From pyramids and plates to patterns and processing, NYU GPH’s Andrea Deierlein digs into the science behind the newest federal dietary guidelines.
Every five years since 1980, the federal government has released dietary guidelines, providing advice to Americans on what to eat.
These guidelines—which have served as the basis for visual aids like the ubiquitous food pyramid of the 1990s and MyPlate graphic of 2011—are considered the “cornerstone” of our country’s nutrition policy and education.
Before the guidelines are revised, the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services convene an independent advisory committee of nutrition experts, who are tasked with digging into the latest research and using data to answer specific, unanswered questions about diet and nutrition. The committee’s findings, along with comments from the public, inform the federal government's updated guidelines.
Andrea Deierlein, director of public health nutrition at the NYU School of Global Public Health, was one of the 20 members of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Her research in nutritional epidemiology focuses on maternal and child health, including nutrition during and after pregnancy, exposure to environmental chemicals, and disability-related disparities in nutrition and reproductive health.
NYU News spoke with Deierlein about some of the key takeaways from her work on the advisory committee.