The President of the United States has declared war, but before you go running for your underground bunkers amid fears he's taking on Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping, Donald Trump has put a very different kind of adversary under the threat of his big red button.
It'a said that around 37% of Americans are classed as obese, and while this is a drop from previous reports that it sat at 40%, weight loss drugs like Ozempic are being attributed to that.
Still, in the aftermath of him supposedly losing an impressive 30 pounds, Donald Trump is trying to kick butt and put the rest of the USA on the scales.
Indeed, the POTUS isn't exactly remembered for his healthy diet, which is known to consist of copious amounts of Diet Coke and celebratory McDonald's meals aboard his jet.
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As the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. is on a mission to 'Make America Healthy Again', although that's the same man who's known for swimming in raw sewage and told us to ignore his advice.
America's latest move toward a 'healthier' future has seen the Trump administration release new guidelines that tell us to focus on eating whole foods, avoid refined carbohydrates, and is “declaring war" on added sugars.
During a press briefing, RFK Jr. was joined by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and reiterated his MAHA mantra as he said: "Today, our government declares war on added sugar. Highly processed foods loaded with additives, added sugar and excess salt damage health and should be avoided.
"As secretary of health and human services, my message is clear: eat real food.”
Whereas 2020's guidelines stretched across an impressive 150 pages, this update spanned just a few and supposedly offered research in supplemental materials.
There's concern that the typical American food pyramid has been flipped on its head. As well as putting an emphasis on red meat because it can apparently "help prevent the onset or slow the rate of progression of chronic disease," we're also told to add fats to our meals. This includes prioritizing oils with essential fatty acids, although the updated guidelines add: "Other options can include butter or beef tallow."
A defiant RFK Jr. said: "Today the lies stop. We are ending the war on saturated fats."
In terms of the group that Trump has tried to nuke out of existence, fruit juices are in the firing line. We're advised to avoid all sugar-sweetened beverages before the age of 10, which dials things up from the previous recommendation of two.
These guidelines are set to run through to 2030, although there are obvious criticisms. One person joked: "Cranberry farmers are going to love this."
Another chuckled: "I’m for sure going to listen to the guy who eats McDonald’s Big Macs every day."
A third concluded: "He's actively telling people to eat more saturated fats, even though we're already #1 in heart problems, and saturated fat is a known factor of said heart problems.
They are trying to kill us. I'm more convinced of it every day."
Given that heart disease is the number one killer of people in the USA, we're sure the new dietary guidelines will continue to be picked apart.