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Fork Yeah: The New Dietary Guidelines Explained

Every five years or so, a fresh version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is released— with pages of charts, serving sizes, percentages, and phrases like “nutrient-dense foods” that sound vaguely like something a spaceship would run on. And if you’ve ever opened the document (or even skimmed an article about it), you might’ve thought: Cool… but what does this mean for Taco Tuesday?

Most of us aren’t calculating our legume intake or optimizing our omega-3 ratios. We’re just trying to figure out what to make for dinner that’s affordable, tastes good, and doesn’t require a PhD in quinoa. So what do these guidelines actually mean for regular people with busy schedules, snack cravings, and a deep emotional attachment to pasta? That’s where this month’s expert comes in. Emily Hutchins is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with Hudson Headwaters Health Network. She will help us dissect what the new recommendations say, how they compare to the old ones, and what RD’s are recommending.

Emily, Let’s start with the basics. What are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans all about?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is the nation’s nutrition policy guide. Since 1980, the DGAs has been updated and issued every five years by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. The guidance in the DGAs is used by governmental programs but it also provides general nutrition recommendations for all Americans.

Historically, the DGAs have translated the most up-to-date scientific consensus on diet, nutrition and health into useable guidance to help people, basically the “what” and “how much” of foods and beverages to consume to achieve ideal health, reduce risk of diet-related chronic diseases, and meet nutrient needs.

While the process was different this year, the DGA still only offer very broad nutrition guidance – what’s best for you will vary depending on your physical activity levels, medications you take, conditions you may have, and more.

Can you give us a quick rundown of the major changes that were recently made?

Here are a few of the recommended changes in the food groups we all know.

What do we like about the new guidelines?

The new DGAs continue to recommend whole grains over highly processed, refined carbohydrates. That’s good because not only are they higher in nutrients, but whole grains are also one of the best sources of fiber. There is also continued encouragement to integrate a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. The new recommendations also continue to discourage the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages or artificially sweetened beverages. They tend to add calories and very few nutrients.

And what aren’t we sold on?

Three things in the new guidelines I’m not sold on are:

  1. The increased emphasis on protein.  For those of us that don’t consistently engage in physical activity (especially muscle building activity) too much protein can be difficult for our bodies to process. For example, people that eat very high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. Also, a high protein diet that contains a lot of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer.
  2. The push of full fat dairy and other saturated fats. Full fat dairy and recommending butter and beef tallow as equally helpful fats as olive or avocado oil is contradictory to the overall recommendation of striving to maintain a diet that is no more than 10% saturated fat. Beef tallow, butter, and the fat content present in full fat dairy, are examples of saturated fats. Research shows that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, is beneficial for overall health.
  3. The reduced number of servings of whole grains. The brain alone requires over 100 grams of carbohydrates daily in order to function optimally. Reducing the amount of nutrient-dense carbohydrates we consume on a daily basis could not only lead to cognitive disfunction but hinder the overall functionality of the body.

What will you be promoting with your clients?

I plan to continue utilizing information from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as the recommendations from the Uncompromised Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. The previous DGA cycle includes over 100 pages of cited information, gathered from numerous studies and years of research proving the overall health improvements that come as a result of implementing those dietary recommendations. The previous DGA was written with assistance from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) members and the Dietary Guidelines writing team. This means that the information presented came from Registered Dietitians, Public Health Professionals, physicians, and individuals with PhD’s in nutrition science. The Uncompromised Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 provides a summary of the findings from the same rigorous, transparent, and evidence-based review completed by the DGAC since the 2020-2025 DGA iteration.

These two sources emphasize a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), nuts, and seeds, and limited added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium—while allowing for cultural, personal, and economic adaptation. The two resources aim to simplify guidance while promoting flexibility.

What advice do you have for people who are looking for nutrition recommendations or diet information?

Seek information from individuals credentialed in the field of nutrition, like Registered Dietitians. If doing your own research, it’s important to rely on information rooted in science and research that used sound scientific methods to test and reach conclusions.

Top 3 things to remember.

  1. New dietary guidelines have been released. The DGAs provide broad, population level recommendations for nutrition and diet. 
  2. Individual nutritional needs vary and nutrition specialists, like Registered Dietitians, are trained to help you interpret and adapt these recommendations to your specific needs.
  3. Continue to limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. Focus on eating a variety of foods that include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains.  





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