By Laurie Hainley, MS, RD, Founder of Hainley Nutrition Strategies and a frequent collaborator of Global Food IQ.
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More protein. Less highly processed foods. Full-fat dairy and meat back on the table.
These are just a few of the attention-grabbing changes in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (DGA). Some have applauded the updates. Others have expressed concern. And many are asking a simple question: Did the nutrition science really change, or did the U.S. just take a different path?
To help address this question, we compared the biggest changes in the new DGA with more than 20 national dietary guidelines* published in the past five years. The goal: See where America aligns with the global tide, and where it’s swimming against it, to help inform credible action around the new U.S. advice.
CONTRADICTORY: Healthy Fat Sources
What the DGA Says: Include “healthy fats,” which includes animal fats like meat, poultry, butter, and beef tallow.
This is one of the biggest departures from global nutrition advice. Across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, dietary guidelines overwhelmingly encourage unsaturated plant oils (like olive and canola oils) over animal fats. Only India slightly compares to the U.S. by grouping butter, ghee, and vegetable oils together as “visible fats” – but these are never classified as “healthy.”
The DGA does keep the long-standing recommendation to cap saturated fat to under 10% of daily calories, but experts have argued that pairing this limit with the nod to consume animal fat creates a message that will be hard for consumers to follow.
Bottom line: The labeling of animal fats as “healthy fats” will likely remain one of the most debated parts of the new guidelines.
UNIQUELY ADDRESSED: Low-Carbohydrate Diets
What the DGA Says: Individuals with certain chronic diseases may experience improved health outcomes when following a lower carbohydrate diet.
No other major national guideline currently says this. Most countries emphasize carbohydrates as the main energy source for the general population. For example, Finland, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and India recommend roughly half of daily calories come from carbs, and Zambia’s guideline even states that “although some people avoid carbohydrates fearing weight gain, the body needs carbohydrates to function well.”
The U.S. guidance doesn’t recommend low-carb diets for everyone, but it opens the door in certain clinical situations. The challenge: it doesn’t specify which conditions may benefit or what a “low-carb” diet actually means.
Bottom line: The U.S. is charting new territory with its low-carb advice, and more detailed guidance is needed for impactful implementation.
PARTLY ALIGNED: Whole-Fat Dairy
What the DGA Says: When consuming dairy, include full-fat dairy.
This feels like a major shift, but globally, it isn’t shocking. Nearly half of the reviewed countries, like Belgium, Mexico, and Chile, don’t restrict dairy fat at all. Only Spain explicitly recommends full-fat dairy like the U.S., but regardless, the global trend shows many countries quietly stepping away from strict low-fat rules.
Bottom line: The U.S. is catching up to a broader reconsideration of dairy fat science. To learn more about the evidence behind this advice, read our recent blog dissecting the science around saturated fat, including dairy fat.
PARTLY ALIGNED: Animals and Plants as Equals
What the DGA Says: Consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, as well as a variety of plant-sourced protein foods.
This differs from what an expert committee originally suggested (more plant-based emphasis), but it does resemble guidance in parts of Asia and Africa.
However, Europe is moving in a different direction. Countries like Germany, Spain, and Nordic nations increasingly recommend mostly plant-based foods over animal sources – partly for health, and partly for sustainability. And with organizations like FAO heavily encouraging sustainability considerations in dietary guidance, the U.S. may look like more of an outlier over time.
Bottom line: DGA is aligned today with some countries, but its future status on this topic is uncertain. The DGA is poised to drift from global trends that embrace plant-source over animal-source foods, but environmental health interests can quickly shift based on political priorities.
PARTLY ALIGNED: Highly Processed Foods
What the DGA Says: Avoid highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat foods.
About 40% of the guidelines warn against highly or ultra-processed foods (UPF). Latin American countries are especially direct, advising complete avoidance like the U.S. Others use softer recommendations to “minimize” or “limit” these foods.
But the world hasn’t agreed yet. One-third of the reviewed countries still have not issued UPF guidance, with some citing concerns with inconsistent definitions and unsettled science.
Bottom line: The 2025-2030 DGA advice mirrors global UPF headwinds, but this issue is far from global consensus.
The 2025-2030 DGA are therefore a mixed bag when it comes to aligning with global authorities. The updated guidance tracks with global trends in some areas, like whole-fat dairy and highly processed foods, but it also takes a distinct path on topics like dietary fats.
For stakeholders using these guidelines to inform internal and external engagement, context matters. Understanding where U.S. advice converges and diverges from global norms and science interpretation can help ensure messages are both credible and evidence-based.
At Global Food IQ, we are often analyzing shifts in global food-based dietary guidance and other nutrition policies. Reach out for a custom analysis, or to learn more about how we can help.
*Analysis included food-based dietary guidelines published by the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Chile, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Mexico, Norway, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zanzibar.
