The American Heart Association welcomes the release of the 2025-30 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, noting in a public statement the strong alignment in key areas between the federal recommendations and the Heart Association’s long-standing advice for heart-healthy eating.
The new guidelines shape the meals served in schools, inform federal food assistance programs, and influence nutrition labeling and education efforts. These policies are critical to the Heart Association’s mission to promote longer, healthier lives for all.
“We remain committed to working with the administration to reduce the burden of chronic disease, particularly for the next generation, and to help consumers make healthier choices for themselves and their families,” the Heart Association says in its statement responding to the new guidelines.
Both the Heart Association and the federal guidance emphasize increasing consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole grains while limiting added sugars, saturated fats and highly processed foods. The Heart Association notes that these priorities reflect decades of scientific evidence linking healthy eating patterns to reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
The Heart Association cautions about certain details. They include federal recommendations on salt seasoning and red meat consumption, which could lead some consumers to exceed suggested limits for sodium and saturated fat, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease. The new guidelines also emphasize eating whole-fat dairy products, while the Heart Association continues to encourage low-fat or fat-free dairy options and urges moderation with high-fat animal products such as butter and lard.
In its statement, the Heart Association pledges to collaborate with federal agencies on initiatives to define ultraprocessed foods and expand research on optimal protein sources. The Heart Association’s Health Care by Food™ initiative and the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI)™, among other efforts, will remain central to its efforts to educate the public and reduce chronic disease.
“We remain steadfastly committed to continuing to inform the public about healthy eating,” the Heart Association statement says.
