7 predictions for how MAHA will change how Americans eat

Uncle Sam thinks you’re probably eating wrong, and he’s got some advice.

Out: processed carbohydrates and added sugar.

In: fat and protein, especially the animal-flesh kind.

Those are some of the biggest takeaways from the new — and newly inverted — food pyramid announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this month.

While the Make America Healthy Again movement is one of the biggest drivers of change in how we eat now, it’s not the only one. Today, Explained recently spoke with Liz Dunn, author of the newsletter Consumed, about her predictions for how we will eat in 2026. Some trends are MAHA-approved (more supplements) while others would give RFK Jr. a conniption (sugar-laden drinks are going to get even sweeter).

Below is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.

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Prediction No. 1: What comes after peak protein will be…more protein.

The question that I get more than any other as the year came to a close is: What’s next after protein? What’s the next protein? And I really feel like we’re not ready for what’s next yet for a few reasons.

One is that the supermarket has sort of reinvented itself for protein delivery. So, whether it’s zero sugar yogurts, or meat sticks, or protein boosted waffles, the protein is out there, and it’s everywhere calling to us, people really continue to associate protein with fitness and with strength and power — all great, positive things.

And maybe, most importantly, the new federal dietary guidelines up the recommended allowance of protein. So this is just going to add fuel to the fire.

Prediction No. 2: Sugar-loaded drinks will get even more popular.

This one does seem a little paradoxical, because there is a lot of sugar hating out there, but the country is not a monolith. And so, there are a really sizable number of people who are drinking and enjoying soup or sugary fast food and........

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