A panel of nutrition experts advising the U.S. government released recommendations Tuesday for the 2025 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, setting out a proposed approach to eating that will influence federal food programs and policy.
The recommendations, for people age 2 and older, urge Americans to increase their intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes, along with nuts, whole grains, fish and vegetable oils higher in unsaturated fat. In contrast, the panel said diets should be lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, refined grains and saturated fat.
The panel also said a healthy diet may include fat-free or low-fat dairy and foods lower in sodium, and may include plant-based foods. The guidance also calls for continued limits on added sugars, sodium and saturated fat as part of the overall dietary framework.
For the first time, the panel said it used what it called a “health equity lens” to focus on the dietary needs of Americans. Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, a Massachusetts General Hospital obesity expert who was part of the group, said the approach considered “household income, race, ethnicity and culture” and aimed to help ensure the guidance “reflects and includes various population groups.”
Stanford’s comments came as the panel tackled other major diet questions. The group did not weigh in on the growing role of ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to health problems, saying there was not enough evidence to tell people to avoid them.
In its review, the panel considered more than 40 studies, including ones that reported links between ultraprocessed foods and people becoming overweight or developing obesity. The panel said it had concerns about the quality of the research and therefore left the conclusion that the evidence was too limited to make recommendations.
The recommendations also steered clear of updating controversial guidance on alcohol consumption, leaving that analysis to two outside reports expected to be released soon. The panel did not revise existing recommendations that limit alcohol intake to two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women.
Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, said the overall recommendations resemble past dietary guidelines. “This looks like every other set of dietary guidelines since 1980: eat your veggies and reduce consumption of foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat,” Nestle said in an email. She added that “This particular statement says nothing about balancing calories, when overconsumption of calories, especially from ultra-processed foods, is the biggest challenge to the health of Americans.”
The panel’s decision on ultraprocessed foods is likely to be a flashpoint for incoming health policy discussions. The article notes that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has questioned potential conflicts of interest among panel members and vowed to crack down on ultraprocessed foods that contribute to chronic disease.
The panel also acknowledged that Americans’ diets are not aligned with current guidance. It said more than half of U.S. adults have one or more diet-related chronic health conditions, and that 18 million U.S. households have insecure sources of food. The report concludes that “Nutrition-related chronic health conditions and their precursors continue to threaten health through the lifespan,” adding, “Which does not bode well for the future of health in the United States.”
Next steps begin after the scientific recommendations are delivered to HHS and the Agriculture Department, where officials will draft the final guidance for release next year. Starting Wednesday, the public will have 60 days to comment, and HHS and USDA officials plan a public meeting Jan. 16 to discuss the recommendations.
Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said broadly that the recommendations are well-formed. “Broadly, I think these are well-formulated recommendations that the incoming administration would do well to adopt,” Lurie said.