2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Urge ‘Eat Real Food’ Approach

The USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services have rolled out the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says, “Eat real food.”  During a recent news conference, she said that federal incentives have promoted low-quality, highly processed foods for decades, but those days are over.  “Encourage households and schools to prioritize whole, nutrient dense foods,” she says. “That means more protein, more dairy, more healthy fats, more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, whether they are fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.”

Sigrid Johannes, Executive Director of Government Affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says the guidelines are simple and to the point. “With the backing of numerous clinical trials, numerous peer-reviewed studies, we have demonstrated, over and over again, there is a way to fit beef into a healthy and balanced diet for Americans of all age groups.”

Johannes says the 2025-2030 DGA’s are good for all animal proteins. “These DGAs recommend almost double the daily intake of protein compared to previous years. It used to be 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, they’ve raised that recommended intake to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight depending on your age and your caloric needs.”

Jessica Kassel, a registered dietitian with the St. Louis Dairy Council says the guidelines recognize the importance of three servings of dairy each day. “Dairy foods, including milk, yogurt, and cheese, offer many essential nutrients including high-quality protein, calcium, and vitamin D,” she says.  “Milk, yogurt, and cheese are real foods.  They’re also versatile ingredients that can be incorporated into many recipes that will provide high-quality, nutrient-dense meals.”

American Soybean Association President Scott Metzger, an Ohio farmer, says the group was glad to see plant-based proteins like soy-based foods included.  “But with the soybean oil, we’re concerned they’re not considering it a heart-healthy oil."  He feels research tells a different story. “We have cited studies where it is healthy and it’s safe. We’re a little disappointed in that and we’ll continue to work toward them getting a better understanding of it.”

The USDA says the guidelines emphasize simple, flexible guidance rooted in modern nutrition science.  That includes prioritizing protein at every meal, consuming full-fat dairy with no added sugars, eating fruits and vegetables throughout the day.  It also includes incorporating healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados.   The DGA also suggests focusing on whole grains, while sharply reducing refined carbohydrates, limiting highly processed foods, added sugars, and artificial additives, and choosing water and unsweetened beverages to support hydration.

More information is available at www.realfood.gov.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are reviewed every five years. This latest update is a dramatic departure from prior years and literally turns the food pyramid upside down. The back to “real food” deemphasizes processed foods in favor of natural, closer to the farm type products. Dairy, meat and poultry, plant-based foods, fruits and vegetables are now the preferred recommendations. Many agricultural organizations reacted favorably to the new guidelines. If or how much impact this will have on agricultural production and sales remains to be determined.  Whether it makes a difference in people’s health also remains to be determined.

One other benefit of the new guidelines is that they help farmers/ranchers feel better about themselves. When they feel good about their future and optimistic about the food and fiber they produce, it can often translate into more buying, especially like trucks. Make certain that your inventory is on AgTruckTrader.com®.