Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Overview

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are published jointly by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); by law they are updated at least every 5 years. The current edition, 2025–2030, was released in January 2026 and is hosted at realfood.gov. It is a short, 10-page document whose headline message is "eat real food": diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods, paired with a "dramatic reduction" in highly processed foods.

How the document is organised. Instead of the prior edition's four numbered guidelines, 2025–2030 is a set of topic sections, each with practical bullets and, where given, serving goals (stated for a 2,000-calorie pattern and adjusted to your own calorie needs):

1. Eat the right amount for you. Calorie needs depend on age, sex, height, weight and activity; watch portion sizes; for hydration, choose water (still or sparkling) and unsweetened beverages.
2. Prioritize protein foods at every meal. A variety of animal (eggs, poultry, seafood, red meat) and plant (beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy) proteins. Protein goal: 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight per day. Prefer baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried or grilled over deep-fried; choose meat with no or limited added sugars, refined carbohydrates or starches, or chemical additives.
3. Consume dairy. Include full-fat dairy with no added sugars; goal 3 servings/day.
4. Eat vegetables and fruits throughout the day. Whole, colourful, in their original form (frozen, dried or canned without added sugars also count); limit or dilute 100% juice. Goals: vegetables 3 servings/day, fruits 2 servings/day.
5. Incorporate healthy fats. From whole foods such as meats, poultry, eggs, omega-3-rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives and avocados; for cooking, prioritise oils with essential fatty acids such as olive oil, with butter or beef tallow as other options. Saturated fat should, in general, not exceed 10% of total daily calories. The document adds that more high-quality research is needed on which fats best support long-term health.
6. Focus on whole grains. Prioritise fibre-rich whole grains (2–4 servings/day) and significantly reduce highly processed refined carbohydrates (white bread, packaged breakfast foods, flour tortillas, crackers).
7. Limit highly processed foods, added sugars and refined carbohydrates. Avoid salty or sweet highly processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages; limit artificial flavours, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners. "No amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended", and one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars. Snack foods should follow the FDA "Healthy" claim limits (e.g., grain snacks ≤5 g added sugar per ¾ oz whole-grain equivalent; dairy snacks such as yogurt ≤2.5 g per ⅔ cup equivalent). Sugars naturally present in fruit and plain milk are not added sugars.
8. Limit alcoholic beverages. "Consume less alcohol for better overall health." People who should avoid alcohol completely include pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control their drinking, and people on medications or with conditions that interact with alcohol. No daily drink number is given.

Two sidebars complete the core: Gut health (vegetables, fruits, fermented and high-fibre foods support a diverse microbiome; highly processed foods can disrupt it) and Sodium: the general population aged 14 and over should consume less than 2,300 mg/day (children 1–3: <1,200 mg; 4–8: <1,500 mg; 9–13: <1,800 mg), and highly active individuals may benefit from more sodium to offset sweat losses.

The final pages cover special populations: infancy and early childhood (exclusive breast milk for about the first 6 months, vitamin D 400 IU for breastfed infants, allergenic foods introduced around 6 months, no added sugars), middle childhood (no caffeinated drinks, no added sugars recommended), adolescence, young adulthood, pregnancy and lactation, older adults (equal or greater protein, B12, vitamin D and calcium needs), people with chronic disease (some may benefit from a lower-carbohydrate diet with their health care professional), and vegetarians/vegans (watch iron, B12, vitamin D, calcium and iodine status).

What changed from 2020–2025. The prior edition was built on four guidelines and set added sugars at less than 10% of calories from age 2 and an alcohol limit of 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 or less for women (see Added Sugars, Alcohol — Energy, Limits, and Effects on Training). Both numbers are gone. The 2025–2030 document also does not mention MyPlate or name the Mediterranean or DASH patterns (both still have their own trial evidence; see The Mediterranean Diet, The DASH Diet). Saturated fat ≤10% of calories and sodium <2,300 mg/day carry over.

• USDA/HHS, updated at least every 5 years; current edition 2025–2030, released January 2026 (realfood.gov), superseding 2020–2025.
• Organised as topic sections, not the prior four numbered guidelines.
• Protein 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day; dairy 3, vegetables 3, fruits 2, whole grains 2–4 servings/day (2,000-kcal reference, adjust to your needs).
• Added sugars: no amount recommended; no more than 10 g per meal. Non-nutritive sweeteners also not recommended.
• Saturated fat: in general ≤10% of daily calories. Sodium: <2,300 mg/day for ages 14+; active people may need more to offset sweat.
• Alcohol: "consume less"; no daily number; some groups should avoid it entirely.