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The 2026 guidelines, in grams

The inverted pyramid famously shows no portions. This page fills that gap: enter a body weight and the official figures become concrete grams, then test a real day of food against them. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

LAST REVIEWED · AUG 16 2026FIGURES · DGA 2025–2030FOOD DATA · USDA FDC (ROUNDED)

Reference figures for healthy adults, not medical advice. They are not meant for children, and some conditions change them. Chronic kidney disease often needs less protein than the guideline range, and pregnancy, heart or liver disease shift the sugar, sodium and fat figures. Ask a doctor or registered dietitian before acting on them.

USED ONLY FOR THE MATH BELOW · NEVER STORED

Protein 84–112 g/day

DGA range (0.5–0.7 g/lb)RDA (0.36 g/lb)

The 2026 guidelines discuss a protein range well above the long-standing RDA (the gray bar), which still covers basic needs for most healthy adults. Per meal, the new range is about 28–37 g.

Added sugar ≤ 10 g per meal

Fixed, not weight-based — and the guidelines add that no amount of added sugar is a needed part of a healthy diet. One 12-oz soda (~39 g) spends roughly four meals’ worth.

Saturated fat < 22 g/day

That is 10% of 2000 kcal. For scale: three full-fat dairy servings alone carry roughly 17 g.

Sodium < 2,300 mg/day

Unchanged for most adults — about one level teaspoon of salt, including everything already inside packaged food.

Build a protein day

Tap foods to add servings and watch a real day accumulate against the guidelines’ reference range. Click a food past 6 servings to reset it.

0 g of the 84–112 g reference range

Add servings below to see where a real day lands.

Plant sources

Animal & dairy sources

How to read this page: these are the official reference figures translated into grams, not a prescription. Harvard’s researchers note that most Americans already exceed their protein needs while falling short on fiber, and needs genuinely differ with age, training, pregnancy and illness. For personal advice, see a registered dietitian. Serving protein values are rounded from USDA FoodData Central reference entries.

CONTEXT / GUIDE

Where these numbers come from

The full 2026 pyramid breakdown — what changed, and where scientists push back on the protein enthusiasm.

Explore the pyramid → TOOL / POSTER

Put it on a wall

A clean printable poster of the 2026 pyramid and its key numbers — made for classrooms, clinics and kitchen doors.

Print the poster → TOOL / QUIZ

Now test yourself

Thirteen sourced questions on the new guidelines, the old pyramids and the world’s guides.

Take the quiz →

Sources & method

  1. Protein range and added-sugar rule: USDA & HHS — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. RDA baseline (0.8 g/kg): NIH/NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes. ACCESSED JUL 2026
  2. Saturated fat (<10% of calories, ÷9 kcal/g) and sodium (<2,300 mg): unchanged DGA limits. ACCESSED JUL 2026
  3. Protein-per-serving values: rounded from USDA FoodData Central reference entries; servings are common household measures. ACCESSED JUL 2026
  4. Counterpoint on protein sufficiency and fiber gap: Harvard T.H. Chan — The Nutrition Source, Jan 2026. ACCESSED JUL 2026