HHS Scraps Old Alcohol Guidance, Says Drinking Can Be Socially Healthy

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) rolls back a previous recommendation, and instead more generally advises Americans to “consume less alcohol for better health.”

The past guidance said men should consume two drinks or fewer per day, while women should have one drink or no drinks a day.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said during a presser on Wednesday that “best case scenario” Americans can cut out alcohol, but also added that drinking can often be part of healthy social experiences.

“Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together,” he said. “In the best case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.”

“If you look at the Blue Zones, for example, around the world, where people live the longest — alcohol is sometimes part of their diets,” Dr. Oz explained. “Again, small amounts, taken very judiciously, and usually in a celebratory fashion. So, there is alcohol on these dietary guidelines, but the implication is: don’t have it for breakfast. This should be something done, [a] small amount, with hopefully, some kind of an event that might have alcohol at it.”

“The general move away from two glasses for men and one for women — there was never really good data to support that quantity of alcohol consumption,” he added. “That data was probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectedness.”

Oz: “Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.” pic.twitter.com/5wJwMiPzUN

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2026

The latest DGA, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, aligns with the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

The new guidance flips the food pyramid upside down, advising Americans to eat whole foods, prioritizing healthy fats and protein, and limiting or avoiding ultra-processed foods.

Credit: HHS

Americans should prioritize high-quality, nutrient-dense protein foods in every meal, including a variety of animal sources, such as eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat. Plant-sourced protein, such as beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy, is also recommended.

The DGA also unsurprisingly advises against consuming ultra-processed foods — a frequent target of Kennedy’s. The guidance calls to “avoid highly processed, packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet” and “avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks.”

And while fiber-rich whole grains are recommended as part of a healthy diet, the DGA emphasizes that refined carbohydrates should be avoided.

Related: RFK Flips The Food Pyramid And Announces Massive Changes To Dietary Guidelines