Dietary Guidance Message Approved for Beans

Beans are finally getting their due. According to the American Dry Bean Board, Chicago, IL, FDA has ap­proved a dietary guidance message that says, “Diets including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.” The American Dry Bean Board submitted its dietary guidance message letter of intent to the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in November 2004. As documentation, the organization cited several national and international expert bodies that have reviewed scientific evidence about beans and concluded that eating beans as part of a healthy diet can help maintain health and reduce risk of disease. The organization claims that beans, such as kidney, pinto, navy and black, are naturally low in total fat, contain no saturated fat or cholesterol, and provide important nutrients such as fiber, protein, calcium, iron, folic acid and potassium.