Purdue Nutrition Science researcher wraps up experience on 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee with scientific report release

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu 

From sugars to proteins to fats, the foods people use to fuel their bodies have a direct impact on their health. To help individuals make the healthiest choices, the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which included Heather Eicher-Miller, professor in the Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science, recently released its scientific report to inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-30. The guidelines will be released in late 2025 by the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture.  

The 20-member committee, which has consistently included faculty from the Purdue Department of Nutrition Science in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is tasked with providing evidence-based findings to update the current nutrition recommendations that influence school meal programs, nutrition assistance programs and more. The committee is often given a theme around which to focus their efforts. 

Heather Eicher-Miller

“This time, the focus was on health equity and trying to be more recognizing of all the diversity in the United States and making sure we incorporate that into what we’re recommending for the next version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Eicher-Miller said. 

While each scientific report and subsequent set of guidelines offers their own distinct updates based on the latest science, Eicher-Miller noted because of its health equity lens, this set of guidelines focuses on a universal approach toward improving Americans’ diets. 

“Coming out of all that work, the top-level recommendation is that in the United States, we really need to focus on a diet that has more fruits and vegetables in it and really try to work on limiting sodium, added sugars and saturated fats and just making sure that that diet is varied and balanced between all the different food groups that we’re eating,” Eicher-Miller said. “We all need to improve our diets. There are really no groups in the U.S. that are having an A-plus diet or that are already doing really well. It’s really all of us, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status — we all need to improve our diets. It’s a unifying recommendation for everyone.” 

Eicher-Miller explained that in creating these inclusive recommendations, it’s about more than simply the food choices individuals make. It’s about creating conditions that promote healthy food choices.  

“We’re emphasizing how we need to make a food environment that’s more healthful for everyone, and that goes for wherever you live and whatever kind of community you’re in,” Eicher-Miller said. “We need to do a better job of supporting healthy choices. That can look different depending on who you are, but we realize it’s not just our own choices but the places around us that really influence our diet.” 

The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee cultivated the scientific report through two years of work, exploring the most current scientific findings and investigating the dietary patterns of Americans. This allowed the committee to create guidance that meets Americans where they are rather than introducing drastic change.  

“We use the approach of first doing data analysis to understand where the population is as far as their dietary intake and disease status, with a focus on diet-related chronic diseases, which are some of the major killers of Americans,” Eicher-Miller said. “Then, we also review the scientific evidence on certain topics that are pressing issues and where there’s new scientific information, so we can better understand those relationships between diet and chronic disease. The final approach that we use is called food pattern modeling where we actually build on the best diet that we’re recommending for Americans that’s already been established — the Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern — and then we work to modify or try out all different kinds of changes to that diet and better understand how well it meets nutrient recommendations for all of the different calorie levels that Americans would need.” 

For Eicher-Miller, the experience was an exceptional collaboration opportunity with some of the top nutrition science researchers in the country.  

“I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the other committee members and the expertly trained government staff that helped support our committee,” Eicher-Miller said. “Throughout the whole process, it was an extraordinary learning experience. It was a lot of work, but it was so enriching and fun to learn from other colleagues and hear other perspectives.” 

Serving on the committee enabled Eicher-Miller to gain a new appreciation for the development of the guidelines and the care and attention that is poured into them. 

“After going through that experience, I have a very high level of respect for the process of creating the dietary guidelines and the rigor and integrity that every person brought to their work,” Eicher-Miller said.