2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

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The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a set of guidelines jointly published every 5 years by the USDA and the HHS. They provide food-based recommendations to promote health, prevent diet-related disease, and meet nutrient guidelines. Many of us may not have realized the new 2020-2025 Guidelines for Americans were released in December 2020. If you have not yet had time to read the complete guidelines, I will outline in this post the key recommendations and why they are important. 

 

1.     Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage. 

74% of adults are overweight or obese. In addition, heart disease is the leading cause of death. Establishing and maintaining a healthy dietary pattern can help minimize diet-related chronic disease risk. It is vital to develop healthy dietary patterns early in life. 

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

Eating should be something people enjoy. A healthy diet can benefit people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. 

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

All food consumed in excess becomes fat. Utilizing Myplate is an important tool to help meet food group recommendations. 

4.    Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages. 

The number one source of added sugar in Americans’ diets is sugar-sweetened beverages. This includes soft drinks, fruit drinks (not 100% fruit juice), and sports energy drinks. The guidelines recommend that less than 10% of daily calories come from added sugars. For a person that consumes 2,000 kcals daily, this means only 200 kcals should come from added sugars. 

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are an important source for nutrition professionals. They provide a framework for a healthy lifestyle and aim to improve public health. The guidelines are based on current scientific research and studies which reflect the health status of all segments of the American population. 

 

-AS

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

 

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