For individuals and families trying to make healthy food choices, the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released this week, reinforce a familiar message: we should eat more whole foods and protein.
Building meals around whole, nutrient-dense foods remains the cornerstone of a healthy diet.
Updated every five years, these federal guidelines shape nutrition education and public health messaging nationwide. Jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the recommendations reflect the most current, evidence-based nutrition science for the general, healthy population. While written primarily for health professionals, the guidance also informs public-facing tools, including visuals such as MyPlate that help translate nutrition science into everyday practice.
The newest edition retains many long-standing principles from previous guidelines while also introducing several updates that are drawing attention from nutrition professionals.
What stayed the same
At their core, the 2025-2030 guidelines continue to emphasize eating patterns that support long-term health.
Whole, nutrient-dense foods: The guidelines emphasize vegetables (3 servings per day, for someone consuming 2,000 calories daily), fruits (2 servings per day for a 2,000-calorie diet), whole grains and other minimally processed foods that provide essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals. Highly processed foods in moderation: Limiting foods such as chips, cookies, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages is recommended. These items are typically high in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium, which are associated with increased risk for diet-related chronic diseases.
Saturated fat limits: The recommendation to limit saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total daily calories remains unchanged. For someone consuming 2,000 calories per day, this equates to about 22 grams of saturated fat.
What’s new
While the overall foundation remains familiar, the updated guidelines introduce several changes that may require additional context for consumers.
Fat and protein sources: The guidelines place greater emphasis on red meat, full-fat dairy products, butter and beef tallow. Regularly choosing these foods as primary sources of fat or protein may make it more difficult to stay within the recommendation to limit saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and other diet-related chronic diseases.
Nonnutritive sweeteners: Guidance on nonnutritive sweeteners has been updated. Current evidence indicates sweeteners such as sucralose are safe within established limits and may help some individuals manage calorie or carbohydrate intake.
What it means for consumers
Despite the updates, the guidelines’ emphasis on whole foods and limiting highly processed items remains the foundation of national nutrition guidance.
“The updated guidelines continue to emphasize whole, nutrient-dense foods as the foundation of a healthy eating pattern,” said Hannah Wilson, an assistant professor in Clemson University’s Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences and a registered dietitian. “As consumers navigate updates to the guidelines, focusing on balance and overall dietary patterns remains key.”
Individuals with questions about how the recommendations apply to their own health goals are encouraged to seek guidance from qualified professionals, such as healthcare providers or Extension nutrition educators.
Truth be told, I haven’t tried it yet. It doesn’t have coffee…. or chocolate in it. That’s ok. Not everything has to have c or c. So, I’m gonna wait for one of you to try it and tell me if it’s either really good or really bad, like medicine. I can wait. I’ve got all day!
Oh. Here are the not c or c ingredients:
Lemon Turmeric Smoothie with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
Vegetarian, Gluten free
∙ Serves 2
Produce
3 Bananas, frozen
2 tsp Lemon, zest
Canned Goods
1/2 cup Coconut milk
Condiments
2 tbsp Honey
1/4 cup Lemon juice, fresh
Baking & Spices
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Nuts & Seeds
2 tbsp Chia seeds
Dairy
1 cup Yogurt
You can whip this up in 5 minutes and enjoy something healthy for a change.
Nowadays, you are more likely to find the artificial sweetener aspartame in your diet (or “zero-calorie”) sodas. Despite some studies suggesting that artificial sweeteners in diet sodas are linked to an increased risk of diabetes and the World Health Organization recently declaring that aspartame possibly causes cancer, many health experts agree that drinking a few cans of diet soda daily is not harmful. Even so, diet sodas are not a healthy drink, and by making them a prominent part of your diet, you are depriving your body of healthier low- or no-calorie drink choices that contain vital vitamins and minerals.
So, if you’re looking to wean yourself off diet soda to give your body more of the nutrients it needs but still want to keep your calories in check, consider swapping in one or more of these healthy alternatives.
To retain the fizz you love but without the chemicals, introducing seltzer water as an alternative to diet soda will provide your body with more hydration while keeping your taste buds happy.
If plain seltzer water doesn’t do it for you, add your favorite fresh fruit slices, berries, or cucumber, or herbs such as mint, basil, or rosemary to add pizzazz.
If you’re looking to quench your thirst with a sweet-tasting beverage without extra calories, look no further than coconut water. Besides its delightfully sweet and nutty taste, the naturally occurring water within a fresh coconut is packed with nutrients and is a super way to stay hydrated. But what exactly is coconut water?
Coconut water is a combination of water and grated coconut that creates a fluid within the fruit, forming a drink free of cholesterol and fats and low in sugar and calories.
Almond milk is so tasty and packed with good-for-you nutrients, it’s no wonder it’s the second-most popular plant milk in America. Almond milk is made by combining almonds, obviously, and water and straining out the solid components, resulting in a creamy texture similar to regular milk. The pleasant texture, along with almond milk’s tasty almond flavor, makes it a popular beverage for those who can’t consume dairy or are following a vegan diet.
Medical professionals are increasingly looking to see how diet can treat cancer or prevent it. This has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, moving beyond drugs to harness natural healing processes. It’s a vital step toward addressing chronic inflammation and preventing diseases before they start.”
A diet filled with ultra-processed foods is a key factor not just in cancer risk, but growth of cancer cells after diagnosis. Here are some examples of foods you should include in your diet, and ones to steer clear of.
Healthy foods to include, as part of an unprocessed diet:
You may think of sauerkraut as just something to pile on a hot dog, but chomping on the popular condiment actually helps digestion. That’s because sauerkraut and other fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria that make them easier to digest, and their prebiotic fibers feed the helpful gut bugs living in your colon. Other fermented fare you may want to try are kefir (made from fermented milk), kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), and miso (a Japanese paste made of fermented soybeans).
Fermented foods eaten as an appetizer are a staple of different traditional cultures because of how they prepare the GI tract for digestion.
Word to the wise though: Go easy on fermented foods at first. Too much too fast can lead to a bout of cramping and diarrhea.
Get Loads of Fiber from Beans
Fiber — it’s essential for digestion. Beans, such as navy, kidney, and black beans, are an easy way to hit that daily target. Navy beans have a whopping 19 g of fiber per cup, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Good news for those worried about having too much gas from high-fiber foods: Research published in Nutrition Journal showed that people had less gas than they thought they would when upping black-eyed peas consumption. Only half of participants reported any increase in gas at first and, by the end of the first week, that number had dropped to just 19 percent, making eating black-eyed peas a digestive tip you can live with. The study also looked at tolerance for baked beans and pinto beans and found that tolerance for all of these increased over time.
2 Kiwi a Day Keeps Constipation Away
The fuzzy fruit packed with vitamin C is making waves in the gastrointestinal community since a study published in June 2021 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that people who ate two kiwis a day were relieved of their constipation better than patients who consumed prunes or psyllium. The group assigned kiwis also had fewer negative side-effects and enjoyed their high-fiber food most.
Reap the Gut-Friendly Benefits of Yogurt
Our digestive tract is full of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. The collection of these microorganisms live in delicate balance in the gut microbiome, which is why what you feed your microbiome can make a difference. Eating foods like yogurt that contain probiotics — certain microorganisms that reportedly play a role in digestion, support immune system, and manage inflammation. A study published in August 2021 in Nutrients found that yogurt with a specific probiotic strain helped protect the gut microbiome from changes due to taking antibiotics that lead to diarrhea.
“We encourage probiotics,” says the gastroenterologist Peter L. Moses, MD, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.
If you’re not a yogurt fan, don’t fret: Dr. Moses says that some supplements contain better strains of probiotics, but he adds a disclaimer. “The evidence for a therapeutic effect of probiotics alone is lacking. Like any nonscientific therapeutic, probiotics are encouraged when they are part of a program that patients find clearly helpful for symptoms. Such a program may include prebiotic fiber and other proven recommendations.”
Fight Inflammation with Fish Oil
Fish oil can benefit not only your heart, but your digestive tract as well because the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil tamp down inflammation. To start, you can try to move toward a Mediterranean diet and add fatty fish like salmon, halibut, and mackerel to your diet.
What doctors and researchers know now is that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most common reasons for visiting a gastroenterologist, may not be consuming enough of the omega-3 fatty acids from fish. In a small study published in 2017 the journal Medicine, researchers looked at the level of fatty acids in 30 Asian women with IBS versus 39 Asian women without the disorder. They found that women with IBS not only had higher levels of depression, but they also had higher levels of unhealthy saturated fats in their blood, and lower levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
While a study published in December 2020 in Gut Microbes found that six weeks of taking omega-3 supplements induced small changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, supporting the theory that omega-3 fatty acids could have a prebiotic effect on the gut, but more research is needed to understand its role and mechanism in the gut.
Soothe Your Tummy with Tumeric
Tumeric, a spice loaded with curcumin, has anti-inflammatory properties shown to help in a range of conditions triggered by inflammation, including heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even depression, according to a paper published in November 2021 in Drug Design, Development and Therapy. The research also noted that curcumin helps regulate the gut microbiota, bring relief to people with IBD, and reduce inflammation that could likely lead to colon cancer.
Curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory that can help soothe the digestive tract when you are suffering from an inflammation-related issue.
Eat Some Ginger to Improve Digestion
A traditional Asian remedy for tummy aches and nausea and a favorite condiment used in Japanese cuisine, ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory, making it another good food for digestion and a natural digestive aid.
And there’s research to back up ginger’s benefits: Ginger is a food that helps digestion by speeding up the process that moves food from the stomach into the upper small intestine. A January 2020 review published in the journal Nutrients noted that several studies found ginger was associated with improved digestive functioning. It also pointed to studies that found ginger reduced nausea, motion sickness, and the risk of colon cancer.
Ease Indigestion with Stomach-Soothing Peppermint
Soothing, aromatic peppermint may help ease indigestion as well as some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, making it a go-to natural treatment for gastroenterologists.
“It’s inexpensive, nonaddictive with little to no side-effects, and it’s highly effective,” says Brian Lacy, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Peppermint oil can be included in many recipes or even tea, but more often is taken as a coated supplement, which allows it to pass into the digestive tract without causing heartburn, according to the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health. Digestion tip: Taking peppermint oil (in small intestinal release form) for at least four weeks has been shown to significantly reduce IBS symptoms. It appears to work as an antispasmodic, smoothing out and relaxing the bowels, according to a study published in 2020 in Gastroenterology.
Stay Hydrated to Keep Things Moving
Fluids play an essential role in partnership with fiber to get solids through your system since water helps your body break down and digest food, according to Mayo Clinic. Hydration and water are friends. In fact, one of the easiest digestive tips to follow is to stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is a great choice to speed digestion, but almost any non-alcoholic fluid will do. Be careful with caffeinated beverages and sodas if you have reflux — they can be triggers for heartburn, and caffeine acts as a mild diuretic.
Coffee add-ins could be adding in unnecessary extra calories to your diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, common calorie culprits include sugar, half-and-half, whipping cream, and even fat-free milk. Meanwhile, black coffee has only five calories. Registered dietitian Andy Bellatti adds that another good swap is unsweetened plant milk instead of the sweetened ones for your beverages.
Ditch the condiments
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Topping foods with heavy sauces or condiments could add extra calories and often little nutritional value. For example, ketchup often has a high amount of sugar. According to Monica Auslander, a registered dietitian and founder of Essence Nutrition, one teaspoon of ketchup is equal to eating a sugar packet. “It’s deceiving because it has no fat, so people think they can enjoy freely,” she says. “Unfortunately, we now know that sugar is far more insidious than fat.” Fortunately, there are healthier lower-calorie options such as pesto, hummus, and DIY recipes. These are the condiments that are bad for your health.
Cut back on alcoholic drinks
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It could be beneficial for your health and your weight loss goals to drink more water and less alcohol. Dr. Bazilian says that alcohol doesn’t have to necessarily be avoided altogether. but you should think if and where alcohol fits in the context of your overall health goals. “Aside from calories, alcohol doesn’t offer much by way of nutrition, so it’s at minimum an important decision to have going into any weight-loss program for yourself whether, how often, what type and how much may or may not fit in your timeline and goals,” she says. Alcohol also reduces inhibitions sometimes making it more challenging to make healthy eating choices, according to Dr. Bazilian. And alcohol may negatively impact sleep which plays a role in healthy metabolism, she adds.
Eating at home puts you more in control of what you eat and how much you eat. One study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that people who ate at least five home-cooked meals per day were 28 percent less likely categorized as overweight. And they were 24 percent less likely to have excess body fat than participants who ate less than three home-cooked meals per week. Here are the weight loss rules pros cheat on.
Try measuring high-calorie ingredients
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Portion control is another key element of weight loss. Part of the process is understanding an actual serving size. Measuring high-calorie ingredients will help you learn to eyeball portions. Even calories from healthy foods add up. “One of the foods people love are healthy fats, which are great,” Amari Thomsen, MS, RD, LDN, dietitian, and founder of Eat Chic Chicago says. Your definition of a handful of nuts might be four times bigger than an actual serving size, she warns.
Swap instead of restricting
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Different foods have different nutritional values, even if they sometimes have the same number of calories. And making a few simple food swaps could be beneficial for both your health and your waistline. Felicia Stoler, RD, an exercise physiologist, suggests swapping margarine for butter, corn oil for soybean oil, corn-fed proteins for grass-fed proteins, and artificial egg whites for farm fresh eggs. “Smart consumers are choosing grass-fed options because those tend to have more nutrients and fewer added hormones,” Stoler says.
Nix your soda habit
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Liquid calories could sabotage weight loss success. Soda is an obvious culprit, but fruit juice, energy drinks, alcohol, and other sugary beverages could all also add to weight gain or obesity, according to research. “Sometimes a bottle of iced tea or juice has 2.5 servings,” says Lisa Lillien, founder of HungryGirl.com and author of the book The Hungry Girl Diet. “Read labels and you’ll see it’s just not worth it.” Dr. Bazilian adds that sodas and other fruit “drinks” don’t satisfy hunger—meaning you may eat equal or more in food calories too. These are the quick weight loss tips nutrition pros swear by.
Switch salad dressings
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Fresh salads with fruits and vegetables are a great way to pack a nutritious punch. But using a high calorie dressing with lots of fat, salt, and sugar could be adding unnecessary calories. Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says pre-made dressings are one of the worst offenders. Instead, ask for salad on the side when eating out or use fresh lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil for a lighter option. Here are other salad mistakes that could cause weight gain.
Cutting out food groups is not the healthiest weight loss solution. “When you eliminate either fats or carbohydrates, you’re probably eating way too much of what’s left over,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. For example, if you cut out fat, you could overdo it on carbohydrates or vice versa. Instead, Kirkpatrick recommends balancing your meals and having one whole grain carbohydrate at each meal and opting for low-fat dairy products and lean meats.
Use a large fork
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It might seem counterintuitive to eat with a large fork, but a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that restaurant diners who used big forks ate significantly less than those eating with small forks. Researchers believe using a big fork gives people the idea that they are filling up since larger forks hold more food, CBS News reports.
Or eat with your hands
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Eating finger foods takes more time leading to a more satisfying experience, Amy Gorin, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in Jersey City, New Jersey says. “I’ll often include finger foods in my clients’ meal plans, as it’s not just kids who love to eat with their hands,” she says. Some good options include lightly salted edamame, hummus, whole-grain crackers, sliced mushrooms, and sliced bell peppers.
Splurge for the pre-chopped and pre-washed produce
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If taking the time to slice and dice vegetables holds you back from eating them, then invest in the pre-chopped or pre-washed vegetables. Rene Ficek, RD, the lead nutrition expert at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating says fresh produce is the cornerstone of healthy nutrition—and using pre-chopped vegetables could cut your cooking time in half. “Plus, keeping sliced veggies and prepared dips like hummus are great to have on hand at all times,” Fieck adds.
Always keep healthy snacks on hand
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Eating healthy is easier if you prepare for the expected and the unexpected. That’s why Lara Felton, RDN, head of the dietary team at mobile nutrition app ShopWell recommends preparing filling snacks for work or school. “I find that people often make poor food choices because they get so hungry, they just grab whatever is close,” she says. “If you have something healthy already tucked in your bag or briefcase, you’ll save yourself the extra calories and eater’s remorse.” She recommends packing snacks that have a balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fat to keep your energy levels up and hunger at bay, but nothing too perishable or fragile.
Opt for smaller bowls instead of large dinner plates, suggests Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS, a senior bariatric psychologist at the Bellevue Center for Obesity & Weight Management. Similarly, a study in the journal Appetite found that people ate more candy when the bowl of sweets was closer to their desk. Try plating dinner away from the table instead of serving family-style to combat overeating or mindless grazing. Don’t miss these tips for getting over a weight loss plateau.
Pack your lunch the night before
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Portion control is a big part of losing weight and keeping it off, according to the Mayo Clinic. Pre-packing your lunch could help. “Learn about portions and embrace the idea, not just because they help you lose weight, but because it’s great to know the right size for your own body and activity level,” Dr. Bazilian says. Portioning out your lunches also takes the guesswork out of eating out and could help you save money. These are the tips a weight loss coach won’t tell you.
Log what you eat
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Keeping a food journal could help you reach your weight loss goals. Best Health reports a recent study found participants who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. Colleen Cannon, a clinical psychologist in Canada who specializes in helping people deal with the emotional side of eating, says the act of writing down what we eat helps us become more aware.
Or photograph your food
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If writing down your meals seems like too big of a task, try snapping pictures instead. Visually seeing your food could highlight bad habits stalling your weight loss. Doing so also helps you pay more attention to future choices. Here are other weight loss tricks that have nothing to do with diet or exercise.
Skip foods marked “sugar-free” or “fat-free”
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It might seem like swapping regular products for “sugar-free,” “fat-free,” or “diet foods” is an easy fix. But they could do more harm than good. In fact, artificial sweeteners they could even cause weight gain, according to research published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. As for fat-free foods, choosing the full-fat option will keep you fuller longer, according to Pashko. Steering clear of ravenous hunger will ensure you don’t overeat later.
Another tactic that helps eliminate distractions while eating is eating only in designated areas. One study even found that families who eat dinner at the kitchen table tend to have lower BMI. Sitting down at the table means you are more likely to focus, rather than be distracted and overeat.
Eat your vegetables at the beginning of the meal
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Andrew James Pierce, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, inventor of the SugarChecked app suggests prioritizing vegetables and serving them at the beginning of the meal. This ensures that nutrient-dense veggies fill you up first. Eating them could help curb your appetite before moving onto the next portion of the meal. Give these other 11 natural appetite suppressants a try.
Add a vegetable to every meal
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Likewise, try including a vegetable in every meal. The combination of water and fiber will add volume without adding lots of calories. You’ll also be fuller longer making it easier to eat less. Plus, vegetables are natural sources of vital nutrients that your body needs.
Keeping fruits and vegetables in your line of sight could encourage you to eat more of them—rather than other high-calorie snack options. On the other hand, research shows that when unhealthy options are in full view, hunger and cravings may increase. One study published in Health Education & Behavior specifically found that when high-calorie foods are more visible at home, the residents are more likely to weight more, compared to people who only keep a bowl of fruit out. These are the superfoods that could help you lose weight.
Eat protein in the morning to prevent nighttime sugar cravings
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Consuming protein in the morning will stabilize blood sugar, Sharon Collison, RD, sports dietitian and clinical instructor at the University of Delaware says. “Make sure to have an excellent source of protein with every breakfast such as Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or two to three eggs,” she says. Eating more protein earlier in the day could also help reduce sugar cravings in the late afternoon, Collison adds.
