What you need to know about the new dietary guidelines

The advice to avoid highly processed foods and added sugars is well supported — but not the push for more meat and full-fat dairy.

January 26, 2026

By Joyce Hendley, Staff Writer

Reviewed by Teresa Fung, ScD, RD, Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

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Illustration with a grouping of healthy foods (mostly vegetables and fruits) with a green check mark below it and a grouping of unhealthy foods (soda, chips, burger and fries, doughnut) with a red X below it, all on a white background.

While experts in the nutrition and public health communities were pleased to see some changes — a new emphasis on avoiding highly processed foods and added sugars, for example, and an overall pitch to “eat real food” — many were also alarmed. Some of the guidelines seemed to overlook years of established science, as well as key recommendations by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), a group of independent nutrition experts.

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About the Author

Joyce Hendley, Staff Writer

Joyce Hendley is a staff writer who contributes articles to Harvard Health Publishing’s flagship website and its four newsletters: the Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Heart Letter, Harvard Women’s Health Watch, and Harvard Men’s Health Watch. She … See Full Bio

View all posts by Joyce Hendley

About the Reviewer

Teresa Fung, ScD, RD, Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Teresa Fung is an adjunct professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She received her BS and MS in nutrition from Cornell University, and her ScD in both nutrition and epidemiology from HSPH. She … See Full Bio

View all posts by Teresa Fung, ScD, RD

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