The New MAHA Food Pyramid Is a Political Act, Not a Medical One: A Political Agenda on a Plate

The new MAHA food pyramid is out — that is, the new “food pyramid” that is part of the 2025-2030. American Dietary Guidelines (also known as MAHA — Make America Healthy Again guide) — with good and bad sides. Yes – this presentation of what should be the backbone of the American diet has some good things, but the problem is in the bad sides and in the fact that this is an invasive political act and a derogatory denomination of science and a straw argument. And yes – this concerns us even though we are not Americans. 

I'm not a nutritionist, it's a very responsible job where you can ruin someone's life by misjudgment and ignorance. But I am a biologist and we learned quite a bit about metabolism in biochemistry and physiology. I will not talk here about trained nutritionists who sell the same nutrition plans and supplements to all clients for big bucks. Here I will talk about how the MAHA food pyramid is actually the product of a campaign that is deeply anti-scientific, even if it has some scientifically supported things in it. It comes from circles that promote the dangerous practice of drinking unpasteurized milk, that deny the role of viruses and bacteria in the onset of disease, that spread misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, and created new immunization guidelines in which some vaccines are no longer recommended. From circles that have been fighting against vaccines and the spread of disease for over a decade. Yes, that's Robert F. Kennedy Jr and President Trump himself.

The Food Pyramid Is a Long-Abandoned Concept

First of all, this is not a pyramid. This is some other object, more like an inverted triangle.

Secondly, the food pyramid is a long-abandoned concept, outdated. The MAHA top brass won't tell you that the US abandoned the pyramid concept back in 2011 and switched to something called MyPlate. That shows a much clearer representation of food. The pyramids and older recommendations relied on “servings”, and no one was really clear about how much one serving was. And in fact, most nutritionists don't discuss in terms of the food pyramid – they work on personalized menus based on the needs of the client-patient. Let's not forget that there are people who don't eat animal proteins or eat them in limited quantities, and people with various food allergies and hormonal disorders.

So, to begin with, the MAHA club is arguing with something that didn't even exist. The purpose of this act is to humiliate the Democratic administrations, especially the Obama and Biden administrations.

The good side of these new recommendations for Americans – so these are recommendations only for Americans – is the insistence on whole foods, not processed, nutritionally poor foods, fast food and lots of sugar. But, this is not new in the USA – let's remember Michelle Obama's attempts to introduce healthy nutrition programs in schools, which were thwarted in every possible way. And do you know where the attacks and criticism of Michelle's attempts to fight childhood obesity came from? From the Heritage Foundation, the ultra-conservative organization behind Project 2025, behind the destruction of USAID, behind bringing in the Trump/MAGA/MAHA administration.

So, MAHA has hijacked existing attempts by democratic administrations to promote healthy eating and presented it as their own, just to bash the previous administrations. You know, racism, politics and fascism sometimes hide in small things and details. And proof that nothing – not even your plate – is apolitical.

The MAHA pyramid is against processed food and additional sugars and additives. At the same time, we saw RFK and Trump drinking Coca-Cola and eating McDonald's. However, the opposition to empty calories and sugars should certainly be welcomed.

A Nightmare for Cardiologists and Oncologists

But the new recommendations are a headache for cardiologists and oncologists. Because the focus is on meat, especially red meat (without warnings for processed meat), and butter, saturated fats in general, like the beef tallow that RFK loves so much, are also an important part of the pyramid. Red meat, especially processed meat, is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer, and saturated fat with a risk of cardiovascular disease, especially atherosclerosis, or, in popular terms, clogging of blood vessels.

Healthy fats are sometimes mentioned in the pyramid, but the inclusion of butter and tallow as “healthy” options is not supported by strong scientific evidence of their health benefits.

There's also the problem with alcohol – it used to be clearly stated in the guidelines that no amount of alcohol is safe. Now alcohol is looked down upon.

Then there is the attack on ultra-processed food as unhealthy. This term that something is processed food or ultra-processed food means nothing. It is not the equivalent of junk food. Here I will list a few processed and ultra-processed foods that are important: sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, milk powder, baby food, freeze-dried fruit, yogurt, parenteral food for oncology and other patients, a large part of supplements, high-calorie ultra-compressed food for survival – especially important for soldiers and during crisis situations. These foods include rice crackers, whey, protein bars, protein crackers… plenty of things that go hand in hand with gym culture. Processed food is an important part of our civilization and something that gives us a better chance of survival.

The focus should be on fast food that has no nutritional value. Even a hamburger and pizza can be either a perfectly okay meal or empty calories.

In fact, our diet should be based on the Mediterranean diet as much as possible, and of course it's okay to have something sweet here and there, some cookies, chips – but that's not food. That's entertainment that makes you fat.

The MAHA pyramid places red meat and full-fat dairy products very high in the diet, which contradicts most international nutritional advice that links high intakes of saturated fat and red meat to a risk of heart disease. Experts say this may be contradictory when it is also recommended to limit saturated fat to <10% of energy. It is very difficult to limit fat intake with this diet.

Also, priority is given to meat proteins, over plant-based ones.

They Don’t Care About Sustainability and Climate Change

This pyramid politically does not correspond to the state of the world – the production of protein of animal origin is much more expensive in terms of energy than the production of vegetable protein, and this diet based on meat is contradictory to sustainable development, but MAHA are certainly circles that do not recognize the existence of climate change. These are circles that encourage the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels.

The new guidelines recommend an intake of 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults, which is 50-100% more than before. The previous guidelines were 0.8 gr/kg of body weight. This is problematic and many nutritionists agree in their criticism, because protein needs differ among people and depend on numerous factors. Excess protein can be converted into fat by the body, which can lead to weight gain, and there are restrictions for people with chronic kidney disease. Some people also have a genetic tendency to turn protein into fat more quickly instead of building muscle. This protein bar is definitely not good for the elderly, people with kidney problems, and people who don't exercise actively.

What is behind this pyramid and dietary recommendations is actually a political anti-climate agenda – the message “we can do it, we are in power” and we do not care about climate change.

In fact, we should go beyond the pyramid concept. We remember it from older textbooks, but it has already been surpassed in the profession, and should be surpassed in everyday life and rhetoric. It would be good to move on to the concept of representation of certain foods. Let's say pie-displays – on a plate. Let's say, my plate is one half vegetables, one quarter carbohydrates and one quarter protein-based meal, either animal or plant-based. 

Of course, basing your diet on carbohydrates, dough, breadcrumbs, muffins, bread, pasta, pies is not good – but this is something that has been overcome as a recommendation for decades, MAHA is arguing with something that doesn't even exist.

This pyramid does not take into account individual health needs or financial capabilities. It is not made empathically, for the population, but for individuals who can afford this type of diet. Therefore, it is insensitive to the problem of inequality between people and the existence of classes, and thus unfair. There are people for whom the basic source of calories – for survival – is carbohydrate, starch. The only thing they can afford to do is push through the day. Proteins are expensive. 

It is unfair because it does not even take into account climate change and sustainability as factors that will direct the diet of many in the future and food as a source of carbon dioxide emissions, especially in protein production. This is pure political marketing and if nutritionists need to look back on this event, they should do so critically, analytically, and not with eulogies. 

References:

1. Harvard Understanding the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2. Unbiased Science: Let Them Eat Real Food
3. Ambiguous DGAs & The Rancher's Pyramid
4. DGA- Eat real food
5. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030.