When the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) released the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) in 1980, dairy was already included as a core food group with two to three servings of milk products recommended per day. By the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the guidelines were three servings per day of dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) for most Americans ages 9 and older. This daily consumption target has remained in the DGA.

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 list the first three dietary goals of: 1) Eat the right amount for you; 2) Prioritize protein foods at every meal; and 3) Consume dairy, including full-fat dairy with no added sugars. Gut health is also listed along with consuming dairy. It just so happens that cultured dairy products tick all these boxes.

Eating the right amount

The guidelines outline that your calorie intake is based on your age, sex, height, weight and activity level. It is also recommended that you pay attention to portion sizes, especially for foods and beverages that are higher in calories. Though the new DGA doesn’t recommend specific calorie intakes, nutrient recommendations on nutritional labels are still based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. Cultured dairy products like yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese are available in portion sizes that provide a high amount of nutrient density with a lower calorie count. Single-serving yogurts range in size from 2 ounces to 6.7 ounces and 50 to 180 calories. Single-serve cottage cheese products range in size from 3 to 7 ounces and 60 to 160 calories.

Prioritizing protein

High-quality, nutrient-dense protein foods should be prioritized as a part of a healthy dietary pattern, according to the DGA. It is also recommended to consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat, as well as a variety of plant-sourced protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy. Even cooking methods such as baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried or grilled are specified over deep frying.

It is also recommended to consume meat with no or limited added sugars, refined carbohydrates, starches, or chemical additives. Flavoring meat with salt, spices and herbs is acceptable. Cultured dairy products contain dairy proteins that are high quality and nutrient dense. Caseins and whey proteins are high in essential amino acids and considered complete proteins. Their protein digestibility corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) and digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) are some of the highest found in food. Yogurts and kefir will contain both caseins and whey proteins while cottage cheese is primarily casein. Caseins have a PDCAAS of 1.00 and a DIAAS of 1.18 or more depending on the type of dairy product or ingredient. Whey proteins have a PDCAAS of 1.0 and a DIAAS of 0.97 or higher depending on the type of ingredient.

Comparisons with other protein sources can be found here ADPI-Protein-Quality-Guide_2025.pdf (SECURED). Unlike calorie recommendations, there are recommended daily protein intakes provided in the new DGA. Protein serving goals should target 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day and adjusted as needed based on individual caloric requirements.

Consume dairy

Though consumption of three dairy servings has been part of the DGA for a long time, consuming dairy is called out as a separate priority in the new DGA. It informs consumers that dairy is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals and that full-fat dairy with no added sugars should be included in their diet.

Separate from the DGA recommendations, the American Heart Association (AHA) deems consumption of low/no-fat dairy as beneficial, despite acknowledging the inconsistency of research on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of whole-fat dairy. The AHA states that the effect of replacing full-fat dairy products with nonfat and low-fat dairy products or other non-dairy sources of unsaturated fat shifts the composition of dietary patterns toward higher unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratios, which are associated with favorable cardiovascular health. The reason the AHA is still concerned about full-fat dairy products is because it was always thought that saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol raises CVD risk and therefore saturated fat raises CVD risk. Many studies, published over the last decade, have shown that whole-milk dairy foods consumption does not increase LDL cholesterol levels.

Fortunately, consumers will find many fat levels with no added sugar to choose from in the cultured product category. If it comes down to taste, full-fat dairy always wins.

Gut health a priority in dietary guidelines

This is the first time that gut health has been called out or listed as a priority in the DGA. It explains to consumers that the gut contains trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms called microbiomes and that a healthy diet supports a well-balanced microbiome and healthy digestion. It outlines that vegetables, fruits, fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso), and high-fiber foods support a diverse microbiome, which may be beneficial for health, while highly processed foods can disrupt microbiomes. Cultured dairy products are fermented foods that are well known for their benefits to gut health, especially when probiotics are included in the formulation.

You may or may not agree with the new DGA but the benefits of including cultured dairy products in your daily diet are hard to dispute.