The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is published every 5 years to provide advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease.
The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has reviewed the scientific evidence to inform their recommendations. The research and scientific recommendations for the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been developed and submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
For the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines, health equity was a guiding principle across the Committee’s work. For the first time in the history of developing Dietary Guidelines, the Committee used a systems science approach to include nutrition and health equity as well as other determining factors of health such as,
- Cultural differences,
- Individual preferences,
- Food scarcity,
- Cost,
- Access
- Physical activity
- Other Social Determinants—many of which are environment-related—such as safe housing, transportation, neighborhood contexts, access to health care, and education to list a few.
The research found variation in prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates that indicate continued health disparities for some chronic health conditions, such as higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes among individuals of lower socioeconomic position.
The proposed name for the guidelines is —Eat Healthy Your Way— to recognize that a healthy eating style can be flexible to support individual variation in dietary intake preferences.
Based on the extensive scientific summary, the widespread prevalence of nutrition-related chronic health conditions continues to be a major public health issue in the United States. The high prevalence of risk factors among adolescents, such as the 38 percent of individuals ages 12 through 19 years with prediabetes, is particularly concerning to the Committee as it may contribute to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases later in life.
Chronic disease rates are especially high among adults and older adults. Some chronic health conditions—including obesity, diabetes, and (for females only) osteoporosis— have become more prevalent compared to 10 to 20 years ago.
The Committee acknowledged that although non-dietary factors contribute to the risk of developing a chronic health condition, the importance of nutrition throughout the lifespan cannot be overstated and starts early in life.
Disappointingly, with all the emphasis on the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, and for decades before these, dietary intakes are still not aligned with dietary guidance at any age. Data indicated that dietary patterns tend to be healthier at the earlier stages of life (ages 12 months through 4 years) and the later stages of life (ages 71 years and older), with the poorest intakes among adolescents ages 14 through 18 years.
A few snippets of concepts that the Committee recommended the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) incorporate into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 include,
- Emphasize consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), whole grains, nuts, and fish/seafood, which were common components found in dietary patterns that were associated with more desirable health outcomes.
- Continue to emphasize consumption of low-fat or non-fat dairy and unsaturated fats, which were frequently found in dietary patterns that were associated with more desirable health outcomes.
- Limit consumption of red and processed meats, foods high in saturated fat, and salty/savory snacks.
- When consuming grains, encourage mostly whole grains and lower refined grains.
- Encourage dietary patterns that emphasize plant-based foods, such as plant-based proteins, whole grains, and vegetables.
- Until further definitive studies are conducted, it is prudent to support the current Dietary Guidelines recommendation to consume fat-free or low- fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Continue to limit foods high in added sugars, including sweetened beverages and foods.
- Reaffirm current guidance to lower consumption of butter and replace butter with vegetable oils higher in unsaturated fatty acids.
- Promote replacement of plant sources higher in saturated fat, such as coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm oil, with vegetable oils higher in unsaturated fats. Palm oil and coconut oil are often used in food processing applications.
- Recommend that future Committees consider examining the association of ultra-processed foods with growth, body composition, and risk of obesity. The Committee found inconsistent definitions. Despite this inconsistency, most of the foods categorized as ultra-processed were higher in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, as well as other food additives and preservatives.
A more rigorous definition of ultra-processed foods is needed to develop clearer guidelines, especially regarding the consumption of dietary patterns higher in ultra-processed foods and other health outcomes, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive decline.
- Encourage consumption of healthy dietary patterns at all stages of life and for diverse populations.
- Emphasize flexibility and inclusion in order to maintain a health equity lens. The Committee envisions that the Dietary Guidelines could shift, through interactive technology, from a static presentation of healthy dietary patterns to provide consumers with more interactive guidance that introduces flexibilities and is more inclusive in its approach.
- Illustrate how the Dietary Guidelines can be adapted for different cultural diets. As demonstrated through the Committee’s evidence scan—which was the first evidence scan to be conducted by a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee—culturally responsive interventions may help promote better adherence and support uptake of dietary guidance by providing individuals with foods that align with their cultural practices and preferences.
The Guidelines are expected to be released in late 2025. We are excited about the flexibility that will be designed in the guidelines to include health equity, cultural considerations, and social determinants of health. Health and nutrition are complex and cannot be addressed using a myopic focus on what we should and shouldn’t eat or do. It takes an inclusive and comprehensive system approach.
Regardless of the final Guidelines, Dimensions’ Cultivating Inner and Outer Nutritional Wisdom aligns perfectly with such an inclusive and flexible approach!
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash