Purpose
The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) issues this statement in response to the release of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
The Dietary Guidelines shape federal nutrition programs, public health messaging, and consumer understanding of healthy eating. This statement is intended to:
- Provide interpretive guidance for the coaching profession in navigating evolving federal nutrition policy
- Clarify how the Dietary Guidelines relate to health and wellness coaching practice
- Support NBHWC certificants in responding appropriately to client questions
- Reaffirm NBHWC’s commitment to evidence-informed, ethical, and scope-appropriate coaching
Overview of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines
The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines emphasize a shift toward “whole, minimally processed foods” and introduce several notable changes to federal nutrition guidance, including:
- Increased emphasis on whole and minimally processed foods
- Greater focus on adequate protein intake from both animal and plant sources
- Stronger discouragement of added sugars and refined carbohydrates
- Increased attention to dietary patterns that support gut health
- Reframing of dietary fats, including allowance for certain whole-food fat sources
The Guidelines are designed as population-level recommendations to inform public health policy and federal nutrition programs such as school meals, SNAP, and WIC. They are not intended to replace individualized medical or clinical nutrition care.
While the 2025–2030 Guidelines introduce several notable shifts in emphasis, they also reinforce long-standing principles related to dietary patterns rich in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and overall nutritional adequacy.
Primary sources:
- HHS Press Release: Historic Reset of Federal Nutrition Policy
https://www.hhs.gov/press-room - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov
Scope of Practice for Health & Wellness Coaches
NBHWC affirms that:
- Health and wellness coaches do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe diets unless they hold additional, licensed credentials that explicitly permit clinical nutrition practice.
- The Dietary Guidelines provide general guidance, not individualized recommendations.
- Coaches do not translate population-level guidance into prescriptive targets, meal plans, or specific dietary protocols
- Coaching conversations related to food and nutrition should focus on:
- Client values, preferences, and goals
- Sustainable behavior change and habit development
- Self-directed exploration and informed decision-making
- Appropriate referral to registered dietitians or other licensed professionals when individualized nutrition guidance is needed
NBHWC certificants are expected to practice within scope and to use coaching skills—not clinical nutrition instruction—when supporting clients.
Related NBHWC resources:
Evidence, Policy, and Professional Responsibility
NBHWC recognizes that aspects of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines have prompted diverse perspectives within the scientific and public health communities.
As a certifying and standards-setting organization, NBHWC does not endorse specific dietary patterns or food philosophies. This includes both emerging and established approaches when applied outside the appropriate scope. Instead, NBHWC emphasizes:
- Evidence-informed practice grounded in peer-reviewed research
- Awareness of the distinction between:
- Federal nutrition policy
- Scientific consensus
- Emerging or debated areas of nutrition science
- Transparency and critical thinking when discussing nutrition information with clients
Health and wellness coaches play an important role in helping clients navigate evolving health information without promoting ideology, misinformation, or advice beyond professional scope. This includes helping clients navigate areas where guidance may appear inconsistent, evolving, or subject to interpretation.
Guidance for Coaching Practice
When clients reference the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, NBHWC recommends that coaches:
- Use open-ended, nonjudgmental questions to understand the client’s goals, context, and motivations
- Support clients in identifying realistic, values-aligned behavior changes
- Support clients in translating general guidance into small, sustainable behavioral experiments
- Avoid presenting the Guidelines as mandates or universal solutions
- Encourage collaboration with registered dietitians or healthcare professionals when appropriate
Coaching conversations should center on autonomy, self-efficacy, and sustainable change, rather than on compliance with any specific dietary framework or external standard.
Education and Continuing Development
NBHWC encourages ongoing professional development related to:
- Nutrition literacy and responsible interpretation of public health guidance
- Interpreting nutrition guidance within context, including limitations of population-level recommendations
- Understanding the limits of federal dietary policy
- Interdisciplinary collaboration with licensed nutrition and healthcare professionals
Approved training programs and continuing education providers should ensure that content related to nutrition policy is clearly framed, evidence-informed, and aligned with coaching scope and ethics.
NBHWC Commitment
NBHWC remains committed to:
- Upholding the integrity and credibility of the health and wellness coaching profession
- Supporting coaches in responsibly addressing evolving public health guidance
- Maintaining clear scope boundaries while advancing high-quality, ethical coaching practice
NBHWC will continue to monitor developments related to federal nutrition policy and will provide additional guidance or resources as appropriate.
Questions about this statement may be directed to NBHWC through our official contact channels.
FAQ: The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
What are the Dietary Guideline for Americans?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are federal, population-level recommendations issued every five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They guide public nutrition programs and inform national health messaging.
They are not individualized nutrition prescriptions and do not replace medical or clinical nutrition care.
How do the Dietary Guidelines relate to NBHWC competencies?
Discussion of nutrition within health and wellness coaching is grounded in NBHWC Competency 5.2.2: Food and Water, which includes:
- 5.2.2.1 Healthy diet basics, including knowledge and general recommendations related to:
- Unprocessed and minimally processed whole foods
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
- Adequate fiber
- Healthy fats Fruits and vegetables (e.g., ADAPlate and the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate)
- 5.2.2.2 Awareness of evidence-based nutritional interventions commonly recommended for chronic health conditions, such as:
- DASH diet
- ADA Plate Method
- Mediterranean Diet
- Anti-inflammatory dietary patterns
- 5.2.2.3 Water intake basics, including understanding the role of hydration in health
The Dietary Guidelines may be referenced within this competency framework as general public health guidance, not as prescriptive or individualized nutrition advice.
Do coaches need to promote or endorse the new Dietary Guidelines with clients?
No. NBHWC does not require or expect coaches to promote or endorse any specific dietary pattern, federal guideline, or food philosophy.
NBHWC emphasizes:
- Evidence-informed practice
- Client autonomy and self-direction
- Respect for diverse cultural, dietary, and health contexts
Your role is to support behavior change and self-efficacy, not policy compliance.
What if a client asks whether the new Guidelines are “right” or “wrong”?
Coaches should avoid evaluating nutrition guidance as right or wrong.
Instead:
- Acknowledge that the Dietary Guidelines are population-level policy recommendations
- Note that nutrition science continues to evolve
- Acknowledge that different experts may interpret the same evidence in different ways
- Redirect the conversation toward the client’s goals and what changes they want to explore
- NBHWC-certified coaches play a critical role in helping individuals translate broad health guidance into meaningful, sustainable change within the realities of their daily lives.
This approach aligns with coaching ethics and Competency 5.2.2.
Can coaches talk to clients about food, diets, or hydration?
Yes — within scope and competency.
Consistent with Competency 5.2.2, coaches may:
- Discuss healthy diet basics (e.g., whole foods, fruits and vegetables, fiber, healthy fats)
- Acknowledge commonly recommended dietary patterns (e.g., DASH, Mediterranean) at a high level
- Support clients in reflecting on hydration habits and general water intake
- Help clients explore how nutrition-related behaviors align with their goals, values, and preferences
- Recognize and respect factors such as access, affordability, culture, and lived experience when discussing food and nutrition
Coaches should avoid providing meal plans, medical nutrition advice, or condition-specific prescriptions unless separately credentialed.
Do coaches need to promote or endorse the new Dietary Guidelines with clients?
No. NBHWC does not require or expect coaches to promote or endorse any specific dietary pattern, federal guideline, or food philosophy.
NBHWC emphasizes:
-
- Evidence-informed practice
- Client autonomy and self-direction
- Respect for diverse cultural, dietary, and health contexts
Your role is to support behavior change and self-efficacy, not policy compliance.
How should coaches approach concepts like ‘highly processed foods’?
The term “highly processed foods” is increasingly used in public health guidance, though definitions may vary.
- Coaches should avoid using this language in a way that creates confusion, fear, or judgment.
- Instead, coaches can support clients in exploring how different foods affect their energy, satisfaction, and overall well-being, while honoring individual context, access, and preferences.
What if a client wants personalized nutrition advice based on the Guidelines?
Requests for personalized dietary recommendations or medical nutrition advice fall outside coaching scope.
In these cases:
- Clarify your role as a coach Encourage collaboration with a registered dietitian or healthcare provider
- Continue supporting behavior change, accountability, and mindset alongside that care
Referral supports ethical practice and professional credibility.
