{"id":45333,"date":"2026-01-08T08:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.incredibleegg.org\/?post_type=nutrition_article&p=45333"},"modified":"2026-01-08T08:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:32:01","slug":"2025-dietary-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"nutrition_article","link":"https:\/\/www.incredibleegg.org\/nutrition\/articles\/2025-dietary-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: eggs are a whole, nutrient rich food that continue to be recommended across the lifespan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2025 DGA) emphasizes whole nutrient-rich foods as the basis of a healthy dietary pattern, and protein foods, including eggs, are recommended to be prioritized at every meal. Eggs are known for their high-quality protein and unique set of nutrients that support health across the lifespan:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Pregnancy and Lactation:<\/strong> Eggs contain various amounts of all the nutrients recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics as necessary for early brain development, including 25% DV for choline [1, 2]. Beyond the contribution of essential nutrients, there is growing evidence that eggs are more than the sum of their individual dietary components, including potential interactions of choline, lutein + zeaxanthin, and DHA in relation to measures of fetal neurodevelopment [3]. These data support the value of eating eggs as a whole food source of nutrients during pregnancy and lactation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Infants:<\/strong> Eggs are an important first food for babies starting around 6 months of age, not only to help meet essential nutrient needs, but also to reduce the risk of allergy to eggs [4-7].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Children and Adolescents: <\/strong>Adolescents have the worst diet quality of any subgroup of the population [8]. Eggs can increase the nutrient quality in the diet of adolescents [9] and an egg a day can help children improve intake for choline, lutein + zeaxanthin [10].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Middle Age: <\/strong>Data from the Rancho Bernardo cohort suggest that egg consumption in middle age may be related to better cognitive performance later in life [11], which supports the benefits of lifelong healthy eating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Aging Adults: <\/strong>Recent data from the Rush Memory and Aging Cohort found a relationship between egg consumption and lower risk of Alzheimer\u2019s dementia, a relationship driven by dietary choline [12]. Additionally, the American Heart Association recognizes the nutritional benefits of eggs and recommends up to 2 eggs per day within the context of a heart-healthy diet for healthy older adults [13]. High quality protein, choline, vitamin B12<\/sub>, lutein + zeaxanthin, and vitamin D are some of the dietary components eggs contribute to the diet that are particularly important during aging [14].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Importantly, the 2025 DGA does not mention dietary cholesterol at all. <\/strong>The absence of discussion about dietary cholesterol in the 2025 DGA aligns with FDA\u2019s new definition of healthy [15]. The vast majority of the scientific literature indicates eggs can be enjoyed as part of a healthy dietary pattern [16], and within recommended limits of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, consistent with the new dietary guidelines [17].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Overall, there is no change for egg recommendations. Real eggs are a nutrient-rich whole food that continue to be recommended as part of a healthy dietary pattern for Americans. Even better, eggs pair well with other nutrient-rich foods and make it easier to eat healthy. See the Egg Nutrition Center\u2019s recipe<\/a> ideas of how you might pair eggs with other healthy foods.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n