Perspective 

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Dariush Mozaffarian

JAMA Published Online: January 14, 2026

doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.0283

On January 7, 2026, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs),¹ which by law are revised every 5 years. Interest in this update has been heightened by the Trump administration’s focus on food and health, prior provocative statements on nutrition, departures from usual administrative and scientific processes in other areas (eg, vaccines), and the Make America Healthy Again movement.

The DGAs serve as the nation’s nutritional recommendations for the general population and directly inform procurement standards in schools and day-care facilities, other federal nutrition programs, military nutrition, and federal cafeterias. The DGAs also influence industry formulations and marketing. A clear understanding of the contents of the DGAs, their implications, and unanswered questions is critical for those interested in patient care, public health, scientific research, and policy.

First-Ever Limits on Processed Foods

Several updates to the DGAs¹ are salient (Table). The most notable is a major emphasis on limiting or avoiding foods that are highly processed, packaged, or ready to eat; sugar-sweetened beverages; other foods high in added sugars or sodium; and refined, highly processed carbohydrates. These foods are consistently associated with adverse health outcomes and are widely overconsumed; refined grains, for example, are the most problematic of this group and are overconsumed by more than 95% of individuals in the US.² Yet, even though groups such as the American Heart Association and prior independent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees have advised against such foods, no prior DGAs carried forward such recommendations. Previously, the government appeared unwilling or unable to make statements that might threaten sales of any particular food sector.

Table.  Major Updates in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs)

Recommendationsa	Implications
Avoid foods that are highly processed, packaged, or ready to eatAvoid other foods that are salty or sweet	Prior DGAs generally presented all food choices as acceptable within overall daily nutrient limits; an approach that was inconsistent with the evidence for harms of certain types of productsNo prior DGA has emphasized the dimension of processing separately from nutrients or food groupsThis update directly challenges widespread industry products and practices
Avoid sugar-sweetened beveragesLimit added sugars to no more than 10 g per meal and, in foods, to the US Food and Drug Administration healthy rule (eg, 5 g in grains, 2.5 g in dairy)No added sugars from birth through 10 y of age	The 2010 DGA advised against sugar-sweetened beverages, but this recommendation was dropped in subsequent updatesThe new recommendations for sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugars are much stronger than in prior editions
Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie nonnutritive sweeteners	Although evidence on these additives remains limited and conflicting, emerging studies suggest potential adverse effects on glucose control, microbiome composition, child behavior, and other outcomesNo prior DGAs have recommended their avoidance; indeed, some prior DGA educational materials have promoted nonnutritive sweeteners as a sugar-reduction strategyThe impact will greatly depend on how this is communicated to the public and implemented in agency policy (eg, school meals, early childcare, military nutrition, federal cafeterias)
Prioritize fiber-rich whole grainsSignificantly reduce highly processed, refined carbohydrates	No prior DGAs have recommended reducing processed or refined carbohydrates (eg, refined wheat, rice, or corn flour); prior DGAs only recommended to partly replace refined grains with whole grainsThe new recommendation to significantly reduce refined carbohydrates (roughly 1 in 4 calories in the food supply) is a major change
Incorporate healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, poultry, eggs, seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives, and avocadosWhen consuming dairy, include full-fat dairy with no added sugarsSaturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of calories	An emphasis on healthful fats from whole foods could be beneficial, especially if replacing highly processed foods rich in refined carbohydrates, salt, and other additivesHealth gains will be greatest if this is translated into foods most strongly linked to health benefits and currently underconsumed by individuals in the US, such as plant and seafood sourcesIt is unclear how the contradiction will be handled between encouraging full-fat dairy, which is not linked to cardiometabolic harms, and retaining the saturated fat limit (eg, dairy fat could be excluded from the limit as was done for whole milk when it was allowed back into schools as part of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025)
Prioritize protein foods at every mealConsume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat, and a variety of plant-sourced protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soyAim for protein consumption of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg of body weight per day	At a time when most individuals already consume enough protein, this represents a 50% to 100% increase from the current Dietary Reference IntakeIf combined with regular strength or resistance training, protein can help build muscle; however, without such training, excess protein can be converted to fat by the liver, increasing visceral adiposity and diabetes riskAlthough the DGAs recommend both plant and animal whole foods as protein sources, the higher protein target may result in increased consumption of red meat rather than other more healthful protein sources or consumption of more highly processed foods fortified with protein, which are already rapidly gaining market shareThe lack of guidance to limit processed meats, which have been linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, is an important continuing omission from prior DGAs
Provides new food pyramid graphic	A new triangular graphic depicts an abundance of minimally processed foods, including frozen and canned options, organized around 3 points: protein, dairy, and healthy fats; vegetables and fruits; and whole grainsThis signals a visual shift from MyPlate, which was a circular graphic without food images and sections representing fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairyThe depicted foods in the new graphic and their relative amounts are quite similar to prior MyPlate expanded graphics that included food images, except for more refined grains and flavored low-fat dairy in the MyPlate graphics

Instead, prior DGAs generally presented all food choices as acceptable within certain daily nutrient targets, such as for salt or sugar. This implicitly permitted foods like soda and processed meats within a healthful pattern, provided that overall nutrient targets were met—an approach inconsistent with evidence for harms of certain products. In school meals, for example, highly processed items such as flavored milks, refined-grain entrées, processed meats, and packaged snack foods are permitted even though these do not promote optimal health. With this approach, there are no “bad foods”—a strategy for nourishment of “everything in moderation” that defers to industry interests.

Given this history, the wide range of foods to be avoided or limited in the new DGAs is remarkable. It includes not only sugary drinks, but also chips, cookies, candy, white bread, packaged breakfast cereals, crackers, meats with chemical additives (like nitrites), and more. The update further advises, for the first time, limiting products with artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, or nonnutritive sweeteners. Limits on added sugar are also strengthened per product, per meal, and by age group, including new guidance for zero intake of added sugar from birth through 10 years of age. In sum, the DGAs advise against 60% to 70% of the current food supply,³ a landmark change from prior iterations and an unmistakable signal to the food industry.

Encouraging More Whole Foods

A second positive update is the major focus on whole or minimally processed foods, fiber-rich whole grains, and healthy fats. Prior DGAs have included similar points, but not with the same emphasis. Deficiencies in these foods contribute to much of the chronic disease burden in the US. A related major change is that whole-fat dairy foods with no added sugars can be included, which is consistent with the accumulated evidence of no meaningful benefit in choosing low-fat dairy over whole-fat dairy.^2,4 When combined with new guidance on highly processed foods, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and other additives—encapsulated in a new tagline, “eat real food”—these changes could transform meals and snacks for children (eg, away from flavored, low-fat milks or yogurts toward plain whole-fat options and away from sweetened refined grain snacks toward healthy oils and whole grains).

A shortcoming is insufficient nuance on the hierarchy of fat sources. Plant, dairy, and animal sources are grouped together, belying the evidence that plant and seafood sources provide the greatest benefits, followed by dairy (especially fermented options like yogurt or cheese), and that red and processed meats are less salubrious, less due to their fat than other carcinogenic and proinflammatory compounds.⁵ The DGAs mention butter and beef tallow as options, but on a positive note recommend prioritizing “oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil”¹and do not advise against omega-6 fats or seed oils, which are oils that have been disparaged in social media campaigns despite their well-established health benefits.⁵

A Boost to Protein

A third major change is that the DGAs recommended higher dietary protein from the existing Dietary Reference Intake of 0.8 g/kg of body weight per day to a target of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg of body weight per day. For an average adult, this change translates to approximately 16% to 21% of calories from protein, which is higher than the current national average intake of 16%.⁶ Although dietary protein can increase muscle mass and strength when combined with regular strength or resistance training, there is little evidence that, absent sustained training, higher protein builds muscle or provides other health benefits.^7,8 In fact, excess dietary protein can be converted to fat by the liver, increasing visceral adiposity and diabetes risk.^8,9

Some in the public health community have raised concerns that this focus on protein will encourage meat consumption. Just like prior DGAs, this new edition continues the precedent of advising US individuals to consume both animal and plant sources of protein, without differentiating between the options. The accompanying new food pyramid may offer some reassurance that the administration recognizes the need for balance because it includes some red meat (but not processed meat) and also poultry, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, fish, shellfish, nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains, and a multitude of fruits and vegetables.

Because most individuals in the US do not engage in regular strength training and already consume sufficient dietary protein for physiological needs, the health implications of the higher protein target will depend on several factors. For example, can the government successfully combine this guidance with effective approaches to promote strength training, particularly among women and older adults? Can the public be guided toward consuming more plant, seafood, and dairy sources that have other significant health benefits, consuming red meats in moderation, and avoiding processed meats due to cancer and diabetes risk? And, despite the DGAs discouraging consumption of highly processed foods, how can the nation guard against food industry actions that distort the new protein targets to market protein-fortified products of dubious nutritional value?

Implementation Uncertainties

These issues highlight the most important, but still unanswered, question: How will the latest DGAs be put into practice? The DGAs are intended to inform consumers and serve as the basis for multiple agency food programs. Prior DGAs have faced limited personnel, resources, and administrative prioritization for dissemination. Most individuals in the US remain unaware of the details of any DGAs, and many believe that the 1992 USDA food pyramid (retired in 2005) remains the nation’s guidance.

Operationalizing the DGAs in the agencies (from the USDA to the Department of Defense) requires rulemaking and policy change that can take years or may never be fully realized. Executing changes in schools, childcare, and cafeterias may require new funding and technical support for which political support remains uncertain. Integration of nutrition into clinical care necessitates reforms in medical education and health system payments. Changes to support and create infrastructure for farms and small businesses will be needed to produce healthy food that is widely accessible and affordable.

Accordingly, it will be critical to follow how robustly the DGAs will be communicated to the public, incorporated into agency policy, and implemented in the community—steps that are essential to achieving positive effects.