In a White House briefing on Wednesday presenting new dietary guidelines for Americans, Trump health official Dr. Mehmet Oz said Americans should get healthy and “work one year longer” to boost the economy.

Dr. Oz, President Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said rising health care costs are directly related to low gross domestic product. “We will correct that if we can get America to be healthier, because you can’t be a wealthy nation without being a healthy nation,” he said. 

“If we’re able to get the average American who today retires on average at age 61, get them just to work one year longer, because they feel so vital, so strong, so bullish about their future, because they’re feeding their bodies nutrients that are essential to their high-functioning productivity, we will increase the overall GDP of our nation by trillions of dollars,” Dr. Oz said.

“So we will reduce healthcare expenses,” he added. “At the same time, we jazz up the U.S. economy with trillions of dollars created by the productivity of American workers.”

America’s GDP has been rebounding of late. The first quarter of 2025 came in at an annualized 0.2 percent growth, but Q2 saw 3.8 percent growth, and Q3 jumped by 4.3 percent. While Q4 numbers have not yet been released, GDP growth is projected to slow, with forecasts ranging from 1 percent to 2.7 percent growth.

The new 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans — trimmed down to just 10 pages from the 164-page document issued in 2020 — can be summed up in three words: Eat real foods.

In a significant shift in federal dietary policy, the updated advice strongly prioritizes whole foods and increased protein intake while urging Americans to sharply reduce consumption of added sugars and highly processed items.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins presented the guidelines, which serve as the foundation for federal nutrition programs, influencing what’s served in school lunches, what families can buy through SNAP and WIC, and guiding health professionals on healthy eating patterns.

The announcement aligns with Mr. Kennedy’s ongoing “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which seeks to overhaul the nation’s food supply.

“Our message is clear: eat real food,” Mr. Kennedy told reporters at a White House briefing.

“The hard truth is our government has been lying to us to protect corporate profit-taking, telling us that these food-like substances were beneficial to public health,” Mr. Kennedy said, referring to the bogeyman of the moment, so-called ultra-processed foods. “These guidelines replace corporate-driven assumptions [and] will revolutionize our nation’s food culture and make America healthy again.”

“Today the lies stop. The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower healthcare costs. Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongfully discouraged in prior dietary guidelines,” he said.

The guidelines introduce a visual departure from recent years: an inverted version of the food pyramid. This new graphic places protein, dairy, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables at the top, relegating whole grains to the bottom.

A major focal point of the new advice is the explicit warning against “highly processed” foods and refined carbohydrates. The document urges consumers to avoid “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies, and candy.”

This category, often referred to as ultraprocessed foods, currently accounts for over half of the calories in the standard American diet and is linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.

In a notable change from previous editions, the guidelines call for a potential doubling of daily protein consumption. The new recommendation suggests 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, up from the previous 0.8 grams.

Despite signals that the administration might push for higher consumption of animal fats, the official document maintains the long-standing limit of saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. However, it encourages obtaining these fats from whole-food sources like meat and avocados, noting that “other options can include butter or beef tallow.”

“We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Mr. Kennedy said.

On sugar, the guidelines are strict, stating that “no amount” of added sugar or non-nutritive sweeteners is considered part of a healthy diet. The advice suggests no single meal should contain more than 10 grams of added sugar.

“Today our government declares war on added sugar. Highly processed food loaded with additives — added sugar and excess salt — damage health and should be avoided,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce disease risk more effectively than many drugs. Whole grains outperform refined carbohydrates.”

Regarding alcohol, the old guideline that said 1-2 drinks per day for men was okay has been replaced with a general advisory to “consume less alcohol for better health.”

The guidelines are legally required to be updated every five years and dictate the standards for the National School Lunch Program, which feeds nearly 30 million children.