The New US Dietary Guidelines 2025-30

The U.S. has released the new 2025-30 dietary guidelines, which is updated every five years.

The updated recommendations invert the food pyramid to emphasize meat and dairy over whole grains, urge less sugar, more protein – and say “yes” to beef tallow. 

Officials say that following the guidance “can help prevent the onset or slow the rate of progression of chronic disease.”

Here are the biggest changes in the new dietary guidelines:

Protein at every meal

The new guidelines suggest prioritizing protein at each meal, with a goal of getting around 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of a person's body weight each day, the equivalent of 81.6 to 109 grams for a 150-pound person. The protein comes from animal sources such as eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat, as well as plant-based sources such as beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy.

Full-fat dairy in, low-fat out

Whereas the previous guidelines recommended fat-free or low-fat milk and yogurt, the updated version prioritizes full-fat dairy with no added sugars. The new version recommends three daily servings of dairy on a 2,000-calorie diet.

A change in the fats used for cooking

The new guidelines recommend cooking with “healthy fats,” listing as examples olive oil, butter and beef tallow — rendered fat from cows as superior to some cooking oils

Focus on whole foods and whole grains

They also suggest prioritizing “fiber-rich” whole grain with two to four servings per day and significantly reducing highly processed, refined carbs including white bread, flour tortillas and crackers.

Avoid highly processed foods

Ultraprocessed foods are singled out in the new guidelines:

“Avoid highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies, and candy that have added sugars and sodium (salt) and limit foods and beverages with artificial flavors, dyes, preservatives and sweeteners. Instead, prioritize nutrient-dense foods and home-prepared meals.”

Maintain low sodium intake (less than 2,300 mg a day)

No added sugar for kids and a strict limit for adults

No amount of added sugar is healthy, according to the new guidelines, and adults should limit their intake to no more than 10 grams per meal (less than 150 calories for men, less than 100 calories for women daily and no amount of added sugar recommended for kids ages 5 to 10).

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables

The guidelines also recommend three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits per day for a typical 2,000-calorie diet. As mentioned before, the guidelines emphasize eating whole foods in their original form but also say, “frozen, dried, or canned vegetables or fruits with no or very limited added sugars can also be good options.” 

Drink less alcohol, but no set limit

The new ones recommend limiting alcohol consumption “for better overall health.” But they do away with the previous recommendation that men limit their intake to two drinks or less per day and women to one drink or less.

“But the implication is, don’t have it for breakfast. This should be something done in small amounts.”

However, the updated guidelines raised questions among some experts who worried, for example, putting too much emphasis on red meat and dairy products.

Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston and the most cited nutritionist internationally, worries that the updated guidelines will be used to promote high intakes of red meat and dairy products, “which will not lead to optimally healthy diets or a healthy planet,” he said.

Butter and beef tallow are high in saturated fat, which is known to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and weight gain. 

“The implications that butter and beef tallow are ‘healthy fats’ don’t have scientific support,” Elizabeth Jacobs, an epidemiologist, said.

Having too much saturated fat in the diet can lead to spikes in your cholesterol levels and increase your chances of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Full-fat dairy tends to be high in saturated fat. 

“We encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.”

Although the new guidelines keep intake of saturated fat below 10% of daily calories, Dr. Deirdre Kay Tobias, an obesity and nutritional epidemiologist affiliated with Harvard, said that that could be difficult if people are getting all of their protein from red meats and whole-fat dairy. 

And Tobias said, “If folks were to follow that and have more protein coming from meat sources, it really puts them at risk of exceeding the limit for saturated fat.” 

“That same glass of milk would have all of the protein and nutrients, but more saturated fat and more calories” than low-fat milk, she added.

“Some saturated fats found in full fat dairy including yogurt, cheese and milk are less inflammatory than other types of animal fat such as beef or beef tallow. But they are higher in calories. Full fat dairy isn’t better than low fat dairy – it is simply not as dangerous as we once thought. But having full fat dairy can add an additional 200 or more calories each day which increases obesity risks further,” Bethany Doerfler, a registered dietitian from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said.