By United Soybean Board
Every five years, the USDA updates its Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While not specific guidance for nutrient consumption, the Dietary Guidelines are used by the US government as the basis of its food assistance and meal programs, nutrition education efforts, including the National School Lunch Program, National School Breakfast Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). And subsequently, forward-thinking food companies leverage the guidelines as one tool to evolve how they think about the ingredients in their products, the nutrition they offer and how they fit in American's diets.
The recently released 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set forth recommendations to "make every bite count." That is to adopt a diet that is rich in nutrients and limits excess calories most commonly found in added fats and sugars. And, to adopt that diet as a long-term healthy pattern, not a behavior that is followed for a short period of time. In 2020, 43% of Americans said they followed a specific diet or eating pattern within the past year, an increase from 38% in 2019