Got (whole) milk? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it’s time to “drink up.”
The agency shared an image of President Donald Trump sporting a milk mustache makeover on social media on Jan. 11, quickly amassing millions of views and thousands of comments. The post, accompanied by the hashtag “#DrinkWholeMilk,” features an image of Trump looking into the camera while leaning against his Oval Office desk with a glass of milk.
Reminiscent of the “Got Milk?” ads of the 90s and 2000s, Trump can be seen in the apparently edited image with a line of milk on his upper lip beneath the title, “The Milk Mustache Is Back. Drink Whole Milk.”
The push towards whole dairy is part of a new set of guidelines released by the USDA under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Jan. 7, which emphasized full-fat dairy, protein and “healthy fats.”
The social media post itself drew attention from netizens, prompting a mixed set of responses on X, formerly Twitter. Some celebrated the move while others mocked the image, joking that milk sales must be down or accusing the agency of being influenced by the dairy industry.
RFK’s new food pyramid and whole dairy
The Department of Agriculture released a new set of dietary guidelines on Jan. 7, essentially flipping the food pyramid as many knew it on its head.
Grains, which were once the foundation of the suggested diet when the first pyramid was adopted in the 1990s, are now the smallest group and relegated to the bottom. Protein, dairy, fats, fruits and vegetables are the largest categories competing for the top.
New dietary guidelines released by the USDA on Jan. 7.
The new guidelines emphasize food items historically recommended in moderation, specifically red meat, whole-fat dairy and several types of fats, including trans fats. These categories align with the messaging RFK has favored as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which promoted beef tallow and pushed against added sugar.
Previous nutrition guidelines suggested minimizing or avoiding full-fat dairy and all types of fat, including healthy and saturated. The new guidance recommends three servings of full-fat dairy a day but caps saturated fat at 10% of daily calories per day.
Is whole dairy better for you?
The relative “health” of whole versus reduced dairy depends on what you’re looking to get from it.
The biggest potential pitfall of too much full-fat dairy is its high fat content, according to experts. Only 10% of your calories a day should come from saturated fats, a percentage easy to meet or surpass through dairy consumption alone.
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health laid out an example of how quickly the push for three servings of full-fat milk a day can surpass the dietary rule: In a standard 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 10% of your calories equals about 22 grams of saturated fat. One serving of whole milk, one serving of whole-fat Greek yogurt and one serving of whole-fat cheese a day would already add up to 17 grams of saturated fat, before any other food groups were added.
“If you were to add a single tablespoon of butter (7 grams) or beef tallow (6 grams)—both suggested cooking fat options—you’re over the limit. And this isn’t even considering other foods consumed throughout the day, including some of the recommended protein options,” the school’s website said.
But fat is not always a bad thing. Our bodies need several types of fats to function and whole dairy is a good source of “healthy” fats, which help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A and K, according to the University of Washington.
Whole dairy contains more nutrients (including protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A, B and D), more essential omega-3 fatty acids and helps you feel full for longer. Reduced-fat dairy options, on the other hand, offer many of the same nutrients while contributing less saturated fat to your diet.
More recent studies have explored and questioned the link between saturated fats, whole-fat dairy and health issues, including cardiovascular health and good versus bad cholesterol. New studies have shown that full-fat milk, cheese and yogurt “may not have the negative effects on heart or vascular health as previously thought,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Choosing whole versus low-fat depends on an individual’s daily needs. Those looking to reduce or avoid any additional saturated fat in their diets may opt for more reduced-fat options, whereas someone who needs more of the other nutrients offered by whole dairy may opt for full-fat.
Experts warn against going all in on full-fat
While several health organizations applauded some aspects of the new guidelines, such as an emphasis on more whole foods and fewer processed ones, the whole-dairy recommendations drew more suggestions for caution.
“While the guidelines highlight whole-fat dairy, the Heart Association encourages consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy products, which can be beneficial to heart health,” the American Heart Association said in a statement about the guidelines.
“Several aspects of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines are poised to promote healthy diets and reduce disease risk,” Karen Peterson, associate director of the Michigan Nutrition Obesity Research Center and chair of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, said in a statement soon after the new guidelines were released.
“However, advocating consumption of red meat and high-fat dairy food without specific guidelines for portion size and servings can easily counter consumers’ efforts to simultaneously keep energy intake from saturated fats below 10%,” she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USDA pushes whole dairy with Trump milk mustache. Is it healthier?
