Short answer: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 were released in January 2026 by the USDA and HHS with one central message: eat real food. They tell Americans to avoid highly processed foods, raise the protein target to 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, include full-fat dairy with no added sugars, and keep saturated fat under 10% of calories and sodium under 2,300 mg. No amount of added sugar is recommended, with a cap of 10 grams per meal. A new food pyramid replaces MyPlate.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are the federal government’s official advice on what to eat. They are updated every five years and shape school meals, military food, WIC and other federal nutrition programs, as well as the reference values behind food labels. This guide covers the key numbers in the 2025-2030 edition, what changed from 2020-2025, and what it means when you read a food label.
Dietary Guidelines 2025-2030: Key Numbers
These are the daily targets for a 2,000-calorie diet, as stated in the guidelines. Adjust them for your own calorie needs.
| Food or nutrient | 2025-2030 recommendation |
|---|---|
| Protein | 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight per day, from animal and plant sources, at every meal |
| Dairy | 3 servings per day; include full-fat dairy with no added sugars |
| Vegetables | 3 servings per day |
| Fruits | 2 servings per day; limit or dilute 100% juice |
| Whole grains | 2–4 servings per day; significantly reduce refined grains |
| Saturated fat | No more than 10% of daily calories |
| Added sugars | None recommended; no more than 10 g in any one meal; none for children |
| Sodium | Less than 2,300 mg per day for ages 14 and up |
| Highly processed foods | Avoid, including sugar-sweetened drinks and salty or sweet packaged snacks |
| Alcohol | Drink less for better health; some groups, including pregnant women, should avoid it completely |
What Changed: 2020-2025 vs 2025-2030
| Topic | 2020-2025 guidelines | 2025-2030 guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Core message | “Make every bite count” with a healthy dietary pattern | “Eat real food” |
| Processed foods | Not named as a category | Avoid highly processed foods; limit artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives and non-nutritive sweeteners |
| Protein | About 5½ ounce-equivalents of protein foods a day | 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, prioritized at every meal |
| Dairy | 3 cup-equivalents, fat-free or low-fat | 3 servings, with full-fat dairy encouraged when it has no added sugars |
| Grains | About 6 ounce-equivalents, at least half whole grains | 2–4 servings of whole grains; cut refined carbohydrates such as white bread and crackers |
| Cooking fats | Choose oils over solid fats | Prioritize oils such as olive oil; butter or beef tallow listed as other options |
| Saturated fat | Less than 10% of calories | Unchanged: no more than 10% of calories |
| Added sugars | Less than 10% of calories from age 2; none before age 2 | None recommended; maximum 10 g per meal; none for children |
| Sodium | Less than 2,300 mg a day | Unchanged: less than 2,300 mg a day, with more allowed for highly active people |
| Visual | MyPlate | A new food pyramid at RealFood.gov |
Serving definitions in the new edition do not map exactly onto the old cup- and ounce-equivalents, so check the official Daily Servings Guide before comparing amounts directly.
The 7 Biggest Changes Explained
1. A “real food” message
The guidelines tell Americans to build meals around whole, nutrient-dense foods: protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and whole grains. Frozen, dried and canned produce with little or no added sugar still counts.
2. Highly processed foods named directly
For the first time, the guidelines explicitly say to avoid highly processed packaged, prepared and ready-to-eat foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy, and to avoid sodas, fruit drinks and energy drinks. They do not create a legal definition of “highly processed.” For the research behind this, see whole foods vs processed foods.
3. Much more emphasis on protein
The new target of 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight is well above the long-standing Recommended Dietary Allowance of 0.8 g/kg. For a 150-pound (68 kg) adult that is roughly 82–109 grams of protein a day. The guidelines include eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat as well as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy.
4. Full-fat dairy is back
Previous editions recommended fat-free or low-fat dairy. The new edition says to include full-fat dairy with no added sugars, and calls full-fat dairy important for children’s energy needs.
5. Fats: more choice, same saturated fat cap
Olive oil and other oils with essential fatty acids come first, but butter and beef tallow are listed as options. The 10% saturated fat limit remains, and the guidelines note that more research is needed on which fats best support long-term health. In practice, eating more full-fat dairy, red meat, butter or tallow can make that limit harder to meet, so it is worth checking saturated fat on labels.
6. The strictest added sugar advice yet
No amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended as part of a healthy diet. As a practical ceiling, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars, and children should have none. Fruit and plain milk sugars do not count as added sugars.
7. A new food pyramid
The guidelines replace MyPlate with a new food pyramid built on three groups: protein, dairy and healthy fats; vegetables and fruits; and whole grains. Consumer materials are published at RealFood.gov.
How the Dietary Guidelines Affect Food Labels
The guidelines are advice, not label law, but they feed directly into the rules that appear on packages:
- The “healthy” claim: the FDA’s updated “healthy” rule is built on the dietary guidelines’ food groups and limits. The 2025-2030 guidelines tell shoppers to use those same “healthy” added sugar limits when choosing snacks, such as no more than 5 g of added sugar per serving of a whole-grain snack like crackers. See what label claims legally mean.
- Added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label: with a 10 g-per-meal ceiling, the Added Sugars line is now the quickest number to check. See how to read a nutrition label.
- Ingredient lists: the guidelines list more than a dozen names for added sugar, from cane sugar and agave syrup to fruit juice concentrate and honey, and advise limiting artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes and artificial preservatives. All of these appear in the ingredient list, not on the front of the package.
- % Daily Value: the Daily Values behind % DV come from separate FDA rules, so they do not change automatically when the guidelines do.
How the Dietary Guidelines Are Made
The USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are required by law to publish the guidelines jointly every five years. The process usually starts with an independent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that reviews the scientific evidence and publishes a report. The departments then write the final guidelines, taking that report and public comments into account. For the 2025-2030 edition, the departments also published their own Scientific Foundation report and appendices alongside the guidelines.
Special Groups
- Infants: breast milk only for about the first 6 months, introduce peanut and other allergenic foods early, and avoid added sugars.
- Children: no added sugars, full-fat dairy, avoid caffeinated and energy drinks, and limit highly processed foods. Sodium limits are lower by age: under 1,200 mg (ages 1–3), 1,500 mg (4–8) and 1,800 mg (9–13).
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: nutrient-dense foods including low-mercury, omega-3-rich seafood, and no alcohol during pregnancy.
- Vegetarians and vegans: plan for protein, B12 and other nutrients, and limit highly processed meat substitutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans released?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 were released in January 2026 by the USDA and HHS.
What is the main message of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines?
“Eat real food.” Build meals around whole, nutrient-dense foods and avoid highly processed foods, added sugars and refined carbohydrates.
How much protein do the new guidelines recommend?
1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults, from both animal and plant sources.
What do the new guidelines say about added sugar?
No amount of added sugar is recommended. A single meal should contain no more than 10 grams, and children should have none.
Do the new guidelines recommend full-fat dairy?
Yes. They recommend 3 servings of dairy a day on a 2,000-calorie diet and say to include full-fat dairy with no added sugars.
Is the saturated fat limit still 10%?
Yes. Saturated fat should not exceed 10% of daily calories, the same limit as the previous edition.
How often are the Dietary Guidelines updated?
By law, every five years. The next edition is due for 2030-2035.
Sources and Further Reading
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (PDF). USDA and HHS. January 2026.
- RealFood.gov: the new food pyramid, Daily Servings Guide and Scientific Foundation report. USDA and HHS.
- DietaryGuidelines.gov, including the 2020-2025 edition. USDA and HHS.
- Use of the Term Healthy on Food Labeling. US Food and Drug Administration.
