NIH, and agency of the Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has issued its strategic plan for nutrition research for the next five years.

The Table of Contents states the goals and research objectives.

The goals:

1. Advance Science
2. Support the generation of evidence to address priority diet, nutrition, and health outcomes
3. Build Capacity and Strengthen the Field of Nutrition Science
4. Foster Stewardship, Collaboration, Transparency, and Accountability in Nutrition Science Research

I went right to #2.  Its impact objectives:

1. Improve the Approaches and the Precision of Methods to Assess the Determinants of Malnutrition
2. Support the Generation of Evidence to Enhance Nutrition Regulatory Science

Oops.  Nothing about chronic disease?  Where is the MAHA agenda in this?

On closer look, the report mentions chronic disease 8 times.  It recognizes the problem, stating that

food systems and the food environment…are critical factors affecting consumer choices; dietary patterns; and, ultimately, health. Using this framework, ONR [Office of Nutrition Research]…will address critical components of the nutritional ecology—such as the shaping and impact of consumer attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding food systems—and consider key questions to identify knowledge gaps in nutrition science that have direct bearing on diet-related chronic diseases….topical areas may include:

• Food production
• Food distribution and marketing
• Food delivery
• Food Is Medicine interventions
• Brain–body interactions
• Cooking and nutrition education
• Personalized and precision nutrition interventions

Ah yes, precision nutrition (targeting diets to specific individual genetic factors).

Identifying factors that predict inter- and intra-individual variability will likely decrease the burden of diet-related
chronic diseases and conditions and will also offer ways to tailor interventions for individuals and populations. [Goal 1, research objective 2]

The plan is organized around a unifying vision of precision nutrition research and includes four strategic goals and five crosscutting research areas. These opportunities complement and enhance ongoing research efforts across NIH to improve health and to prevent or treat diseases and conditions affected by nutrition. [Box 1]

The strategic goals are organized around four questions:

• What do we eat, and how does it affect us?
• What and when should we eat?
• How does what we eat promote health across our lifespan?
• How can we improve the use of food as medicine?

These are good questions, but to me they seem like public health questions.  It’s hard for me to imagine how they could be answered through precision nutrition.

I look forward to finding out how NIH plans to do this.

I wanted to know more when I read this article summary:

Food fraud: Spotlight on the most heavily targeted food products: New research shows the same foods – from beverages to dairy – are impacted by food fraud year after year… Read more

And what are they?

What kind of fraud are they talking about?

Leaning on FoodChain ID data, the report shows that botanical and animal origin fraud were the most prevalent in 2024 and over the last 10 years, with dilution also a major issue. In 2024, the use of non-standard substances was classed in third. “Botanical and animal origin fraud were the most reported type of food fraud in 2024, followed by use of non-food substance and dilution…of these frauds, using non-food substances in food has the potential to do the most harm as seen in the Sudan dyes in chilli powder and melamine in infant formula incidents.”

Shades of the early days of food adulteration.  It’s still happening, apparently.

Sugar has long been thought to increase risks for type 2 diabetes, but whether it really does has not been easy to prove and is still a matter of debate.

A new study suggests one reason why.  It distinguishes between the effects of sugar in beverages (increased risk) and foods (no increased risk).

The study: Dietary Sugar Intake and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Method: The study analyed prospective cohort studies reporting relative measures of incident T2D [type 2 diabetes] risk by categories of dietary sugar (total, free, added, fructose, sucrose) or 2 beverage sources (non-diet sugar-sweetened beverages [SSBs], fruit juice) in healthy adults.

Results: 

• Each additional serving of SSB and fruit juice was associated with a higher risk of T2D.
• In contrast, 20 g/d intakes of total sugar and sucrose were inversely associated with T2D.
• No associations were found for added sugar…or fructose.

The figure shows the effect of 20 g/d sugar intake on T2D risk, in comparison to typical doses of SSB and fruit juice.

A) shows the bar plot illustrating the summary effect of a 20 g/d intake for different sugar types on risk of T2D.

B) compares these doses to typical servings sizes per day of SSBs (39 g/d) and fruit juice (23.3 g/d).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that dietary sugar consumed as a beverage (SSB and fruit juice) is associated with incident T2D risk. The results do not support the common assumption that dietary sugar (i.e., total sugar and sucrose), irrespective of type and amount, is consistently associated with increased T2D risk.

Comment: Sugar is still nutritionally empty, causes tooth decay(especially if water is unfluoridated), and is best consumed in small amounts.  But if this finding holds up, the moral is clear:  Don’t drink your calories.

Michael Jacobson, founder of CSPI and now working on developing a National Food Museum in Washington, DC has issued press release and a graph-filled report analyzing changes in the U.S. diet since 1975.

He calls the report, “Opening the 1975 Food Time Capsule – Diet, Health, & Food Industry.”

From the press release:

And the food industry has gotten a lot more concentrated:

• In 1975, the top 20 grocers sold 40 percent of retail food. Now, just four companies (Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Ahold Delhaize) control 65 percent of the market.
• The market shares of the top four beef, pork, and poultry processors roughly doubled over the last 50 years.

Meanwhile, food prices (adjusted for inflation) have gone up, down, or sideways. For instance, milk costs half as much as 50 years ago, while ground beef has stayed the same. Overall, consumers are spending just 11 percent of their disposable income on food now compared to 13 percent in 1975.

From the report:

Lots of fun information here!

I particularly like it because I cover these changes and lots of others in my forthcoming book What to Eat Now.  to be published on November 11 this year.

Thanks to Matthew Kadey for this one.

Editors of Creative Homeowner.  Ultimate Guide to Planting & Growing Vegetables at Home: Expert Advice for Planting, Growing, and Controlling Pests for Over 70 Vegetables. Creative Homeowner, 2025.

Part of my blurb ended up on the front cover:

Ultimate Guide is just that–an indispensable source of wisdom and deeply practical advice for any vegetable grower.  Professionals as well as beginners will learn much on every page.  This book is a treasure.

I have a garden on the terrace of my New York apartment (I’m currently harvesting the last of the blueberries and raspberries), so was especially happy to be sent this book.  Here are some excerpts.

From the section titled, Grow What You Like

Your vegetable garden is all about providing you with great things to eat, so start by listing all the fruits and vegetables that you and your family will enjoy…The reality is that if you are putting your precious time into growing something, it should be a vegetable that’s a staple in your kitchen.

From: Using compost

Hungry plants such as potatoes and members of the brassica (cabbage) family make the best se of compost or worm compost. Apply before sowing or planting in spring and early summer. Winter brassicas such as Brussels sprouts and sprouting broccoli can benefit from a second application in July or August. In poorer soils, vegetables such as squash, Swiss chard, onions, beans, and beets will also benefit from the application of compost…Worms might not be the most beautiful of creatures, but they are exceptionally effective at producing rich compost.

From: Dealing with garden critters

For any gardener who has experienced the devastating effects of a rabbit in their garden, chicken wire (also known as poultry netting) is an absolute must…It is important to use netting with 1″ (2.5cm) holes and a width of 48″ (121.9cm)…If you follow these instructions to install chicken wire around the entire area to be protected, the crops will be completely safe from attacks by rabbits

From: Never let weeds get out of hand

The trick is to dig weeds out of beds and aisles before they go to seed or spread a network of perennial roots. But keep in mind that every time you disturb the soil, you expose a few
more dormant weed seeds. Take a dandelion digger with you on your weed safaris. With its small, V-pointed, long-shank blade you can cut roots deep in the soil and pull the weed out with little disturbance. Throw weeds into your compost pile. If you leave them where they pulled, they may take root and regrow…If you pull, dig out, or hoe weeds as soon as you see
them, and don’t allow them to go to seed, you will soon reduce the number that sprout in  your garden. While weeds among your vegetables might attract beneficial insects, weeds compete strongly with vegetables for plant nutrients and soil moisture.

Secretary Rollins Announces “Great American Farmers Market” to Celebrate America 250 on National Mall

“There is no greater celebration of America’s legacy than through American agriculture! Farmers helped found our nation and for centuries have diligently passed down the craft of feeding, fueling, and clothing their fellow patriots. The Great American Farmers Market is a celebration of the almost 250 years since our inception and a chance to honor the heart of our nation: agriculture,” said Secretary Rollins.

The press release gives the details:

The ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Great American Farmers Market will be on August 3rd, 2025. For market hours, daily programming updates, and vendor sign-ups, visit our website. Vendors including farmers, ranchers, bakers, dairy producers, beverage producers, fishermen, food concessions, and meat processors are encouraged to apply. To learn more about other farmers markets across the country, visit www.usdalocalfoodportal.com.

USDA also uses social media these days.

USDA (@Dept. of Agriculture) posted: Want to participate as a vendor at the Great American Farmers Market on the National Mall? We’re looking for farmers, ranchers, and producers from all 50 states who want to sell what they grow, raise or produce on their farm! Apply by Sunday, July 13 @ 11:59PM ET

Participation is free.  Here’s the link to the application form.

I have no inside information about what the new Dietary Guidelines will say beyond what I’ve read and what RFK Jr has said: They will be coming out soon and will be short and to the point.

But according to Twitter (X), the source of much leaked information, the new administration “plans to introduce partial bans on alcohol advertising, to bring it ‘closer in line with advertising of unhealthy food.'”

And we now have a Reuters’ Exclusive: US to drop guidance to limit alcohol to one or two drinks per day, sources say

Its summary:

• Americans have long been told to drink two or fewer drinks per day
• New guidelines due as soon as this month
• Expected to include brief statement on limiting drinking
• Alcohol industry faces growing scrutiny of health risks

Reuters’ anonymous sources say “The new guidelines are set to move away from suggesting consumers limit alcohol consumption to a specific number of daily servings, according to the three sources, who asked not to be named to speak freely.”

Reuters also reports:

Major industry players, including Diageo (DGE.L) and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR) have lobbied lawmakers throughout the review process. Senate records show the companies spent millions on lobbying efforts related to the guidelines and a range of other issues such as tax and trade in 2024 and 2025. Both companies declined to comment.

What is at stake here?

As I explained in January (Alcohol in the Dietary Guidelines: What the Fuss is About), everyone agrees that too much alcohol is bad for you.  The question is whether any alcohol is bad.

The dietary guidelines have advised since 1990 that women have no more than one drink a day and men no more than two, suggesting that such levels are safe.  But are they?

I discuss the recent reports arguing one way or the other on January 7 (The big fight over alcohol recommendations: not over yet) and January 22 (The Alcohol Saga continues).

Neither RFK Jr nor President Trump drink alochol.

And we have evidence that the Majority of Americans Unaware of Cancer Risks Linked to Alcohol Consumption.

Recent research conducted by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center unveiled that only approximately 40% of American adults recognize alcohol as a cancer risk factor. This stark gap in knowledge persists despite alcohol’s status as a leading preventable cause of cancer, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced public health communication and policy reforms.

Dietary guidelines are a key component of federal nutrition policy.

I can’t wait to see what they say about alcohol consumption (and everything else), in the light of the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) agenda.