January 7, 2026
Food fights at the pyramid
Eat Real Food – Introducing the New Pyramid
Real food revival sparks praise, price wars, and politics over the 'New' pyramid
TLDR: A new “real food” pyramid says load up on protein and veggies, embrace healthy fats, and ditch added sugar. The comments love the idea but battle over protein prices, politics affecting food safety, and confusing messaging—proof that changing how America eats won’t be simple or cheap.
A bold new food guide is telling America to eat real food—think protein and veggies, healthy fats, whole grains, and no added sugar—and the comments section instantly turned into a grocery aisle smackdown. One camp is cheering the plain talk. “Makes sense to me!” wrote a fan, calling poor diet one of the country’s biggest problems. Others love that it’s a “flexible, not bossy” framework that still respects cultural traditions.
Then came the drama. The top clapback: affordability. “Now make protein affordable,” snapped one user, as people asked how to build protein-heavy plates when eggs and steak feel like luxury items. Politics crashed the party too: a commenter worried that cuts to consumer protection and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) undermine all this, dropping a link to a timeline of recent changes. Another crowd roasted the rollout itself, calling the website confusing and “designed to scare,” and begging for a single, labeled image of the pyramid. Meme-lords chimed in: “Will it still be ‘New’ in 2125? Like New York?” Parents tussled over the no added sugar for kids rule, while sourdough stans rejoiced at the shout-out to “true sourdough.” Verdict: the pyramid’s simple; the food fight is anything but.
Key Points
- •The New Pyramid promotes eating real, minimally processed foods and reducing highly processed products.
- •Protein and vegetables are the core of meals to support muscle, metabolic, and gut health, and stable energy.
- •Natural healthy fats from foods like meat, seafood, dairy, nuts, olives, and avocados are encouraged.
- •Added sugars are discouraged entirely, especially for children; natural sugars in whole fruits and plain dairy are acceptable.
- •Whole or traditionally prepared grains (e.g., oats, rice, true sourdough) are allowed; refined/packaged grain products should be limited.