Trump administration’s new ‘common sense’ food pyramid could add hundreds to your monthly grocery bill. How to eat within the guidelines, for less

But one thing isn’t up for debate: beef prices are soaring. So if you’re trying to increase your protein intake by eating more beef, it’s going to hit you in the wallet.

Elevated beef prices have contributed to higher overall grocery costs over the past year, with the food index rising 3.1% in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (3). And this isn’t expected to ease anytime soon, with cattle herds at their lowest in decades — and one industry insider predicting ground beef could hit $10 a pound by the second half of this year (4).

Food prices continue to be a major stressor for Americans

The new food pyramid recommends that Americans eat more of the some of the most expensive food in the supermarket. This comes at a time when the vast majority (86%) of Americans say groceries are a source of stress in their lives, with more than half (53%) saying it’s a “major” stressor, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (5).

Overall, prices for grocery store purchases are predicted to rise 2.3% in 2026 (6), according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Price Outlook (USDA). That’s a slower increase than historical averages — but it doesn’t apply to all food categories.

The price of a steak continues to rise, sitting at $12.51 per pound as of December 2025, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve (7). That’s up from $10.63 per pound in December 2024. Ground beef hit $6.69 per pound in December 2025, a record high (8).

And that could jump even higher in 2026. Record-low cattle supply, higher feed and labor costs, as well as drought in some areas (not to mention an outbreak of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite in Mexico) are factors limiting supply and driving up prices.

Omaha Steaks president and CEO Nate Rempe told Fox Business (9) that, with the national cattle herd at 70-year-lows, “we are headed for what I’m calling the $10-a-pound reality.” By the third quarter of 2026 he said “families are gonna see $10 a pound [for] ground beef in the grocery store.”

Yet, the new guidelines are suggesting Americans eat more protein, including red meat, poultry, seafood and eggs, as well as healthy fats such as butter, nuts, olives and avocados — all of which can be pricier items at the grocery store.

For a family of four, following the new food pyramid could add hundreds of dollars to grocery bills each month at a time when financial stress is already a major factor.

In one anecdotal example, the New York Post reported that — following the new guidelines — it would cost a single person about $164 a week for groceries from a bricks-and-mortar grocery store (10). For a family of four, that adds up to an annual grocery bill of $34,112.

While that’s just one example, it’s significantly higher than what the USDA estimates a family of four should spend on a ‘thrifty’ food plan: $988 a month, or $11,856 a year (11).

That could be why some critics see the new guidelines as unrealistic for low-income families. While ultra-processed foods (UPFs) — like lunch meats, frozen meals and boxed mac ’n’ cheese — are associated with a long list of adverse health outcomes such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes (12), they can be significantly cheaper than ‘real’ food.

According to Johns Hopkins research, UPFs cost 55 cents per 100 calories, compared with $1.45 for unprocessed foods (13). But, with a “war” on UPFs, what should consumers do?

How to up your protein intake without upping your grocery bill

Previous guidelines have allowed for a higher intake of UPFs, which can help to cut grocery costs. Grains, a foundation of previous guidelines — which have been downgraded in importance under the new guidelines — are also much less expensive than protein and dairy.

Consumers can still usually get the best deals on grocery basics, such as rice, beans, oatmeal, pasta and canned fish.

From December 2024 to December 2025, rice (white), pasta and cornmeal actually decreased in price by 1.7%, while rice in all varieties increased by just 0.8%. By comparison, beef and veal jumped 16.4%, uncooked ground beef jumped 15.5%, uncooked beef roasts jumped 17.5% and uncooked beef steaks jumped 17.8% (14).

Chicken and pork chops are still more affordable options, both increasing by 1.2% over the same period. While frozen fish and seafood jumped 8.6%, shelf-stable fish and seafood saw a smaller increase of 3.4%. But some UPFs saw jumps too, like frankfurters (6.6%) and lunchmeats (3.1%) (14)

Overall, dairy saw a slight decrease of -1.0% (which could be good news for consumers looking to up their dairy intake) while overall the price of fresh fruits and vegetables remained relatively flat (0.3%) (14).

For many Americans, eating more red meat may simply not be an option, whether they don’t eat meat or they don’t have the budget for it. It may be possible to cut costs by purchasing cheaper cuts of meat (like chuck and brisket), buying meat when it’s on sale and freezing it or even reducing portion sizes.

If ground beef reaches $10 a pound, even that might be too much of a stretch. But there are other ways to get your protein, including lentils and beans, which are significantly cheaper.