Science and the New Food Pyramid Agree: Let’s Eat More Plants

By Erin Mittelstaedt
Last Updated On January 14, 2026
Reading Time: 2 mins.

Science has told us for years that fruits and vegetables are two of the healthiest things we can eat. So, when I opened up my news apps last week, I was happy to see that the federal government’s new food pyramid puts them on top!

Food pyramid full of drawings of food with Protein, Dairy, & Healthy Fats top left, Vegetables & Fruits top right, and Whole Grains at the bottom — The new food pyramid from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

New Federal Guidance on What to Eat

On January 7, the government released the newest version of its Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Health experts have contested some of the advice in the guidelines (like the emphasis on red meat and dairy), but everyone seems to agree that eating more plants and less added sugar is a great idea. That’s no surprise to me, because science has backed up the health benefits of fruits and veggies time and time again.

The Scientific Evidence for Eating More Produce

Fresh produce is full of healthy nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals that our bodies need. One of my favorite scientific deep dives is this one, where scientists analyzed around 30 years of data for over 100,000 people and also reviewed 24 other studies.

They found that people who ate five servings of fruits and vegetables per day (two of fruit and three of veggies) had about a 13% lower risk of death than people who ate just two servings. That’s pretty amazing evidence that produce can increase your odds of a long and healthy life.

More Health Benefits of Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Scientific studies also show that fresh fruits and veggies may:

Lower your risk of heart disease¹, stroke², and high blood pressure³
Reduce your diabetes risk⁴
Improve your gut health⁵
Boost your mental health⁶

Those are great reasons to eat more of them, just like the new food pyramid recommends.

How to Add More Produce to Your Diet (and Your Office Snack Program)

If you want to take the new food pyramid’s advice, the easiest way to add more produce to your diet is to keep it on hand. You can’t eat what you don’t have! So stock up your grocery cart or, to save time, consider fresh fruit delivery for your office or fresh fruit and vegetable delivery for your home. It makes grabbing a healthy snack easy.

The FruitGuys box surrounded by fresh fruit — The FruitGuys’ Harvest Mix

Here at The FruitGuys, we’re all about the science (you can read some of our interviews with dietitians here, here, and here), and we’ll always celebrate when fruits and veggies take center stage on our plates.

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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6