What the new Dietary Guidelines mean for you:
Every five years, the U.S. government releases an updated version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines are created by scientists and public health experts who review research on nutrition, health outcomes, and disease prevention, and translate that evidence into broad recommendations for how Americans should eat.
The most recent update was just released, and like every iteration before it, it’s sparked a lot of questions, confusion, and strong opinions online. Some people read the guidelines and feel overwhelmed. Others assume they’re only relevant for policymakers, schools, and healthcare systems - not real people with busy lives.
The truth is, while the Dietary Guidelines are population-level recommendations (meaning they’re not designed to be a personalized nutrition plan), they do give us a useful snapshot of what eating patterns are most consistently associated with better health for most people.
Instead of getting lost in graphics, headlines, or arguments online, let’s break down what the new Dietary Guidelines actually mean for you and how you can apply them in a way that supports your health and sustainable weight loss goals.
You might need to eat more protein
1.2-1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight is the current recommendation (and it’s a good one!)
**you can multiply your current weight by .7 to get an accurate grams/day goal
Animal sources of protein are great and (despite not being included in the new graphic) plant-based proteins, like tofu and edamame, are great too!
You definitely need to eat more fruit + veg
Current guidelines recommend 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit per day, which is a great goal for the 90% of Americans who don’t eat enough fiber.
PS. fresh, frozen, and canned all count!
It’s important to prioritize fiber-containing carbs
Think whole grains instead of refined carbs like white bread/pasta, baked goods, cereal, chips, candy, pretzels, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
The exact # of carbohydrates servings you need is influenced by your activity level, but current dietary guidelines recommend 2-4 servings of whole grains/day (which, IMO, is not something the graphic accurately represents).
It’s important to minimize added sugar, sodium, and processed foods*
Research consistently shows positive health outcomes linked to diets low in added sugar + salt and high in fiber, fruits, veggies and whole grains.
*Keep in mind: not all processed foods are created equal. Aim to decrease those that contain little nutrition value (e.g. candy) while prioritizing those that make hitting nutrition targets easier (e.g. protein powder)
Are there other things worth noting in the new, 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines?
There are! But given the fact that most people don’t follow federal nutrition advice - only 12.3% of U.S. adults meet the recommendation for fruit intake and only 10.0% meet recommendation for vegetable intake - it’s best to focus on executing a few core principles (I suggest starting with the ones mentioned in this post) rather than getting lost or overwhelmed with thoughts of beef tallow or food dyes.
Need help applying these health promoting eating priorities in your real life?
Apply for 1:1 Nutrition Coaching and let’s talk about making nutrition work for you.
