As a health, fitness, and nutrition expert for many years, I always said that the one thing the government could do to better support American health would be to flip the food pyramid upside down. Yesterday, my (and South Park’s) vision for guidelines to healthier eating came true. After much anticipation within the MAHA movement, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, released the new food guidelines that essentially flipped the older iconic food pyramid—prioritizing bread, cereal, rice and pasta and deemphasizing protein and healthy fats found in animal products and natural, healthy oils—on its head. Hopefully, this will help reverse years of unfounded, biased science that claimed a lower fat, high carbohydrate diet was key for weight management and good health. Nothing in our current trends suggests that is true. Ever since the original food pyramid was released in 1992, American health has experienced a rapid decline. Many have seen the numbers, but they are worth repeating. Obesity rates have risen from around 12% – 15% (with no state exceeding 20% according to the CDC) in the early 90s, to almost 50% today. Some analysis project that by 2030, just four years from now, one in two adults will be obese and the prevalence will be higher than 50% in 29 states and not below 35% in any state. Half of the country will be, if they are not already, fat and either diabetic or pre-diabetic. These abysmal health outcomes come at a huge cost. Almost 90% of health care spending is directed at managing chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes; almost every other disease that stems from these: high blood pressure, fatty liver disease (which historically was seen only in alcoholics), heart disease, auto-immune diseases, even some mental health disorders. The list goes on and on. As Kennedy pointed out in his Jan. 7 press conference, the idea that a diet of processed food is economically cheaper is an illusion because you’re paying for it on the back end. With 40% of every taxpayer dollar going to healthcare, we’re all paying for it. “[We’re] paying for it with diabetes, with obesity, with illness,” said Kennedy. The key thing to remember about chronic disease is that most of the time it can be managed with dietary and lifestyle changes. However, it can be difficult to make those changes when even doctors are recommending low-fat, high carbohydrate diets, claiming they are the key to weight loss. This has been dogma for years. Many Americans have experienced the disappointment of temporary weight loss, only to gain it back, and then some, on low-fat, calorie restrictive diets. Not to mention the hunger and diminished energy that often comes with eating a diet of oatmeal, salad and non-fat dressing, pretzels, and non-fat yogurt filled with sugar. Maybe a handful of nuts here and  some horrendous non-fat frozen desert if you’re lucky.   A diet higher in quality animal fat protein and fat—eggs, meat, chicken, and fish—will be more satiating and nourishing, particularly for growing children, Hormones are dependent on the cholesterol found in these foods. The notion that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat leads to heart disease, as promoted by the American Heart Association, has been disproven by numerous studies. Along with the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that come from vegetables, fruits, and some whole grains, and not a box of cereal in sight, the new visual guidelines hit the bullseye. However, a conundrum arises when one tries to square the verbal and visual cues offered this week from our health leaders with the numbers on food labels that won’t seem to change. While Kennedy and head of the FDA, Marty Makary, talk about ending the war on saturated fats, the DV (recommended daily value) of saturated fats still sits at 10%. According to this guideline, most people should eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day. For most, this DV would be exceeded by consuming  one glass of whole milk, three eggs, and an 8oz. piece of beef. This would fall short of the latest HHS advice, unless one were to add lower fat protein products such as chicken, lean fish, and legumes, which were also included at the top of the pyramid. My sense is that, along with better nutritional research, the new guidelines are going to be followed by a hefty dose of reeducation in schools and the medical community and through social media. Those leading the way may be relying on the fact that most people are more heavily influenced by new media and social influencers (Joe Rogan, Andrew Huberman, Max Lugavere, and Gary Brecka, to name a handful) than they are numbers on a food label. The new nutrition guidelines also may have been a way to prevent mass upheaval from big food companies and lobbyists. Eventually, the research will have to be there to definitively change the policy that guides school lunches, hospital food, and WIC and SNAP programs. I’m also grateful that the new image is general enough to promote better health for all, while also encompassing more specialized regimens —like keto or carb restrictive diets—that may benefit disease specific populations such as those with autism, serious mental health disorders, and cancer. Ultimately, the decision to follow and tailor these recommendations, and those of experts we trust, is up to us. Even someone like me, who has tried all the dietary fads and trends in attempt to be the healthiest I can (and let’s be real, the slimmest I can), can still get confused (or lazy) when it comes to my day-to-day choices. Like others, too often I turn to the protein bars and packaged convenience “health food.” I am reminded that I can’t really go wrong with the simple advice of the new dietary guidelines: Eat real food. Finally, common sense has made a comeback when it comes to nutrition, and we should all applaud it. The post The New Food Pyramid Is Exactly What We’ve Needed for Years appeared first on The Daily Signal.