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HP 200 Physical Well-Being
3: Nutrition
3.8: Dietary Guidelines for Americans

3.8: Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Last updated

Jan 13, 2025
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- 3.7: Nutrition Facts Label
- 4: Body Composition and Weight Management

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2020-2025 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Every 5 years since 1980, a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published. Its goal is to provide science-based recommendations about the components of a healthy and nutritionally adequate diet. These guidelines aim to promote health and prevent chronic disease for current and future generations.

Over time, the Dietary Guidelines have evolved to reflect advancements in nutrition science, emphasizing the importance of healthy eating patterns as a whole and how foods and beverages interact synergistically to affect health. The current 2020–2025 edition focuses on making every bite count by following these key guidelines:

Guideline 1: Follow a Healthy Dietary Pattern at Every Life Stage

At every stage of life—infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, lactation, and older adulthood—it is never too early or too late to eat healthfully.

Infants (First 6 Months): Exclusively feed infants human milk. When human milk is unavailable, use iron-fortified infant formula. Provide supplemental vitamin D starting soon after birth.
Infants (6–12 Months): Introduce nutrient-dense complementary foods at about 6 months. Include potentially allergenic foods along with other complementary foods. Encourage a variety of foods from all food groups, including those rich in iron and zinc for infants fed human milk.
12 Months and Beyond: Follow a healthy dietary pattern to meet nutrient needs, achieve a healthy body weight, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Guideline 2: Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.

A healthy dietary pattern can benefit all individuals regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or current health status. The Dietary Guidelines provide a framework intended to be customized to:

Personal preferences
Cultural traditions
Budgetary considerations

This flexibility allows individuals to create dietary patterns that reflect their unique needs and lifestyles.

Guideline 3: Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.

Nutritional needs should primarily be met through foods and beverages, particularly nutrient-dense options that provide essential vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components with little or no added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium.

A healthy dietary pattern consists of nutrient-dense forms of foods and beverages across all food groups in recommended amounts and within calorie limits:

Vegetables: Dark green, red, and orange, beans, peas, lentils, starchy, and other vegetables
Fruits: Especially whole fruits
Grains: At least half of grains consumed should be whole grains
Dairy: Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy alternatives
Protein Foods: Lean meats, poultry, and eggs; seafood; beans, peas, lentils; nuts, seeds, and soy products
Oils: Vegetable oils and oils naturally found in foods like seafood and nuts

Guideline 4: Limit Foods and Beverages Higher in Added Sugars, Saturated Fat, and Sodium, and Limit Alcoholic Beverages

A healthy dietary pattern leaves little room for added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium. These components should be limited to:

Added sugars: Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2. Avoid foods and beverages with added sugars for those younger than age 2.
Saturated fat: Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2.
Sodium: Less than 2,300 milligrams per day—and even less for children younger than age 14.
Alcoholic beverages: Adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women. Drinking less is better for health than drinking more. Some adults should not drink alcohol, such as women who are pregnant.

Implementation of the Dietary Guidelines Through Using MyPlate

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Health Assessment: MyPlate Quiz

The MyPlate Quiz is a practical tool to help you evaluate your eating habits and gain insights into how well your diet aligns with nutritional guidelines. By taking the quiz, you can identify areas for improvement and set actionable goals to enhance your overall health.

Instructions

Take the MyPlate Quiz: Visit MyPlate.gov and complete the MyPlate Quiz. This will provide you with a personalized snapshot of your current eating habits and areas for improvement.
Interpret Your Results: Once you’ve completed the quiz, carefully review your results. Note your score and any specific feedback provided.
Reflect on Your Results:
- Report Your Score: Write down your overall score and key insights from the quiz.
- Describe Your Feelings: Reflect on your reaction to your score. Were you surprised, pleased, or disappointed? Why?
Identify Areas for Improvement: Consider the feedback from the quiz. What changes could you make to improve your score? Focus on areas like increasing fruit and vegetable intake, balancing food groups, or reducing added sugars and sodium.
Set a SMART Goal: Develop a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goal to improve your diet. Use the following format to create your goal. For example: "I will increase my vegetable intake by adding one serving of leafy greens to my lunch and one serving of steamed vegetables to my dinner every day for the next four weeks."

By engaging in this activity, you will gain a deeper understanding of your dietary habits and take meaningful steps toward improving your nutrition and overall health.

Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods to Make Every Bite Count!

Nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial components while being relatively low in calories. To build a healthy dietary pattern, include a variety of nutrient-dense options from all food groups daily.

Use the 5/20 Rule to Evaluate Nutrition Labels

The 5/20 Rule is a quick way to assess the nutrient content of packaged foods using the Percent Daily Value (% DV) listed on the Nutrition Facts label:

5% DV or less: A nutrient is considered low. Use this to limit nutrients like saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
20% DV or more: A nutrient is considered high. Aim for higher amounts of beneficial nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

For example, if a food contains 4% DV of sodium and 25% DV of calcium, it is low in sodium and high in calcium, making it a better nutrient-dense choice.

Contributors and Attributions

Public domain content

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Authored by: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Provided by: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Located at: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/
License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright