Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides sound, science-based advice about food and lifestyle choices that promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease for healthy Americans 2 years and older. Together with the Food Guide Pyramid, the dietary guidelines are the cornerstone of federal food, nutrition education, and information policies. For health care providers and educators, the guidelines form the basis for health promotion and disease prevention efforts. From a consumer standpoint, the guidelines offer practical advice to help individuals make food choices for a healthy, active life.

The guidelines are developed jointly by the Departments of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Agriculture (USDA) and play a key role in setting the standards for healthful diets for American age two and older. These guidelines are updated and released every five years.

The current edition of the Dietary Guidelines, released in 2000, presents 10 guidelines (Table I). They are grouped under three key messages—Aim for Fitness, Build a Healthy Base, and Choose Sensibly— and focus on the many ways to build a healthy diet and lifestyle. By following these guidelines, individuals can maintain good health and reduce risk for developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and dental caries.