ND and the New Dietary Guidelines

           After a great deal of fanfare, new dietary guidelines were released in mid-January.  The 2005 dietary guidelines are based on the most current research findings that more fruits and vegetables in greater variety, more low fat or fat-free dairy products and more whole grains within a balanced diet promote good health and help prevent chronic disease.

          To the benefit of North Dakotans, many of the foods produced in North Dakota are components of the recommended eating pattern suggested by the dietary guidelines.   Dr. Jane Edwards, NDSU Extension Service nutrition specialist, outlines a few of the ways ND and the guidelines can work together.

          For example, the guidelines suggest people eat a wider variety of vegetables, including three cups of dark green vegetables, two cups of orange vegetables, three cups of legumes or beans and 6 ½ cups of other vegetables, each week.   ND is the leading producer of dry beans and peas, producing 46 percent of the nation’s navy beans, 56 percent of pinto beans and 53 percent o dry edible peas in 2003. Beans may play a role in weight control and help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, colon cancer and diabetes.

          The guidelines also recommend that people include three or more cups of low fat and fat-free dairy products in their diet each day. Research indicates that calcium promotes strong bones and helps with weight and blood pressure control. 

          North Dakota can also play a large role in the guidelines’ recommendations that people eat the equivalent of at least three slices of whole-grain bread each day and limit their fat intake to between 20 percent and 35 percent of total calories.  The guidelines emphasis that the calories from fat be from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, which are found in fish, nuts and vegetable oils, including canola, flaxseed and sunflower oil. 

          Our state lead the nation in producing spring what (48 percent of the nation’s total), durum (60 percent) and oats (15 percent).  It is the leading producer of canola oil (90 percent of the total), sunflowers (oil sunflowers are 59 percent of the nation’s total; confectionary sunflowers are 48 percent) and flaxseed (95 percent).     

          To learn more about the new dietary guidelines, visit the NDSU Extension web site at: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food or the government web site at:  www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.