{"id":1624,"date":"2026-01-23T20:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2026-01-23T20:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:06:27","slug":"do-you-need-to-change-how-you-eat-dietitians-explain-the-new-u-s-dietary-guidelines-for-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1624","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need to Change How You Eat? Dietitians Explain the New U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Do You Need to Change How You Eat? Dietitians Explain the New U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Adults<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0<\/p>

As you might have heard, the new <\/span>U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2025-2030)<\/span><\/a> were recently released, and they got the nutrition world chatting!\u00a0 We at Simple Start Nutrition took our time to read them and all the opinions out there (and there are a lot of opinions) before letting you know our thoughts.\u00a0 We have to say, there are some points we like BUT there are also areas that make us go, umm\u2026..? So let\u2019s dive in so you are up to date on what\u2019s going on with the new\u2026. upside down food pyramid?\u00a0 We\u2019re not sure what to call it\u2026.<\/span><\/p>

BUT, before we dive into the guidelines themselves, how about some history (see our full blog <\/span>HERE<\/span><\/a> for even more info). The US Dietary Guidelines were first released in 1980.\u00a0 We first saw the Food Pyramid in 1992 and again (revamped) in 2005 till 2011 with the title of MyPyramid- the addition of the <\/span>MY<\/span><\/i> and the reshaping making it seem more customizable for people. From there (I think this is a key point that\u2019s being forgotten) we went to using My Plate instead of the pyramid approach. MyPlate wasn\u2019t perfect, BUT it was less busy and gave us a visual on what our plates should look like at meal time. From a dietitian standpoint, we loved the plate because it was easier to teach to than a weird pyramid with pie pieces in it (seriously check it out <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s the middle one). If you worked with one of us you have probably seen the plate! Easier on the eye and easily adaptable to various cultural cuisines, food preferences, and allergies too.\u00a0 Keep that in mind when looking at the new \u201cupside down\u201d pyramid.\u00a0 Funny enough, a lot of the wellness influencers and social media types were bashing on the food pyramid (which we just explained hasn\u2019t been around for 15 years) and now we\u2019re back to a pyramid?\u00a0 Food for thought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Now, all this talk is just about the picture that goes along with the guidelines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

How about we move on to the actual written guidelines themselves.\u00a0 Currently we\u2019re working off a 10 page PDF for the 2025-2030 guidelines found <\/span>HERE<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The 2020-2025 guidelines (found <\/span>HERE<\/span><\/a>) are 164 pages.\u00a0 So it\u2019s not a direct comparison, but we don\u2019t need to get into 164 pages of nutrition recommendations, we\u2019ll stay high level:)\u00a0 Let\u2019s break it down to things we like and things we\u2019re not as big of a fan of\u2026<\/span><\/p>

Focus on veggies and fruit!\u00a0 <\/b>Vegetables are at the top of the upside down pyramid and fruit are right underneath- both take up a pretty big piece of the graphic.<\/span><\/p>

PRO<\/b>:\u00a0 Woot Woot!\u00a0 Veggies at the top make it look like we should be eating a lot of them, and we should!\u00a0 The recommendations for fruits and vegetables in the new guidelines are 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day.\u00a0 The recommendations from the 2020-2025 guidelines were 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

CON<\/b>: The new guidelines say serving, not an actual measurement, which is honestly a little confusing for us as dietitians, let alone the general public.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line:<\/b>\u00a0 The guidelines are encouraging vegetables and fruits.\u00a0 Love this!\u00a0 They don\u2019t actually tell you what a serving is (and you can\u2019t tell from the upside down pyramid) so, don\u2019t love that.<\/span><\/p>

Pumping up Protein! <\/b>\u00a0The new guidelines read, \u201cProtein serving goals: 1.2\u20131.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, adjusting as needed based on your individual caloric requirements.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

PROS:<\/b> We like this! Americans have been focusing on protein for quite a few years now, but we might have swung a little too far and are focusing a little <\/span>too<\/span><\/i> much on protein.\u00a0 This gives people a specific number, or range, to help them aim for enough, but not too much protein.\u00a0 And it\u2019s adjustable.\u00a0 Someone who is actively building muscle or training would be on the higher end, while your typical person would aim for the lower end.<\/span><\/p>

CONS:<\/b> Most people don\u2019t calculate their protein needs, let alone know their weight in kg, so this is a little <\/span>too<\/span><\/i> specific.\u00a0 And, personally, we think it\u2019s a little high.\u00a0 The current recommendations are 0.8g\/kg, which is a little low.\u00a0 We would have loved to have seen 1.0-1.4g\/kg and then what that actually looks like!\u00a0 Plus, the graphic is definitely focused on animal protein, when research is showing plant protein is just as nutritious (if not more nutritious) then animal protein.<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line:<\/b>\u00a0 More protein is great, but we don\u2019t need that much (1.6 g\/kg for a 150# person is over 100 grams per day- that\u2019s tough and unnecessary).\u00a0 And where are the plant proteins?\u00a0 And telling me how much protein I need is nice, but how to do it is more important, and that’s not really explained.<\/span><\/p>

Sugar Time! <\/b>\u00a0The new recommendations for added sugar are \u201cWhile 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 sugars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

PROS:<\/b>\u00a0 The 2020-2025 added sugar recommendations read \u201ca healthy dietary pattern limits added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories per day.\u201d For someone who eats 2,000 calories, that\u2019s 50 grams per day.\u00a0 The new recommendations would be 30 grams per day (but they don\u2019t address snacks\u2026)\u00a0 That\u2019s fine, we can get on board with being a little more strict.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need added sugar, so reducing the recommended intake is fine by us.\u00a0 The new guidelines also notes how to identify sources of added sugar (what words\/suffixes to look for) and emphasises some foods\/drinks naturally that have sugar in them aka they don\u2019t count, so that\u2019s helpful!<\/span><\/p>

CONS:<\/b> Evidence to date considers non-nutrative sweeteners safe, so demonizing them is completely unnecessary.\u00a0 In fact, switching from sugar (if you\u2019re consuming too much) to a non-nutrative sweetener can be better for some people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line:<\/b> Being mindful of our sweets and sugary beverages makes sense and giving us details on how to spot them on the market is helpful too.\u00a0 But not loving the unnecessary shade being thrown at non-nutrative sweeteners when they\u2019re perfectly safe in moderation.<\/span><\/p>

Alcohol guidelines are loosey-goosey.<\/b> With the new guidelines we\u2019re looking at a blank statement of \u201cconsume less alcohol for better overall health.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

PROS<\/b>:<\/b> Agreed!\u00a0 Nothing wrong with less alcohol when it\u2019s considered a Group 1 carcinogen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

CONS:<\/b> This statement can easily be skewed.\u00a0 For example, I\u2019m drinking 6 beers a day and I decrease it to 4 beers a day now. Nailed it! But is that still too much? Our last guidelines specified that for those who choose to drink, they should limit alcohol to 1 drink or less a day for women and 2 drinks or less a day for men.\u00a0 A little easier to navigate in our opinion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line:<\/b>\u00a0 We like the encouragement for people to drink less alcohol, BUT we\u2019d like more clarity here.\u00a0 This makes it hard for us as dietitians to say \u201cdrink less\u201d without further guidelines on what the definition of \u201cless\u201d is.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cHealthy Fats\u201d<\/b>.<\/span> The new guidelines show butter, beef tallow (Throwback!!), and full-fat dairy at the top of the upside down pyramid.\u00a0 However, the written guidelines stick with the old guidelines stating that saturated fat intake should not exceed 10% of total daily calories.<\/span><\/p>

PROS:<\/b> Agreed!!!\u00a0 Sticking with less than 10% of your calories from saturated fat is supported by research and EXTREMELY heart healthy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

CONS:<\/b> Let\u2019s break this down: if your calorie needs are 2000 (for example), that would mean no more than 20 g of saturated fat per day.\u00a0 If you eat a 4 oz burger (80\/20) with 1 oz of cheese and a glass of whole milk, you\u2019ve hit your saturated fat quota for the day.\u00a0 So, eat high fat foods, since it\u2019s pictured at the top of the upside down pyramid, BUT don\u2019t exceed 20 grams per day\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line: <\/b>\u00a0The written recommendation is correct, but the visual recommendation is VERY misleading.\u00a0 Low fat dairy, lean meats, and plant based fats should be more prevalent on the graphic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Speaking of the image itself\u2026<\/b><\/p>

PROS:<\/b> \u00a0We do love seeing fruits and vegetables up top so that\u2019s a plus!\u00a0 But poor bananas look like a bad guy almost at the bottom.\u00a0 Love the salmon and the fact that the yogurt is unsweetened.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

CONS:<\/span>\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a lot of cons\u2026. We don\u2019t love seeing whole grains so low on the scale. They are a primary source of energy!\u00a0 Whole milk and red meat are very high and prominent and not ideal for heart health.\u00a0 We also would like to see more\/more prominent placement of the alternate protein sources (soy, beans) instead of the saturated fat filled protein sources.\u00a0 Looking at it would make you think you need to eat a lot of beef and vegetables.\u00a0 That might work for a select few, but research strongly encouraged less red meat and full fat items, more plant, whole grains, and seafood is the best approach.\u00a0 But you wouldn\u2019t know that from looking at this.\u00a0 Our biggest complaint: the graphic tells you nothing about how to build healthy, balanced, nutritious meals.\u00a0 The whole issue with the original pyramid was that it didn\u2019t make sense in day to day life, but the My Plate graphic- we LOVED that.\u00a0 Easy for everyone to understand, even kids!<\/span><\/p>

Bottom line:<\/b> We don\u2019t love the image overall.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to miss the plate image that promoted all food fits, was customizable for allergies\/food preferences\/etc, and helped with portion size!.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The REAL bottom line<\/b>:<\/b>\u00a0 In general, the guidelines are encouraging less processed foods and more whole foods like protein, fruits, and vegetables.\u00a0 This is great!\u00a0 However, it\u2019s sad to say that 9 out of 10 Americans are NOT following the U.S. guidelines.\u00a0 The issue is not the guidelines, they didn\u2019t really need to be changed, we need to get people to follow them!.\u00a0 And there is something to say about access to whole foods, the price of these foods, and the time to cook them.\u00a0 Anyone else roasting a chicken seen at the top of the upside down pyramid for dinner after work?\u00a0 We know we aren\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>

For now, we\u2019ll do our best to make simple changes that fit our lifestyle. Like looking at the added sugar in our favorite granola bar and seeing if we need to make a change, or making sure we have a vegetable with our sandwich at lunch, or sweetening our yogurt with fruit.<\/span><\/p>

Let us know what you think!\u00a0 Do you think there is a better way of learning how and what to eat? Do you like the new guidelines? Talk to us!<\/span><\/p>

We look forward to hearing from you and are always here to help!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Stay Happy and Stay Healthy<\/span><\/p>

Amanda and Chris<\/span><\/p>

\"Chris<\/p>

This blog was written by Amanda Stahl RD, LDN and Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founders of Simple Start Nutrition.\u00a0 For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0 Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (<\/span>simplestartnutrition.com<\/span><\/a>) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

References:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

  1. Fact Sheet: Trump Administration Resets U.S. Nutrition Policy, Puts Real Food Back at the Center of Health. <\/span>https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/press-room\/fact-sheet-historic-reset-federal-nutrition-policy.html<\/span><\/a><\/li>
  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025\u20132030.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    https:\/\/cdn.realfood.gov\/DGA.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>

    1. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

      https:\/\/www.dietaryguidelines.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-03\/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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