Soybeans are part of a healthy diet. That according to the new USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Kevin Wilson, Indiana farmer and United Soybean Board Director, says a variety of soy products were included in those guidelines.
“The USDA Dietary Guidelines define six core elements for healthy diets. And out of those six, soy-based products were included in four of those six elements, those would have been in dairy, oils, vegetables and protein foods.”
Wilson says the guidelines recommend U.S. soy as an important ingredient for a wide range of food.
“In the soy-rich beverage area, we were the only plant-based milk alternatives considered to be dairy equivalent. Edamame and the soybeans went towards the recommended source of our vegetables, or proteins. And then the soy products, the soy flours, the soy protein isolates, soy concentrates, they were included as the core protein foods for that area.”
The guidelines, updated every five years, advise on food and beverages that help promote a healthy lifestyle, and are used to develop federal nutrition programs. Wilson says the inclusion of soy in four of the six core food element groups offers an opportunity for the soy checkoff to continue to build momentum and partnerships in the food industry.
“The guidelines then go in to help the national school lunch programs and school breakfast programs, the WIC programs for women, and it will help get soybeans to be considered to be part of these programs. So, it should increase demand for these products, and I think it’s a pretty good win for soybean farmers.”
To learn more, visit unitedsoybean.org.
Source: NAFB News Service