The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) is the cornerstone for federal nutrition programs and a go-to resource for health professionals nationwide. The Dietary Guidelines provides food-based recommendations to promote health, help prevent diet-related chronic diseases, and meet nutrient needs.
The Dietary Guidelines was first released in 1980. In 1990, Congress passed the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act, which mandated that the Dietary Guidelines be published jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 is the 9th edition and will be the current edition until the Dietary Guidelines, 2025-2030 is released. The process to develop the Dietary Guidelines is detailed on the dietaryguidelines.gov website. Per the Agricultural Act of 2014, this edition expanded to include more comprehensive guidance for infants and toddlers from birth to 24 months, as well as for women who are pregnant. USDA and HHS took a life stage approach for this edition, focusing on topics and priority scientific questions from birth through older adulthood.
