Center For Nutrition Policy and Promotion - Dietary Guidelines For Americans

Dietary Guidelines For Americans

The Center serves as the administrative agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the issuance of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the cornerstone of Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. The Guidelines are jointly issued and updated every 5 years by USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (specifically, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion).

Every 5 years, the Departments charter a committee of 13 nutrition experts to review the peer-reviewed, published science on diet and health and develop a report of its recommendations for the next edition of the Guidelines.

The Dietary Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines were released on January 31, 2011. The updated Guidelines recommend that Americans focus on balancing their intake of calories with physical activity and consume more vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, and seafood. The recommendations also advise that Americans watch their sodium intake.