<h1 id="cf19075b-4c06-4435-ac01-f10aaad639b2" data-toc-id="cf19075b-4c06-4435-ac01-f10aaad639b2" style="font-size: 32px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">Updated US Dietary Guidelines 2025–2030: What are they really about?</h1><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">On 7 January 2026, the United States updated its Dietary Guidelines, focusing on minimally processed whole foods, which the guidelines refer as 'real food'. Some of the updates have been criticised for industry influence and for deviating from the conclusions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee, which spent around 2 years conducting structured evidence reviews, data synthesis, and public consultation to provide the scientific basis for the final policy document. Below are the key changes and points of contention:<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Protein intake Recommended intake is set at 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight, representing up to a two-fold increase compared with previous US guidance (0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight) and exceeding recommendations from the UK and WHO. This shift raises questions about evidence thresholds and population-wide applicability.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Saturated fat limit The cap remains at no more than 10% of total energy (caloric) intake, unchanged from prior guidelines. However, this may be contradicted by the increased emphasis on meat and full-fat dairy in the updated recommendations.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Fruit and vegetable intake Previous guidance advised 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. The updated guidelines recommend a net reduction in total fruit and vegetable volume compared with earlier recommendations:<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: disc; hyphens: none !important;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;">3 servings of vegetables per day (≈1.5 cups)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;">2 servings of fruit per day (≈1 cup)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Grains The guidelines call for fewer total grains overall, with a higher proportion coming from whole grains at 2 to 4 servings a day, while reducing refined grains.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and sugars Highly processed foods, added sugars, and fruit juices are explicitly discouraged, with repeated prioritisation of minimally processed foods.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Added sugar limit It suggests no more than 10 grams of added sugar per meal, but this may result in exceeding the limit set by the World Health Organization of no more than 5% of total calories a day (i.e. 25 grams of added sugar per day, maximum, for a 2000/day caloric intake).<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Sodium limit Sodium limit remains unchanged at no more than 2,300 mg per day, equivalent to approximately 5.8 g of salt (sodium chloride).<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Alcohol: no limit The previous sex-specific limits (up to 2 drinks/day for men and 1 for women) have been removed. The current guidance simply advises consuming less, without a defined upper limit.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">No sustainability and planetary health mention Dietary sustainability, environmental impact, and planetary health are not addressed, in contrast to several recent national dietary guidelines worldwide. Countries including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Norway, China, and Estonia explicitly recommend greater reliance on plant-based or plant-forward protein sources, integrating human health evidence with environmental and climate science when formulating national nutrition policy.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">Conclusion Remember that dietary guidelines are generic population-level frameworks, useful for setting broad limits. However, effective nutrition practice requires the personalisation of advice using your course materials, applicable evidence, and the individual needs of your clients.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">&nbsp;<h3 id="b55b8881-ea3e-41a9-b390-e3a842eb25a1" data-toc-id="b55b8881-ea3e-41a9-b390-e3a842eb25a1" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">References and Resources</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: disc; hyphens: none !important;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/2025-advisory-committee-report" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(28, 124, 113); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 124, 113); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); hyphens: none !important;">Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report (2025)</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dga-fact-sheet.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(28, 124, 113); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 124, 113); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); hyphens: none !important;">USDA Dietary Guidelines Fact Sheet (2025)</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="http://Realfood.gov">Realfood.gov</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e5d2k2w4lo.amp" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(28, 124, 113); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 124, 113); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); hyphens: none !important;">New US dietary guidelines call for more protein, less processed food.</a> BBC.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="https://newsroom.heart.org/news/releases-20260107-6915862" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(28, 124, 113); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 124, 113); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); hyphens: none !important;">New dietary guidelines underscore importance of healthy eating.</a> American heart Association.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important; margin-left: 18px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.foodpolitics.com/2026/01/the-maha-2025-2030-dietary-guidelines-have-arrived-cheerful-muddled-contradictory-ideological-retro/" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(28, 124, 113); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 124, 113); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); hyphens: none !important;">The MAHA 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines have arrived: Cheerful, Muddled, Contradictory, Ideological, Retro.</a> Marion Nestle.</li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; hyphens: none !important;">&nbsp;

On 7 January 2026, the United States updated its Dietary Guidelines, focusing on minimally processed whole foods, which the guidelines refer as 'real food'. 

Updated US Dietary Guidelines 2025–2030: What are they really about?

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Updated US Dietary Guidelines 2025–2030: What are they really about?

Updated US Dietary Guidelines 2025–2030: What are they really about?

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