Health & Gender

On January 7, 2026, the U.S. federal government released the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These new guidelines show a shift in how U.S. health officials define healthy eating andaddress processed foods, protein consumption and dairy. The Guidelines were issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are set to shape federal nutrition policy, school meal standards and how public health is messaged for the next five years.

The Protecting Free Vaccines Act (H.R. 5448) aims to preserve stable vaccine coverage by freezing ACIP recommendations as of 2024 and requiring all major insurance programs to continue covering those vaccines without cost-sharing until 2030. H.R. 5448 was introduced on Sept. 18, 2025, by Rep. Frank Pallone D-NJ-6. Since this is a Democrat-sponsored bill in a Republican-controlled House, its chances of passing are currently low unless bipartisan support grows.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed on February 13, 2025, as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, launched a sprawling “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda targeting chronic illness, food quality, and vaccine policy. His platform positions ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) and environmental toxins as primary drivers of America’s health crisis. Prominent proposals include banning UPFs in schools, nursing homes, and prisons; eliminating synthetic food dyes; restricting SNAP purchases of junk food; and overhauling the quintennial Dietary Guidelines to emphasize whole, minimally processed foods.

Science is ever-evolving. When new information comes out, it is protocol to test it rigorously and check every assumption along the way. But what happens when the public takes a single new data point as gospel?