What’s New in the Latest Dietary Guidelines?

In January, the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were released alongside a new, inverted food pyramid. The 10-page document emphasizes eating “real food” while limiting added sugars and ultraprocessed foods.

While the updated guidelines carry over some recommendations from previous editions, they also introduce notable changes—some of which are one step in the right direction, but others lack rigorous scientific evidence.

Here’s a closer look at what’s changed in the new DGA and why it matters.

1. Higher Protein Targets, Less Clear Guidance on Protein Quality

The new DGA recommends that adults consume 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This translates to about 82–109 g of protein per day for a 150-pound (68-kg) adult.

By comparison, previous guidelines recommended 46–56 g of protein per day for most adults, regardless of body weight.

While the higher protein target still aligns with broader recommendations for protein intake, the updated guidance offers little clarity on the specific protein subgroups.

The 2020 DGA encouraged getting a variety of protein sources and splitting intake between three protein food groups:

1. lean meats, poultry, eggs
2. seafood
3. nuts, seeds, beans, and soy products.

In contrast, the new DGA says to consume “a variety of protein foods from animal sources” and explicitly recommends red meat, while also encouraging people to prioritize protein at every meal.

2. Food Recommendations Clash With Saturated Fat Limits

As in the previous version, the updated DGA calls for limiting saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of total daily calories.

Despite the guidance to limit saturated fat, the DGA promotes full-fat dairy, red meat, butter, and beef tallow—all of which are high in saturated fat.

In a 2,000-calorie diet, if you eat 3 servings of dairy per day as recommended and choose full-fat options such as whole milk and full-fat yogurt, you would be close to the 10% saturated fat limit. If you add red meat, cooking oil, or other sources of fat into the equation, you’d be over the limit for the day.

3. Added Sugar Limits Are Lower

The new DGA takes a stronger stance on added sugar, stating that “while no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugar.”

This recommendation is lower than the 2020 DGA’s limit on added sugar, set at 10% of daily calories (roughly 50 g in a 2,000-calorie diet).

In the new DGA, no amount of added sugar is recommended until age 11, up from age 2 in the previous edition.

The new guidelines also call out specific added sugars that may appear on food labels, including honey, fruit juice concentrate, and molasses.

4. Calling Out Highly Processed Foods

For the first time, the DGA explicitly recommends limiting “highly processed foods.”

This category includes “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies, and candy that have added sugars and sodium (salt).”

5. Vague Alcohol Guidance

The new DGA eliminates details on alcohol limits and only says to “consume less alcohol for better health.”

In contrast, the 2020 DGA recommended limiting alcohol intake to two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. The previous guidelines also stated that even low levels of alcohol consumption have been found to increase risk for cancer.

6. The Food Pyramid Returns… Upside Down

Although the dietary guidelines switched from the food pyramid to MyPlate in 2011 as a visual guidance for creating a balanced meal, the new DGA reintroduced the food pyramid, but upside down.

Experts say the new food pyramid is confusing because it places visual emphasis on animal proteins while seemingly deprioritizing whole grains at the bottom.

Why the Dietary Guidelines Matter

Every five years, the DGA is updated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after a lengthy review of scientific evidence and public comments by an independent committee. The newest edition of the DGA rejected 30 of the committee’s 56 recommendations. Instead, the agencies commissioned a new Scientific Foundation report, written by authors with conflicts of interest in the beef, dairy, and protein supplement industries.

Although research shows that Americans typically don’t follow the dietary guidelines, the DGAs are used to set the federal nutrition standards for school lunches and many nutrition programs in the country.