A look at the 2020 –2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), published by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), provide science-based recommendations on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. The guidelines provide a framework for policy makers and nutrition and health professionals to help individuals consume a healthy and nutritionally adequate diet. They also help inform dietary planning for federal programs including the National School Lunch Program, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The DGAs are updated every five years, with each update building on the previous set of guidelines. The 2015–2020 guidelines emphasized healthy dietary patterns over individual foods. The 2020–2025 guidelines were released in December 2020. Who the dietary guidelines are — and aren’t — meant for The DGAs are recommendations for the general public including healthy people, those with overweight and obesity, and those at risk for chronic disease. While just about everyone can benefit from choosing more nutrient-dense foods and following a healthy eating pattern, those who already have one or more nutrition-related chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease, could benefit from more condition-specific dietary guidance. Ask your doctor for recommendations; he...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs