The Skinny on Dietary Guidelines
Did you know that every five years the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is revised? These guidelines provide advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic diseases. The latest published guidelines are for 2020-2025.
There are four overarching guidelines in the 2020-2025 edition:
Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.
Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.
Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages and stay within calorie limits (most of the calories we eat each day (~85%) are needed for foods rich in nutrients that help us meet food group recommendations)
Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages (Only a small number of calories (~15%) are left over for added sugars, saturated fat, and alcohol (if consumed).
There are key recommendations supporting the four guidelines:
Limit added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day for ages 2 and older and to avoid added sugars for infants and toddlers
Limit saturated fat to less than 10% of calories per day starting at age 2
Limit sodium intake to less than 2,300mg per day (or even less if younger than 14);
Limit alcoholic beverages (if consumed) to 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 drink or less a day for women.
Additionally, the Dietary Guidelines focus on the combination of foods and beverages that make up our whole diet over time. Research shows that the ongoing pattern of our eating habits has the greatest impact on our health.
There are 3 Key Dietary Principles that can help people achieve the Dietary Guidelines and improve Americans’ eating patterns:
Meet nutritional needs primarily from foods and beverages instead of supplements.
Choose a variety of options from each food group.
Pay attention to portion size.
2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials
