Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2020-2025-1
Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2020-2025-1
Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2020-2025-1
Guidelines
for Americans
2020 - 2025
Make Every
Bite Count With
the Dietary
Guidelines
DietaryGuidelines.gov
This publication may be viewed and downloaded from the internet at
DietaryGuidelines.gov.
Suggested citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) civil rights
regulations and policies, their Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, employees,
and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited
from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender
identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital
status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program,
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and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain
program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should
contact the responsible Mission Area, agency, or staff office; the USDA TARGET Center at
(202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027,
USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online at https://www.
ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing
a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone
number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.
The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
3. Email: [email protected]
2020 - 2025
Make Every Bite
Count With the
Dietary Guidelines
Ninth Edition • DietaryGuidelines.gov
Table of Contents
Message From the Secretaries����������������������������������������v Vegetables ����������������������������������������������������������������������31
Fruits���������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Acknowledgments�������������������������������������������������������������� vi
Grains�������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Executive Summary����������������������������������������������������������� vii Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives���������������������������33
Protein Foods������������������������������������������������������������������33
Introduction�������������������������������������������������������������������������������1
Oils������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35
Setting the Stage������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Grounded in Science and Focused on Beverages������������������������������������������������������������������������35
Public Health �������������������������������������������������������������������� 3 Dietary Components of Public Health
A Spotlight on Dietary Patterns������������������������������������� 6 Concern for Underconsumption���������������������������������36
Healthy Dietary Patterns at Every Life Stage������������� 6 Guideline 4: Limit Foods and Beverages
Higher in Added Sugars, Saturated Fat, and
Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
Sodium, and Limit Alcoholic Beverages������������������������37
What It Is, What It Is Not������������������������������������������������������ 7
Added Sugars�����������������������������������������������������������������41
Quantitative Guidance on Foods,
Not Nutrient Requirements�������������������������������������������� 7 Saturated Fat������������������������������������������������������������������44
Health Promotion, Not Disease Treatment���������������� 7 Sodium�����������������������������������������������������������������������������46
Developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans����������� 7 Alcoholic Beverages������������������������������������������������������49
Stage 1: Identify Topics and Supporting Support Healthy Dietary Patterns
Scientific Questions �������������������������������������������������������� 8 for All Americans�����������������������������������������������������������������50
Stage 2: Appoint a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Looking Toward the Life Stages��������������������������������������50
Committee To Review Current Scientific Evidence � 8
Chapter 2: Infants and Toddlers��������������������������������� 51
Stage 3: Develop the Dietary Guidelines��������������������11
Introduction��������������������������������������������������������������������������53
Stage 4: Implement the Dietary Guidelines���������������12 Putting the Key Recommendations Into Action�����������54
A Roadmap to the Dietary Guidelines Feed Infants Human Milk for the First
for Americans, 2020-2025��������������������������������������������������14 6 Months, If Possible�����������������������������������������������������54
Provide Infants Supplemental Vitamin D
Chapter 1: Nutrition and Health Across Beginning Soon After Birth�������������������������������������������56
the Lifespan: The Guidelines and Key
Introduce Infants to Nutrient-Dense
Recommendations������������������������������������������������������������ 15
Complementary Foods at About 6 Months Old������56
The Guidelines���������������������������������������������������������������������17
Guideline 1: Follow a Healthy Dietary Pattern at Introduce Infants to Potentially Allergenic Foods
Every Life Stage�������������������������������������������������������������������19 Along With Other Complementary Foods�����������������58
What Is a Dietary Pattern?��������������������������������������������19 Encourage Infants and Toddlers To Consume a
The Health Benefits of a Healthy Dietary Pattern���23 Variety of Complementary Foods and
Beverages To Meet Energy and Nutrient Needs�����59
A Healthy Dietary Pattern Supports
Appropriate Calorie Levels�������������������������������������������23 Establish a Healthy Beverage Pattern����������������������61
Most Americans Do Not Follow a Healthy Dietary Pattern During a
Healthy Dietary Pattern�������������������������������������������������26 Toddler's Second Year of Life�������������������������������������������63
Current Intakes��������������������������������������������������������������������65
Guideline 2: Customize and Enjoy Food and
Supporting Healthy Eating������������������������������������������������67
Beverage Choices To Reflect
Accessing a Healthy Dietary Pattern�������������������������68
Personal Preferences, Cultural Traditions,
and Budgetary Considerations�����������������������������������������27 Looking Toward Chapter 3:
Guideline 3: Focus on Meeting Food Group Needs Children and Adolescents�������������������������������������������������68
With Nutrient-Dense Foods and Beverages,
and Stay Within Calorie Limits�����������������������������������������30
Each stage of life is distinct and has unique needs that affect health and disease risk. Early food preferences influence
food and beverage choices later. And the science has evolved to focus on the importance of a healthy dietary pattern
over time. The science also shows it’s never too late to start and maintain a healthy dietary pattern, which can yield
health benefits in the short term and cumulatively over years. This new edition of the Dietary Guidelines includes
specific recommendations for all life stages, now including infants and toddlers, and pregnant and lactating women.
We are excited this is the first edition to provide guidance for every life stage.
This edition of the Dietary Guidelines is grounded in robust scientific reviews of the current body of evidence on key
nutrition and health topics for each life stage. We thank the 20 distinguished scientists on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee for their expertise and dedication in conducting an independent scientific review that was
characterized by more transparency and public participation throughout the process than ever before. The Committee’s
work culminated in a comprehensive scientific report on the current state of nutrition science and provided advice
to the Departments for our development of this 9th edition of the Dietary Guidelines. The Committee also included
important considerations for future research, such as a need to reconsider the Dietary Reference Intakes. The U.S. and
Canadian Dietary Reference Intake Steering Committees are currently developing plans to re-examine energy, protein,
fat, and carbohydrate–the timeline for these macronutrient reviews has not been established. USDA and HHS are
looking forward to jointly funding the work to help guide our Departments’ research agendas in the coming years.
With the science must come practice—that is, making food and beverage choices that align with the Dietary Guidelines.
Using the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines, we hope Americans can find ways to “Start Simple” and incorporate
modest changes each day that push Americans closer to meeting the recommendations. It’s more important than
ever to make healthy eating a priority in the United States. With the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
2020-2025, we have an important call to action for you as health professionals and policymakers. We are asking you to
help the public “make every bite count with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” Help people make food and beverage
choices that are rich in nutrition—individual choices that can become a healthy routine over time, choices they can
enjoy in good health for many years to come.
Thank you for all you do to help Americans make strides toward aligning closer to the Dietary Guidelines as we all work
together to help the public lead healthier lives.
The Departments also acknowledge the work of the scientists, staff, and policy officials responsible for the
production of this document.
Policy Officials
USDA: Secretary Sonny Perdue, DVM; Brandon Lipps; Pamilyn Miller; Jackie Haven, MS, RD.
HHS: Secretary Alex M. Azar II, JD; Brett P. Giroir, MD; Paul Reed, MD; Don Wright, MD, MPH (through March 2020).
HHS: Janet de Jesus, MS, RD; Richard Olson, MD, MPH; Cria Perrine, PhD; Julia Quam, MSPH, RDN;
Katrina Piercy, PhD, RD; Ashley Vargas, PhD, MPH, RDN; Jennifer Lerman, MPH, RD; Dana DeSilva, PhD, RD;
Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN.
Reviewers
The Departments acknowledge the contributions of numerous other internal departmental scientists and external
peer reviewers who provided consultation and review during the production of this document.
Finally, the Departments would like to acknowledge the important role of the Federal staff who supported the
development of this edition of the Dietary Guidelines, and of those who provided public comments throughout
the process.
Since the first edition was published in 1980, the Dietary The Dietary Guidelines is designed for policymakers
Guidelines for Americans have provided science-based and nutrition and health professionals to help all
advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, individuals and their families consume a healthy,
reduce risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. nutritionally adequate diet. The information in
Publication of the Dietary Guidelines is required under the Dietary Guidelines is used to develop, implement,
the 1990 National Nutrition Monitoring and Related and evaluate Federal food, nutrition, and health policies