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The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030: Meaningful Progress, Open Questions, and How to Put Them on Your Plate



When national nutrition guidance shifts, it affects far more than headlines. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) quietly shape what ends up on grocery store shelves, what children are served at school, what hospitals and nursing homes feed patients, and how most health professionals are trained to define “healthy eating.” They influence SNAP, WIC, the National School Lunch Program, and even the military. In short: the idea that dietary guidelines are merely theoretical suggestions is 100% false.


This matters because the U.S. food system, and our collective health, are not in great shape. As ultra‑processed foods have come to dominate the American diet, rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental‑health disorders have climbed. Life expectancy has declined. Many clinicians now describe a healthcare system under extraordinary strain, with food quality sitting squarely at the center of the problem.


Against that backdrop, the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans represent a meaningful shift. They are shorter (10 pages instead of 164 like the 2020-2025 DGA), clearer, and, perhaps for the first time in decades, designed to be read and used by real people, not just policy experts. Are they perfect? No. But they take several long‑overdue steps in the right direction.


Why the Dietary Guidelines Actually Matter


If you want proof that guidelines change behavior, look back to the 1970s and 1980s. The first Dietary Guidelines for Americans advised Americans to reduce dietary cholesterol. At the time, average intake hovered around 470 mg per day. Cue the now‑iconic Time magazine cover of frowning eggs and bacon, which brought Ancel Keys’ research on dietary fat and cholesterol into the public spotlight.


Cover of the 1984 Time magazine
Cover of the 1984 Time magazine

Experts urged Americans to drastically limit fat and cholesterol, and food companies rushed to comply, rolling out new butter substitutes made with trans fat, liquid egg whites, and fat‑free baked goods. Consumers followed suit. Dietary cholesterol fell as egg consumption dropped by over 40%, and “don’t eat red meat or dairy” became a mantra in doctors’ offices nationwide. 


The result wasn’t a healthier population, it was a food environment dominated by refined carbohydrates, trans fats, and added sugar. That historical lesson matters as we evaluate the new DGA: guidelines don’t just guide plates, they guide public behavior and industry response. What people eat instead of the foods they’re told to avoid can determine whether well‑intentioned advice helps, or harms. Clarity matters.


What the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans Gets Right


1. Whole, Minimally Processed Foods as the Foundation


Clearly focusing on real food may be the most consequential recommendation in the new DGA. Randomized trials and large cohort studies consistently show that ultra‑processed foods drive excess calorie intake, weight gain, and worse cardiometabolic and mental‑health outcomes, while whole foods reduce inflammation, support a healthy gut microbiome, and improve overall health. Making “food your body recognizes” the default is a genuine public‑health win.


Some clinicians have argued that whole foods were already emphasized in prior guidelines, and that’s partly true. Whole fruit was recommended over fruit juice, and processed meats were repeatedly discouraged. But the 2020–2025 DGA never once used the term “ultra‑processed food” or even “processed food.” Processed foods were mentioned mainly in the context of processed meats, and refined grains and sugar‑sweetened foods weren’t clearly discouraged until deep into the 164‑page document. Even then, Americans were simply told to make half their grains whole and eat less than 10% of calories as added sugar, leaving ample room for 50 grams of added sugar per day and plenty of ultra‑processed foods made with refined flour.


The new DGA is different. From the opening pages of the concise, 10‑page document, it explicitly encourages real, whole foods over ultra‑processed foods. That clarity sends a strong signal to consumers, clinicians, schools, and industry alike.


2. Protein and Vegetables as the Focal Point of Every Meal


This mirrors how many functional and metabolic health clinicians already teach. Protein stabilizes blood sugar, supports neurotransmitters for mood and focus, preserves lean muscle (which protects metabolic rate), improves satiety, and supports healing and bone health. Vegetables contribute fiber, micronutrients, and phytonutrients that calm inflammation and nourish the gut.


Protein and vegetables dominate the new upside-down pyramid of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Protein and vegetables dominate the new upside-down pyramid of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans


3. A Higher Daily Protein Target (1.2–1.6 g/kg/day)


Raising the recommendation from the old minimum of 0.8 g/kg/day to 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day better reflects current research. This range supports healthy aging, weight management, athletic recovery, appetite control, and mental clarity, and it’s especially important for older adults, growing children, and anyone working to improve body composition. The 2025-2030 DGA emphasize protein from both animal and plant sources. As stated on page 3:

“Consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat, as well as a variety of plant‑sourced protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy.” 

This diversity helps people meet protein needs while maximizing micronutrient intake.


4. Health‑Protective Cooking Methods


The 2025-2030 DGA clearly recommends replacing deep‑fried foods with baked, broiled, roasted, stir‑fried, or grilled options. It’s refreshingly common sense. Habitual fried‑food intake is linked with higher cardiovascular and all‑cause mortality, while gentler cooking methods develop flavor without detracting from the health benefits of food.


5. Vegetables and Fruit—Finally Separated


Lumping fruits and vegetables together has long obscured their different metabolic effects. The 2020–2025 guidance to fill “half your plate with fruits and vegetables” was frequently interpreted as permission to eat fruit instead of vegetables.


The new recommendation—three servings of vegetables and two of fruit per day, leaves far less room for confusion. By clearly prioritizing vegetables, it nudges Americans toward better blood‑sugar control and metabolic health.


6. Whole‑Food Fats Are Back


Encouraging the consumption of naturally-occurring fat in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, avocados, olives, nuts, and seeds represents a huge shift and long‑overdue effort to unwind decades of damage from low‑fat messaging. The first DGA released in 1980 instructed Americans to limit fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Guidelines from the American Heart Association and later DGAs perpetuated the low-fat messaging by advising Americans to continue limiting dietary fat. Industry complied by stripping fat from foods and replacing it with sugar, refined starch, salt, and trans fats. The result was a food supply engineered for hyper‑palatability and metabolic dysfunction.


Even today, I see people choosing blood‑sugar‑spiking foods made with refined flour because they’re “low fat,” while avoiding nutrient‑dense options like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish simply because they contain fat. The low‑fat message was drilled in deeply, and it did real harm. Refocusing on whole foods that naturally contain fat is essential if we want to move away from ultra‑processed products and back to real food.


Consuming fat naturally occurring in nutritious foods is recommended in the new 2025-2030 DGA, representing a huge shift from decades of low-fat guidance.
Consuming fat naturally occurring in nutritious foods is recommended in the new 2025-2030 DGA, representing a huge shift from decades of low-fat guidance.

7. Fermented Foods Get a Well‑Deserved Nod


This is a welcome addition. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented vegetables, support microbial diversity, reduce inflammatory markers, and may improve gut and mental health. Their inclusion reflects growing recognition of the microbiome’s role in overall health.


Fermented vegetables are rich sources of probiotics that support the gut microbiome
Fermented vegetables are rich sources of probiotics that support the gut microbiome

8. Whole Grains Moved Down the Priority List


Whole grains now sit lower on the pyramid, with 2–4 servings per day and flexibility based on individual tolerance. This is a meaningful departure from the old “half your grains whole” guidance, which allowed schools and hospitals to serve pancakes, waffles, white tortillas, and crackers while technically staying compliant. The new DGA explicitly recommends significantly reducing refined carbohydrates, and even names examples. That specificity makes real‑world change far more likely.


9. A Clear, Explicit Call to Limit Ultra‑Processed Foods and Added Sugar


An entire page of the new DGA is devoted to defining ultra‑processed foods, added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and common additives to limit or avoid. Concrete examples and target maximums for added sugar are provided, along with the many names sugar hides behind.


It is the clearest and most practical guidance on processed foods and added sugar the DGA has ever offered, and it’s long overdue.


The new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans explicitly recommends limiting ultra-processed foods and added sugar
The new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans explicitly recommends limiting ultra-processed foods and added sugar

The Controversies Worth Watching


Saturated Fat: The 10% Ceiling Remains


This remains the most debated issue. The guidelines continue to recommend limiting saturated fat to 10% of calories, even while encouraging foods like full‑fat dairy, butter, and red meat. The math doesn’t add up.


Here’s the nuance: saturated fat is not universally harmful in all contexts. Risk depends on the overall dietary pattern and what replaces it. Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates, trans fats, or ultra‑processed foods worsens outcomes; replacing it with unsaturated fats often improves risk markers.


While observational studies have often found associations between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease, higher‑quality evidence tells a more nuanced story. A 2025 systematic review and meta‑analysis of randomized controlled trials found “no significant differences in cardiovascular mortality, all‑cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or coronary artery events” between control groups and participants who consumed more saturated fat. Because randomized controlled trials are considered a stronger form of evidence than observational studies, these findings carry meaningful weight.


The ongoing debate around saturated fat, cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease underscores just how complex this issue truly is. History also offers a cautionary tale. Trans fats were once promoted as a “healthy” replacement for saturated fat—until we learned how wrong that was. Trans fat has since been banned due to the harm it caused. Science requires the humility to acknowledge that there is still much to learn.


The DGA is right to conclude that more high‑quality research is needed, particularly if we hope to avoid repeating past mistakes, like replacing saturated fat with trans fat under the false assumption that it was safer.


My take: prioritize whole‑food fat sources, minimize ultra‑processed foods, and personalize based on labs (including ApoB), genetics, and health history.


Animal Protein, Dairy, and the Production Question


Greater emphasis on animal‑based protein raises valid concerns about expanded CAFO production, which is problematic for animal welfare, environmental health, and food quality. Investment in regenerative agriculture, such as the $700 million Regenerative Farming Pilot Program announced in late 2025, offers hope, but scaling ethical, nutrient‑dense production will require sustained policy and market pressure.


Tallow and the Internet Meltdown


Yes, beef tallow made the list of recommended cooking oils, right after olive oil, and the internet melted down. Chemically, tallow is about 50% saturated fat, 40–45% monounsaturated fat, and roughly 5% polyunsaturated fat. That monounsaturated portion is the same category of fat found in olives and avocados.


Source matters. Fat from healthy, grass-fed animals has a better nutrient profile and lower toxin burden. Olive oil remains a daily staple for me (used cold rather than heated), while avocado oil is my preferred option for high-heat cooking. Tallow can be included as one of several heat-stable cooking fats if it suits your preferences and lab markers, but it doesn’t need to be used exclusively. Rotating among a variety of fats and oils, such as avocado oil, olive oil used appropriately, and other whole-food fats like butter or ghee, offers flexibility while addressing individual comfort and concerns.


Plate Beats Pyramid


The upside‑down pyramid offered a tongue‑in‑cheek rebuke of old guidance, but the plate diagram wins for real‑world usability. A simple plate, anchored by protein and vegetables, with whole‑food carbohydrates and fats added intentionally, is far easier for families to apply than pyramids, percentages, or grams per kilogram.



Why This Matters for Kids and Communities


Because the DGA underpins school lunches, WIC, and institutional food programs, these changes have the potential to materially improve what millions of children and vulnerable adults eat every day. More protein, more vegetables, fewer ultra‑processed foods, and greater attention to gut health could meaningfully improve focus, mood, metabolic health, and long‑term disease risk.


How to Put the New DGA Into Practice (Without Overthinking It)


  • Build meals around protein and vegetables first.

  • Aim for 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day of protein, spread across meals (roughly 30–40 g per meal for the average 175-lb adult).

  • Cook more, fry less—think sheet‑pan meals, skillet sautés, slow cookers, and pressure cookers.

  • Choose a variety of fats from whole foods; avoid the fats that come packaged in ultra‑processed foods by limiting those foods.

  • Add fermented foods slowly and include consistently.

  • Keep grains whole and flexible based on tolerance and activity.

  • Minimize ultra‑processed foods and added sugar most days. Birthday cake and holiday cookies are fine—what matters most is what we eat 90% of the time.

  • Personalize saturated‑fat intake using labs, genetics, and health concerns.


Food, Genetics, and the Microbiome: Why One Size Never Fits All


Your response to any guideline is shaped by your genetics, microbiome, and health history. Research shows that baseline gut microbes can predict whether someone responds better to a low‑saturated‑fat diet or a Paleolithic‑style approach. Some people thrive on Mediterranean, Paleo, ketogenic, or vegetarian diets, but no one thrives on excessive sugar and white flour.


The new DGA wisely leaves room for personalization, something past guidelines rarely did.


The Bottom Line


The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans aren’t perfect, but perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is. Prioritizing real food, increasing protein, separating vegetables from fruit, acknowledging fermented foods, and dialing back ultra‑processed products are meaningful shifts that can move the American food supply in a healthier direction.


If we use these guidelines as a foundation and personalize within them, we can rebuild healthier plates, healthier families, and, over time, a healthier nation.



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