Jan. 7 by the Department of Agriculture under Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which emphasizes full-fat dairy products, protein and “healthy fats.”
The social media post itself attracted the attention of netizens, and various reactions occurred on X (formerly Twitter). While some celebrated the move, others mocked the image, joking that milk sales must be down and accusing government agencies of being influenced by the dairy industry.
RFK’s New Food Pyramid and Whole Dairy Products
The Department of Agriculture released new dietary guidelines on January 7, essentially upending the food pyramid as many people knew it.
Grains were the basis of the proposed diet when the pyramid was first adopted in the 1990s, but they are now the smallest group and have been relegated to the bottom. Protein, dairy products, fats, fruits and vegetables are the biggest categories topping the list.
The new guidelines emphasize foods that have historically been recommended to be consumed in moderation, particularly red meat, full-fat dairy products, and several types of fats, including trans fats. These categories align with RFK’s preferred message as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which promotes beef tallow and opposes added sugar.
Previous nutritional guidelines recommended minimizing or avoiding all types of fat, including full-fat dairy products, healthy fats, and saturated fats. The new guidelines recommend three servings of full-fat dairy products per day, but limit saturated fat to 10% of daily calories.
Are whole dairy products better for you?
The relative “healthiness” of whole and reduced dairy products depends on what you get from them.
According to experts, the biggest potential pitfall of consuming large amounts of full-fat dairy products is their high fat content. Only 10% of your daily calories should come from saturated fat, and this percentage can be easily met or exceeded through dairy consumption alone.
Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health gave an example of how quickly consuming three glasses of full-fat milk a day can put you over the dietary limit. In a standard 2,000 calorie daily diet, 10% of the calories equals about 22 grams of saturated fat. Before adding any other food groups, one serving of whole milk, one serving of full-fat Greek yogurt, and one serving of full-fat cheese per day already provides 17 grams of saturated fat.
The school’s website states: “Adding one tablespoon of butter (7 grams) or beef tallow (6 grams) (both of which suggest cooking fat options) would exceed the limit. And this doesn’t even take into account other foods consumed throughout the day, including some of the recommended protein options.”
But fat isn’t necessarily a bad thing. According to the University of Washington, our bodies need several types of fats to function, and whole dairy products are a good source of “healthy” fats, which help absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and K.
Whole dairy products contain more nutrients (like protein, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, and D) and essential omega-3 fatty acids, which keep you feeling fuller longer. Low-fat dairy options, on the other hand, reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet while providing many of the same nutrients.
More recent research has investigated and questioned the link between saturated fat, full-fat dairy products, and health issues such as cardiovascular health and good and bad cholesterol. The Mayo Clinic says a new study shows that full-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt “may have less negative effects on heart and vascular health than previously thought.”
The choice between whole and low-fat depends on an individual’s daily needs. Those looking to reduce or avoid added saturated fat in their diet may choose lower-fat options, while those who need more of the other nutrients provided by whole dairy products may choose full-fat.
Experts warn against going all-in on full fat
While some health organizations praised some aspects of the new guidelines, such as an emphasis on more whole foods and less processed foods, the whole dairy recommendation drew more attention.
“While the guidelines emphasize full-fat dairy products, the Heart Association encourages consumption of low-fat and non-fat dairy products that are beneficial to heart health,” the American Heart Association said in a statement about the guidelines.
“Several aspects of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines are poised to promote healthy eating habits and reduce disease risk,” Karen Peterson, associate director of the University of Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center and chair of nutrition science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a statement shortly after the release of the new guidelines.
“However, recommending the consumption of red meat and high-fat dairy products without specific guidelines on portion size and portion size could easily counteract consumer efforts to simultaneously limit energy intake to less than 10% from saturated fat,” she said.
