RFK Jr. says: It ended the war on protein. It doesn’t exist

to some extent With a baffling directive, US Health Secretary RFK Jr. claims to be “ending the war on protein.”

The ad was posted on the White House’s X account on January 11 alongside An ominously lit photo of Kennedy, This came as part of the Federal Government’s Dietary Guidelines 2025-2030, which is now in place Setting priorities Protein at every meal. Some advice has been followed, especially avoiding ultra-processed foods and added sugars Well received By nutrition experts and health organizations such as the American Heart Association. But other aspects of it represent shocks that challenge scientific consensus. For example, recommend eating saturated fats found in whole milk, butter, and beef tallow Contradicts Previous dietary guidelines, which are generally recommended Limit saturated fats.

But one of the biggest takeaways from the new food guide — which will affect everything from SNAP to school lunches — is that Americans should consume more protein, ideally from animals.

“Today the lies stop. Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in previous dietary guidelines,” Kennedy, the leader of MAGA’s most powerful and vulnerable offshoot, the Make America Healthy Again movement, said in an announcement about the new guidelines on January 7.

The thing is, there is no war on protein. If there was one, it was long lost. Americans have never been as obsessed with protein as they are today, with U.S. consumption levels as high as they are Record levelsEven with protein deficiency Almost non-existent.

However, Kennedy’s arm makes sense in the context of the MAGA movement that demonized body image, fitness, and masculinity Central principles.

“They’re trying to tie it to the war on masculinity, the war on warrior culture. All of these things are interconnected,” said Colin Davis, a personal trainer and political commentator who has criticized MAGA’s encroachment on the fitness industry.

In August, Kennedy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted videos online of themselves doing push-ups and pull-ups as part of what they called “Pete and Bobby’s Fitness Challenge.Hegseth also convened an unprecedented meeting of American generals at Quantico, Virginia, in September to discuss military intervention. Fitness and grooming standards. “It is absolutely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth told hundreds of generals in attendance.

President Trump himself has linked his movement to fitness through his friendship with UFC CEO Dana White, and has coordinated a number of activities Campaign appearance in the UFC Events of 2024. These actual rallies put the then-presidential candidate in close proximity to young, physically fit people who might sometimes kick off post-fight. Rant support it; Trump would continue to flip the young male vote by nearly 30 points in his favor during the 2024 election. In June, the White House Host a UFC cage fight As part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Trump said.

Some experts say Kennedy’s reworking of the Dietary Guidelines is a continuation of that project, particularly the emphasis on animal proteins, projecting a form of idealized masculinity by playing into long-standing, well-researched cultural perceptions about food and sex.

“There’s a long-standing association between men and meat and fire and outdoor cooking,” said Charlotte Biltikoff, a professor of food, wine and culture at the University of California, Davis. “Women with light foods, weight loss diet, vegetables, fruits and salads.”

All of this serves to position the president and his broader political movement close to a kind of aspirational masculinity that is highly effective, powerful, physically attractive, and neatly placed within traditional gender roles.