dietary guidelines for americans

Do you enjoy exploring food from countries around the world? Celebrating cultural traditions through food is a great way to connect with people from various communities and learn about their heritage. It is also a way to appreciate your own cultural roots! Discover simple ways to enjoy three cultural foods and see what vitamins and minerals they contain using FoodData Central from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.

Every five years, USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partner to provide the latest, science-based nutrition guidance to empower Americans to make dietary choices that will improve their health and lifestyles. These guidelines are a cornerstone of federal nutrition policy, which we are leveraging to promote and elevate nutrition security. Poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the U.S. and by focusing on the quality of what we eat, we can help reduce diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease that impact historically underserved and marginalized communities.

USDA has always worked to ensure all Americans have adequate access to food. Now, the time has come for deeper conversation about nutrition security – the consistent access to safe, healthy, affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background. Nutrition security efforts work together with promoting food security, ensuring that everyone not only has enough to eat, and that those calories contribute to their overall health.