RFK Jr. Gives Food Pyramid an Overhaul
At a time when the skyrocketing cost of healthcare is on the minds of both Congress and the American people, RFK Jr. has decided the food pyramid needs an overhaul. Much of the focus behind this is that better nutrition means a healthier, more enjoyable quality of life, which means Americans would ultimately spend less on doctor visits, medication, and other healthcare expenses.
The Most Costly Chronic Illnesses
Heart disease and stroke are the top diseases that kill Americans every year. Over 843,000 die of a heart attack or stroke every year, which equals roughly 1 in 4 deaths. The overall cost of treating these diseases is $233.3 billion per year, and by 2050, the cost to the healthcare system for treating heart disease is expected to balloon to 2 trillion, according to the CDC.
Right behind that is cancer. There are 1.8 million people diagnosed with cancer every year, and 600,000 die from it, making it the second leading cause of death. Cancer care costs are expected to reach $240 billion by 2030
Diabetes takes third place as the most common chronic disease in America. The cost of treating this disease, from which 38 million Americans suffer, is over $400 billion.
One of the Biggest Contributors to Chronic Disease in America
RFK Jr. believes that one of the biggest contributors to chronic disease in America is processed foods. So he’s working with nutrition experts and has given the food pyramid an overhaul in the hopes that the changes he has made will minimize chronic disease in America.
In a recent televised speech picked up by WTKR, he claimed that for decades, Americans have been getting sicker while healthcare costs have increased. Highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates have been pushed by food companies, and in some cases, the government, and Americans were duped into believing that these were somehow better for them.
Kennedy said that research shows that, “Whole nutrient dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower healthcare costs.”
He noted that proteins and healthy fats have been “wrongly discouraged in prior dietary health guidelines,” and that, “diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce disease more effectively than many drugs. Whole grains outperform carbohydrates. Added sugars, especially sugary sweetened beverages, drive metabolic disease.”
He added that foods that are highly processed and loaded with additives, added sugar, and excess salt should be avoided.
Kennedy said that his message in a nutshell is, “eat real food.”
These new guidelines will impact food choices offered in Head Start programs, which includes 145 million school lunches daily, the military, and VA hospitals.
Cost Impacts Choices
One of the biggest influencers of the food choices that Americans make is cost. In fact, a Pew Research poll found that 62 percent of Americans said that food costs are extremely important to them when they’re deciding what products to buy. Only 52 percent put the priority on making healthy choices, and 47 percent are driven by convenience. Nine in ten Americans say that food has become more expensive for them over the past few years, and inflation data backs up their sentiment that food really has increased significantly in price.
Though the most current consumer price index (CPI) showed that inflation held flat in December, food prices increased 3.1 percent over the course of 2025, according to The Hill.
“Rising costs for these core items in people’s budgets helps explain the ongoing frustration with the economy, even as inflation overall appears to be moderating. It’s also important to watch healthcare costs, which are starting to be more of a driver of inflation after several years of muted growth,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told The Hill.
Long added that inflation is not expected to pick back up in January, which is a good sign in connection with the economy.
Americans are doing what they need to do right now as they battle with inflation and making ends meet. If Kennedy wants to encourage Americans to make healthy food choices, there needs to be a move to make the healthy foods less expensive than the processed ones and lower inflation, especially at the grocery store.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/Stringer
Originally published January 15, 2026.
