Early in the new year – January 7th to be exact – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of Health and Human Services, quietly posted a new set of food guidelines on the USDA website and an upside-down (or inverted as he called it) Food Pyramid. Replacing the “My Plate” pictograph of the Biden years. The guidelines themselves are updated every 5 years - and at a quickly organized White House news conference, RFK Jr. promoted the changes. Which push lots of red meat, whole milk and butter. He said, “We are endng the war on saturated fats.” The guidelines also include beef tallow as an alternate to olive oil or butter for cooking. And feature the MAHA mantra of ignoring highly processed foods. That part medical associations applauded, even as the American Heart Association warned again about the risks of eating a lot of high fat animal products. Very healthy whole grains are at the very bottom of the upside-down Pyramid; they had been featured, along with fruit and vegetables, on the previous “My Plate” guidelines.

The Food Guidelines are important to a number of government food programs – and to dietitians. Many of us remember learning about the older Food Pyramids in grammar school. My Boston school served a hot lunch but most of us brought our own sandwiches and washed them down with the free cartons of milk delivered daily to all city schools and - yes, it was 8 ounces of whole milk.

So. I went looking for a Registered Dietitian who could explain what’s good or bad or just different about RFK Jr.’s 2026 Inverted Pyramid. And I found one of the best.

Stephanie Hodges has MS, MPH and RDN degrees. She’s a Registered Dietitian and food policy expert who has spent more than a decade improving access to healthy food through public health nutrition programs and policy. She’s the founder of “The Nourished Principles” which supports clients in strengthening public health nutrition programs and policies, writing and implementing grants, and translating complex nutrition topics for diverse audiences. Here’s a link to her website . She’s really good at this!

YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/BwDozyX5ffI

YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe4827

Donald Trump has changed America in many ways since his second term began a year ago. But perhaps in none so personally important as our overall health and health care. On February 25th 2025 the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Nearly a year later he has managed to dismantle or re-direct much of it. Among the multitude of public health agencies administered by H-H-S, the one where we’ve seen perhaps the biggest changes is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – or as we usually call it – the CDC.

Many experienced scientists and other employees have resigned or been let go. Many research grants to universities or non-profits - cancelled or cut back. And many long-term health policies have been changed. RFK Jr. has tried to promote a long debunked link between childhood vaccines and autism, and between Tylenol during pregnancy and autism. This last was definitively shot down this month by a retrospective study in the prestigious women’s health journal - Lancet. A meta-analysis of 60 studies found no association between Tylenol when taken as recommended and autism - as well as with intellectual disability or ADHD.

The other big area attacked by RFK Jr. and his appointees has been vaccines. For both adults and children. Routine recommendations have been removed from the CDC website and the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization fired and replaced with RFK Jr’s choices. Including a number of vaccine skeptics.

Perhaps the most controversial change, posted in early January, is the Childhood Vaccine Schedule – reducing the number of routine vaccines from 17 diseases to 11. After much discussion - measles remained on the list – as a measles outbreak raged in South Carolina, doubling in just a week and spreading to at least 3 other states. The outbreak mostly among unvaccinated kids.

In late August a group of CDC senior officials and scientists resigned - after CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez was fired. She refused to implement RFK Jr’s vaccine policy changes. And among those who walked away from their long-term CDC careers is my guest on this episode – Daniel Jernigan MD, MPH. Dr. Jernigan is a nationally recognized public health leader with more than 30 years at the CDC. Most recently he directed the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and the Influenza Division. He has led responses to major health crises including anthrax, SARS, H1N1, Ebola, MERS, and COVID-19. He’s authored over 160 scientific publications and is a recipient of the Service to America Medal. Dr. Jernigan is a graduate of Duke University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Texas School of Public Health and has completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. Our conversation clarified a lot of now “murky” health issues.

YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/3RtVJOq7K7I

YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe4827

What will happen in the US if cases of a now contained virus – or a totally new one - suddenly start multiplying by the millions? The CDC has drastically cut back on vaccine research as well as childhood vaccine recommendations. What diseases may come roaring back? Episode 40 drops on Tuesday January 20th with some answers from Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH - one of the former top officials at the CDC. Links to the major podcast platforms and show notes on https://stephanishelton.com/conversations