By Jon Huang
On Jan. 7, 2026, the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services released the new “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” a report published every five years since 1980. One of its stated goals is to simplify the guidelines to address issues in the current food environment and better focus on future research. The report begins with this somber statement:
“There is a broad scientific consensus that the Standard American Diet — a typical U.S. diet high in processed foods, added sugars, unhealthy fats and sodium, while low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains — is a major contributing factor to skyrocketing chronic disease rates.”
The guidelines have shrunk from 164 pages to just 10, accompanied by a 90-page report on the scientific foundation underlying the guidelines and an additional 444-page appendix.
Highly processed foods
Both the guidelines and the report emphasize that the degree of processing can negatively impact nutrition and human health. The report discusses highly processed foods containing added oils, thickeners, emulsifiers, sugars, and artificial flavors and sweeteners. More highly processed carbohydrates lack the fiber necessary for gut health, increase blood sugar levels, are more addictive, less satiating, and show no evidence of any protective effect.
The report acknowledges that the worst is yet to come regarding known consequences:
“Given the large and growing number of chemical additives in the U.S. food supply, and the historical context in which it can take decades to attribute adverse health consequences to industrialized food ingredients, we anticipate that it will take many decades to fully appreciate the deleterious consequences of highly processed foods and ingredients.”
Carbohydrates: sweeteners, whole grains vs refined grains
“When considered together with added sugars, fruit juices and processed potato products (e.g., French fries, potato chips, and hash browns), low-quality carbohydrates account for more than 80% of all carbohydrates in the U.S.,” the report states.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are discouraged, as are chemical sweeteners like sugar alcohols, aspartame and sucralose. These products claim to benefit health by reducing caloric intake but have been linked to increased heart and metabolic diseases.
The guidelines provide tips for identifying added sugars in foods:
1. Look for ingredients that include the words “sugar” or “syrup” or end in “ose.” Added sugars may appear on ingredient labels under various names, including high-fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, fructose, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, cane sugar, beet sugar, turbinado sugar, maltose, lactose, fruit juice concentrate, honey and molasses.
2. Examples of non-nutritive sweeteners include aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, xylitol and acesulfame K.
3. Some foods and drinks, such as fruits and plain milk, contain naturally occurring sugars. The sugars in these foods are not considered added sugars.
The report promotes whole grains over refined carbohydrates due to their higher protein and fiber content. It also mentions how industrialization and commodity farming have led to the proliferation of less nutrient-dense, high-yield strains of refined wheat and corn. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended.
The report offers two consumer tips:
“Many processed foods labeled as ‘Made with Whole Grain’ or ‘Multigrain’ contain mostly refined grains. Most true whole-grain foods have greater than 1 gram of fiber for every 8 grams of carbohydrates.”
Qualifying saturated fat and plant-based oil concerns
Past guidelines recommended reducing saturated fat intake from animal sources in favor of plant-based unsaturated fats due to the former’s links to cardiovascular disease. The new report maintains low saturated fat intake but challenges the nutritional superiority of plant-based unsaturated fats, particularly regarding their sourcing. It states that past studies supporting this either had significant biases or only showed improvement in surrogate markers like cholesterol levels, without reducing death rates, heart attacks and strokes.
The report discusses how most plant-based fats are derived from vegetable oils (like canola and other seed oils), which undergo heavy processing and refinement. These oils are increasingly used in highly processed foods or high-temperature cooking and frying, contrasting with less processed plant fats like olive oil and the naturally occurring fats found in whole foods such as nuts, seeds and avocados.
Another issue needing research is the use of high-heat cooking with plant-based oils designed for higher temperatures. This specifically addresses claims that cooking with plant-based oils high in linoleic acid (an unsaturated fat previously associated with better health) is healthier.
“Modern intake levels from refined oils now exceed physiological requirements severalfold. The concern is not the presence of linoleic acid in the diet but its concentration and source. High exposure to industrially refined oils is a historically novel condition whose long-term effects remain insufficiently studied for adverse events, particularly in children, adolescents and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Research is needed to determine the optimal range of linoleic acid intake and to distinguish the health effects of whole-food sources — such as nuts and seeds — from those of refined and thermally stressed oils.”
Considering all this, the guidelines’ support for higher saturated fat animal-based foods like beef tallow, dairy (including butter) and meat fats aligns with a minimally processed, whole foods diet. Some have criticized the guidelines for overemphasizing animal-based fats and have pointed out the report’s panel members’ ties to the dairy and meat industries. At the very least, the report reacts to the overconsumption of highly processed unsaturated fats, including those in highly processed foods, which are often marketed as healthy due to low fat and low sugar content.
“Within typical intake ranges, saturated fat appears neither uniquely harmful nor protective. The evidence, therefore, supports a neutral stance: Foods containing saturated fat can be part of healthy dietary patterns when consumed in reasonable amounts and within minimally processed contexts.”
In other words, while consuming minimally processed olive and avocado oil has nutritional benefits, minimally processed animal fat consumption may not be nutritionally inferior to more highly processed and refined vegetable and seed oils.
Protein sourcing
The guidelines promote protein-rich whole foods from both animal and plant-based sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat, as well as beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy. Full-fat dairy without added sugars is recommended.
“Both animal-sourced and plant-sourced proteins contribute uniquely to nutrient adequacy. Animal-sourced foods supply high-density essential amino acids and bioavailable nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium and choline. Plant-sourced foods supply complementary nutrients, including fiber, folate, magnesium and phytonutrients, but have lower essential amino acid density and reduced mineral bioavailability.”
The report also points out that cooking methods for protein matter, particularly that charring and high-temperature frying with certain oils can produce toxic byproducts.
Where to go from here
The report emphasizes the nutritional superiority of whole foods over any synthetic or highly processed equivalents. This supports ongoing discussions on how to grow and raise nutritious food locally, sustainably and incentivize the production of higher-quality food.
[Link to Guidelines and Scientific Foundation for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Report](https://realfood.gov)
