U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**
              
              Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
        Https**The site is secure.**
              
              The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.  *You are now leaving the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website and entering a non-government or non-military external link or a third-party site.*

*FNS provides links to other websites with additional information that may be useful or interesting and is consistent with the intended purpose of the content you are viewing on our website. FNS is providing these links for your reference. FNS is not responsible for the content, copyright, and licensing restrictions of the new site.*
  
  
    *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
        
  
          Home
      
                        
              Programs
      
                
        
  
          **Programs**
          
                        
              SNAP
      
                        
              Nutrition Education & Food Safety
      
                        
              Meals for Schools and Childcare
      
                        
              Food Distribution & Emergency Assistance
      
                        
              WIC
      
                        
              Summer Nutrition Programs
      
                        
              Assistance for Seniors & Adult Care
      
                        
              Farmers Market Programs
      
                        
              NAP Block Grants for Territories
      
                        
              Data & Research
      
                
        
  
          **Data & Research**
          
                        
              Data Visualizations
      
                        
              Research & Analysis
      
                        
              Program Data
      
                        
              Funding
      
                
        
  
          **Funding**
          
                        
              Grant Opportunities
      
                        
              Grants Management
      
                        
              Doing Business with FNS
      
                        
              Newsroom
      
                
        
  
          **Newsroom**
          
                        
              Press Releases
      
                        
              Blogs
      
                        
              Notice to Stakeholders
      
                        
              Federal Register Notices
      
                        
              Success Stories
      
                        
              Newsletters
      
                        
              USDA Press Releases
      
                        
              USDA Blogs
      
                        
              Contact FNS Press Office
      
                        
              Resources
      
                
        
  
          **Resources**
          
                        
              Factsheets
      
                        
              Federal Register
      
                        
              Infographics
      
                        
              Guidance Documents
      
                        
              Policy Memos
      
                        
              Videos/Webinars
      
                        
              All Resources
      
                        
              Our Agency
      
                
        
  
          **Our Agency**
          
                        
              Acting Under Secretary
      
                        
              Deputy Under Secretary
      
                        
              Administrator
      
                        
              Assistant Administrator
      
                        
              FNS Careers
      
                        
              Contact us
      
                        
              Civil Rights
      
                        
              Equity Action Plan
      
                        
              Partnerships
      
                        
              Freedom of Information Act
      
                        
              State Systems OfficeSearch


          
                      Contact Us
                                
                          
        
                Report Fraud
                                
                          
        
                AskUSDA
                                
                          
        
                USDA.gov Nutrition/Health Professional
            Breadcrumb
    Home
              Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP)
      
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion


  
      Consumer
                
                    
                    
      Nutrition/Health Professional
                
      Dietary Guidelines for Americans
                
                    
      
      Healthy Eating Index (HEI)
                
                    
      
      Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR)
                
                    
      
      USDA Dietary PatternsResearcherDietary Guidelines for Americans

The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* is jointly issued and updated every 5 years by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The *Dietary Guidelines* is a key resource for health professionals and policymakers to help Americans enjoy a healthy eating pattern, promote health, and prevent chronic disease. It is used to inform the development of Federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs and serves as the evidence-based foundation for nutrition education materials that are developed by the Federal government for the public. The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025* is the 9th edition and remains the current edition until the *Dietary Guidelines, 2025-2030*is released.

MyPlate/ MiPlato

MyPlate is part of a larger communication initiative based on the *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* with the goal of helping consumers make better food choices. MyPlate is designed to remind Americans to eat healthfully; it is not intended to change consumer behavior alone. MyPlate illustrates the five food groups using a familiar mealtime visual, a place setting. MiPlato is the Spanish-language version of MyPlate. The MyPlate icon is available in multiple languages.

Healthy Eating Index

The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a measure of diet quality that assesses conformance to federal dietary guidance. USDA’s primary use of the HEI is to monitor the diet quality of the US population and the low-income subpopulation. The HEI is also used to examine relationships between diet and health-related outcomes and between diet cost and diet quality, to determine the effectiveness of nutrition intervention programs, and to assess the quality of food assistance packages, menus, and the US food supply. The HEI is a scoring metric that can be applied to any defined set of foods, such as previously-collected dietary data, a defined menu, or a market basket.

USDA Dietary Patterns

The USDA Dietary Patterns were developed to help individuals carry out Dietary Guidelines recommendations. They identify daily amounts of foods, in nutrient-dense forms, to eat from five major food groups and their subgroups. The patterns also include an allowance for oils and limits on the maximum number of calories that should be consumed from saturated fats and added sugars (empty calories). Recommended amounts and limits in the USDA Dietary Patterns at 12 calorie levels, ranging from 1,000 calories to 3,200 calories, are available.

USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food

The Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans each represent a nutritious diet at a different cost. The Thrifty Food Plan is the basis for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) allotments. The Cost of Food report is published monthly; with June costs for each year are used to represent the annual average. Alaska and Hawaii reports are published biannually.

Expenditures on Children by Families

Expenditures on Children by Families, also known as the Cost of Raising a Child, provides estimates of the cost of raising children from birth through age 17 for major budgetary components. The report, issued annually, is based on data from the Federal government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey, the most comprehensive source of information available on household expenditures. The Cost of Raising a Child Calculator is available for families to enter the number and ages of their children to obtain an estimate of costs through an interactive web version of the report.

Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review

Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR), formerly the Nutrition Evidence Library (NEL), is a team of scientists from USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) who specialize in conducting food- and nutrition-related systematic reviews. NESR’s work supports CNPP’s mission to improve the health of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.

Nutrient Content of the US Food Supply

The Nutrient Content of the US Food Supply is a historical data series, beginning in 1909, on the amounts of nutrients per capita per day in food available for consumption.Page updated: October 19, 2023


Return to top

      Home
                              
              Programs
                              
              Data & Research
                              
              Funding
                              
              Newsroom
                              
              Resources
                              
              Our AgencyUSDA
                              WhiteHouse.gov
                              FNS PartnerWeb.gov
                              No Fear Act
                              Privacy Policy
                              Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
                              Non-Discrimination Statement
                              Civil Rights
                              Accessibility
                              FOIA
                              Information Quality
                              Peer Review
  Sign up for Updates
      Your Email Address:
  
      *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu
Twitter Facebook Gov Delivery Instagram Flickr YouTube RSS Feeds