On the journey towards a healthy life, a proper diet plays a crucial role. For Americans, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans serves as an important beacon guiding them towards healthy eating. It is based on scientific research and provides comprehensive dietary advice for different groups of people. A deep understanding of this guide can help Americans better adjust their eating habits, prevent diseases, and improve their quality of life. Now, let's explore the top 10 key points of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 - 2025. 1. The Dietary Guidelines is developed to help all Americans and is based on scientific evidence regarding health - promoting diets in the general U.S. population, including the healthy, those at risk of diet - related diseases, and those with such diseases. 2. The 2020 - 2025 edition has 4 overarching Guidelines: follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage; customize and enjoy nutrient - dense food and beverage choices considering personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budget; meet food group needs with nutrient - dense foods and stay within calorie limits; limit foods high in added sugars, saturated fat, sodium, and alcoholic beverages. 3. There are Key Recommendations supporting the 4 Guidelines. For example, limit added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day for those 2 and older (avoid for infants and toddlers), saturated fat to less than 10% of calories per day starting at age 2, sodium intake to less than 2,300mg per day (even less for those under 14), and alcoholic beverages (if consumed) to 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 drink or less a day for women. The quantitative recommendations for added sugars and alcohol remain unchanged from the 2015 - 2020 edition due to insufficient new evidence. 4. This is the first time the Dietary Guidelines provides guidance by life stage, from birth to older adulthood, including pregnancy and lactation. It is organized by chapters for each life stage and emphasizes that it's never too early or late to eat healthily. 5. The 2020 - 2025 Dietary Guidelines has a call to action: “Make Every Bite Count with the Dietary Guidelines.” It focuses on choosing nutrient - rich foods and beverages within calorie limits, and encourages every American to do so. 6. Nutrient - rich choices should be prioritized. Only about 15% of daily calories can be used for added sugars, saturated fat, and (if consumed) alcohol, while about 85% are needed for nutrient - rich foods to meet food group recommendations. 7. The focus is on the overall eating pattern rather than individual healthy choices. The combination of foods and beverages in an individual's long - term diet impacts health the most. 8. Most Americans don't follow the Dietary Guidelines. The average American diet scores 59 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), and higher HEI scores are associated with improved health. 9. There are 3 Key Dietary Principles to help people meet the Dietary Guidelines: mainly meet nutritional needs from foods and beverages; choose a variety of options from each food group; pay attention to portion size. 10. The Dietary Guidelines is adaptable to personal preferences, cultural foodways, and budgetary considerations. It gives recommendations by food groups and subgroups instead of specifying specific foods and beverages, allowing people to make choices according to their own needs.
