2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Update

Everyone wants to know what is going on with the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines. The only news available at this time is that they are expected to be released around the end of 2025, with some sources suggesting a possible release date in August. A “Make American Healthy Again” report from the White House makes a case against ultra-processed food, and media reports indicate that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) wants to reduce the guidelines to four pages. Many media channels are featuring op-ed articles trying to guess what will happen.

What has been done so far

The Dietary Guidelines change every 5 years as required by law (The National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990). A committee is formed of health and nutrition experts across the country. This committee conducts an extensive gathering of research, along with the health statistics of Americans. They create a report on their findings, which includes their recommendations for the next set of Dietary Guidelines. Their findings are published, and time is given for everyone to make comments on them. After that, two US Government departments, the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, will collaborate to develop the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which may or may not follow the original report.

The initial recommendation was released earlier this year. It is a 421-page PDF summarizing their findings and recommendations. The comments have been collected.

What is coming next?

Here is an overview of what the committee recommended and pointed out (these are the notes we created from reading the 421-page document):

Key health stats - American’s report card:

Over 73% of American adults over the age of 20 are overweight
36% of children aged 2 to 19 are overweight
38% of children aged 12-19 have prediabetes
A wealth of evidence is presented regarding chronic diseases, various demographic groups, cultural concerns, and demographic consumption habits.

Dietary report:

There are concerns about health equity because the data indicate that individuals with fewer resources tend to experience more health problems.
Overall, the intake of refined grains along with meat, poultry, and eggs is too high.
The intakes of dairy, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and healthier proteins, including lentils, peas, beans, soy, nuts, seeds, and seafood, are too low.

Recommendations for the guidelines:

By increasing their intake of nutrient-dense foods, Americans can likely improve their diet-related health issues.
They are asking for the new Dietary Guidelines to move the beans, peas, and lentils from the vegetable group to solely the protein group. Right now, they are classified in both groups.
Americans should reduce their intake of saturated fat to 10% or less.
Instead of listing three dietary patterns — Healthy American, Healthy Mediterranean, and Vegetarian — they recommend creating one called Healthy Eating Your Way.
Protein foods should be ranked according to nutrient density and heart health, with beans, peas, and lentils at the top, followed by nuts, seeds, and soy, and then seafood. Meat, poultry, and eggs should be listed last, so people minimize their consumption of these and increase the consumption of the ones listed first. They want to see the recommended protein amount stay the same, but reduce the consumption of meat, poultry, and eggs.
Vegetable consumption should remain the same, with the removal of beans and legumes from the category and an emphasis on non-starchy vegetables.
Fruit consumption should remain the same.
Grain consumption could be reduced, but the emphasis should be on lowering refined grains. However, this becomes tricky because the needs of different age groups can vary.
The "others" category - for foods with added sugar and fat should probably be removed since those are found in refined foods.
Timing of meals matters, and it changes with age. Children have better dietary outcomes if they eat breakfast and more frequently throughout the day, while adults should not skip breakfast but avoid overeating after dinner.
Portion sizes may not matter as much as considering energy density and promoting foods like fruits and vegetables that have a low energy density.
Beverages account for 19% to 44% of the total added sugar intake, depending on age.
Many of the foods currently consumed by Americans do not align with the previous guidelines, and the intake of added sugars, saturated fat, and salt is too high.
The focus should be on all life stages from birth to senior.

As many studies point out, dietary patterns are often tied to health outcomes. The advice is straightforward, and yet the majority do not follow the guidelines. Various factors, including dietary preferences, cultural habits, time, money, planning, kitchen skills, education, social media, and food industry advertising, all influence what people want to eat. The Make American Healthy Again MAHA document on whitehouse.gov makes an argument to recommend against ultra-processed food. However, the guidelines recommend eating more whole foods, using food groups as a guide, which results in some overlap. The key difference lies in the approach, with one emphasizing a blanket avoidance while the other makes a specific plan with whole foods in food groups. Also, keep in mind that there are tens of thousands of processed foods and no real way to compare them. Canned green beans are not the same as potato chips and hot dogs from a nutrient standpoint.

The Dietary Guidelines dictate many policies across the US. They will be published by the USDA and the Health and Human Services department jointly. Although the committee makes a recommendation, it does not always mean it ends up in the guidelines. But health educators will have to follow science to help their patients, and the recommendations are very logical.

We will keep you posted.

What is your take on this matter? Tell us!

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