The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a document that is updated every five years and released in partnership by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The document provides nutritional information and recommendations for all Americans.

Regardless of your age, eating a wide variety of healthy foods is essential for achieving and maintaining good health and mitigating your risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The guidelines recommend consuming nutrient-dense foods as opposed to processed and packaged foods that are characteristically high in added sodium, sugar, and fat.

Examples include beans and legumes, eggs, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, fruit, lean meat and poultry, nuts and seeds, vegetables, whole grains, etc.

The guideline emphasizes consuming nutrient-dense foods to meet your daily food group needs while considering you own personal calorie limits.

Your calorie needs can be determined by numerous factors, including your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.

This can be calculated using the USDA MyPlate Plan, which is an online tool that provides personalized targets for calorie and food group.

Another emphasis was consuming foods that are high in added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat to a minimum.

Be mindful of sodium in packaged and prepared foods, which tend to contain high amounts of sodium.

Read food labels and watch out for products that contain 20% or more of your daily value of sodium in a single serving.

For an individual limiting their sodium to 2,300 mg per day, 20% is equal to about 460 mg per serving.