2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Posted: Feb. 1, 2005

The Dietary Guideline for Americans is published jointly every five years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The updated consumer brochure is available at www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. Here are some of the key recommendations:

Weight management

• To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended.
• To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage calories and increase physical activity.

Physical activity

• Engage in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being and a healthy body weight.
• To reduce the risk of chronic disease in adulthood: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, at work or home on most days of the week.
• For most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or longer duration.
• To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements.
• To sustain weight loss in adulthood: Participate in at least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity while not exceeding caloric intake requirements. Some people may need to consult with a healthcare provider before participating in this level of activity.
• Achieve physical fitness by including cardiovascular conditioning, stretching exercises for flexibility, and resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance.

Adequate nutrients within calorie needs

• Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups while choosing foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol.
• Have a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 2 1⁄2 cups of vegetables per day are recommended for 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.
• Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products.

Fats

• Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
• Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.
• When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
• Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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