Health and Nutrition

2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans include more specific advice on daily food selection and fitness than ever before. The recommendations, which are revised every five years, are based on the latest nutrition science and serve as a practical plan for achieving good health.

The 2005 Guidelines Committee advised an increase in nutrient dense foods per day from the previous recommendations, including:

• Dairy foods, from two to three servings in 2000 to three servings of lowfat and fat-free dairy foods.
• The number of whole grains is now three servings per day.
• The number of fruit and vegetables is nine servings per day.

The Dietary Guidelines provide advice on how many servings from each of the five food groups Americans should eat depending on how many calories they consume each day. The Committee recommended that people enjoy more nutrient- rich foods first - like lowfat dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains - in order to meet nutrient recommendations without gaining weight.

Calorie charts were developed for a range of nutrition needs and activity levels. The recommendation for exercise begins with a minimum of 30 minutes per day, with 60 minutes to maintain weight and up to 90 minutes to prevent weight gain.

The following two fact sheets, Healthier Eating: Getting Where You Need to Be and Improve Diet Quality with 3-A-Day of Dairy™, provide practical advice on how to incorporate the new Dietary Guidelines' recommendations into your daily diet.

For a copy of the guidelines, visit www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.