Photo credit: realfood.gov
On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled the latest version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which will apply until 2030.
The new guidelines urge people to prioritize protein foods at every meal. Among other sources of protein, the guidelines recommend consuming “a variety of plant-sourced protein foods,” including nuts and legumes.
Intake recommendations vary depending on individual caloric requirements, as set out in the daily servings guide released alongside the new guidelines. People following a 2,000 calorie/day diet are encouraged to eat 3-4 daily servings of “protein foods.” Examples of servings of protein foods include “1 oz nuts or seeds” and “2 tbsp nut or seed butter.”
According to the new guidelines, dried fruit with no or very limited added sugars “can also be good options” for meeting target intake levels for fruit. People following a 2,000 calorie/day diet are encouraged to eat 2 servings of fruit per day, with one serving of dried fruit is defined as ½ cup.