Cover art for the 2020 - 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. | HHS/USDA
New Dietary Guidelines for 2020-2025 released by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services included recommendations for infants and toddlers for the first time since 1985, urging parents to avoid candy, cake and other added sugars for children under age 2 as obesity rates remain problematic.
“For the first time since the 1985 edition, this edition of the Dietary Guidelines includes recommendations for infants and toddlers as well as continuing the emphasis on healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy and lactation. This approach recognizes that each life stage is distinct—nutrient needs vary over the lifespan and each life stage has unique implications for food and beverage choices and disease risk,” experts wrote in the new published guidelines.