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January 20, 2005 North Dakota Products Can Play Role in New Dietary Guidelines North Dakota products can help people meet new dietary guidelines, North Dakota State University Extension Service nutrition specialist Jane Edwards says. The 2005 dietary guidelines, released in mid-January, 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. “Many foods produced in North Dakota are components of the recommended eating pattern suggested by the dietary guidelines,” Edwards says. 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 dry beans and 6 1/2 cups of other vegetables, each week. North Dakota 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 of 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, Edwards says. New farmers markets forming across the state can benefit from the recommendation for more fruits and vegetables by including it in their marketing campaigns, she says. The guidelines also recommend that people include three or more cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy products in their diet each day. Research indicates that calcium promotes strong bones and helps with weight and blood pressure control, according to Edwards. She says this guideline, if followed, also may help stem the decline in the number of dairies in the state. North Dakota also
can 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, with emphasis on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat,
such as from fish (salmon, trout, herring), nuts and vegetable oils, such
as canola, flaxseed and sunflower. Edwards urges people to use the release of the new dietary guidelines as a time to reflect on their own diet. “Don’t wait until you develop a chronic disease or risk factors for chronic disease, such as high blood pressure or blood lipids, before you decide to make some changes in your lifestyle,” she says. She has found that a lack of time for preparing food and sitting down to meals seems to be a major obstacle to eating well. She says other problems may be a lack of healthy foods at work sites and during hectic daily schedules, and people’s attitudes. Some people apparently do not believe that eating well really is necessary for good health, or they don’t value good health until it is gone. They say they feel fine without eating fruits and vegetables, but Edwards says a reduced intake of nutrients and phytochemicals contributed by these foods may, over time, affect health. Some of the changes attributed to aging may, in fact, be due to unhealthy lifestyles, she says. An analogy would be that although high blood pressure does not necessarily make you “feel bad,” over time it does promote damage to the heart, brain, kidney and other tissues and organs, which can reduce both the quality and quantity of a person’s life greatly. In addition to eating the right food, people should increase their physical activity to at least 30 minutes a day for adults and 60 minutes per day for children, she says. They may need additional exercise above this level to assist with weight loss or maintain their weight loss. “There are no shortcuts to a healthy lifestyle,” she says. To learn more about the new dietary guidelines, visit the Web site www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/. For more information about food and nutrition, visit the NDSU Extension Web site www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food or contact your local NDSU Extension Service office. #
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North Dakota State University |
