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WIC switches to healthier food options
Published Friday, July 31, 2009
Starting in August, Minnesota’s Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program will begin offering new healthy food choices to more than 140,000 women, infants and young children across the state.
The program will include fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, jarred baby foods, soy beverages and tofu.
Skim milk and 1 percent milk will be offered to all women and children over the age of 2, and organic fruits, vegetables and other organic WIC-allowed products that are priced similarly to their non-organic counterparts will also be available.
“The new WIC food choices will improve the health of Minnesota mothers and children and reduce a child’s risk of chronic disease by supporting healthy eating early in life,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Sanne Magnan, in a Minnesota Department of Health news release.
The choices provided follow changes made by the federal WIC program and reflect the most recent dietary guidelines for Americans, according to the release.
Freeborn County Public Health Director Lois Ahern said the new food packages address the rising rate of obesity by encouraging more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods.
“I think the changes will help improve the diets of our pregnant and postpartum women, as well as the children, because it’s going to include a wider variety of fresh products,” Ahern stated.
The new food packages go hand-in-hand with an already-in-place Minnesota Department of Agriculture program that is distributed through WIC, which gives farmers market food vouchers to WIC clients. This will expand on those efforts.
“I think it’s great,” said Amy Pleimling, registered dietitian with Albert Lea’s Hy-Vee. “What a great chance to get more nutrition into a certain population. I think that that’s probably something that could benefit from improvements.”
The new food packages will help the families who utilize it to work toward healthier living and disease prevention, Pleimling said.
Plus, if children see their parents make healthier food choices, there’s a good chance those habits will rub off on them as well, she said.
In addition to reflecting the most recent dietary guidelines, the changes to the WIC program also encourage breastfeeding and support infant feeding practices recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants receive human milk exclusively for the first six months of life and with other foods to a year or more.
Only 23 percent of children in Minnesota are breastfed at the age of 1, according to a Freeborn County Public Health WIC Office news release.
Under the new food package guidelines, women who exclusively breastfeed will receive the best WIC food package available, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
After six months, when complementary foods are introduced, infants who are exclusively breastfed can obtain the largest infant food package available, including infant fruits, vegetables and meats.
“WIC officials hope these changes promote greater rates of breastfeeding, which is important for infant and maternal health, the Freeborn County news release states. “Breastfeeding without supplementing is important for establishing milk supply and protecting the infant’s health.”
In addition to offering food to women and children in need, the Freeborn County WIC office offers individual and group classes to pregnant women to ensure that they have a good knowledge base of breastfeeding and can begin doing so with confidence.
Then after a baby’s birth, many mothers often return to WIC to get their questions answered about breastfeeding and nutrition.
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Comments
Posted by Foolish (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Its really sad to see that the working moms get no treatment but the moms without jobs who decided to have a one night fling will be eating better then everyone else. Keep up the good work working class people because there are 140,000 welfare folks who are depending on our (working class) assistance.
Posted by BananaPancakes (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sure you are correct and there are no working mothers on the WIC program. Give me a break. And the children should go without or be offered less than healthy choices because of the choices that their parents have made? Come on. These are kids under the age of 5 we are talking about.
The WIC income guidelines are pretty high. If you are interested in the program perhaps you should call to see if you qualify. The telephone number is 377-5100.
Posted by mommy05 (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually I am a working mother who lives with my working fiance who is the father of my child and we do recieve Wic. It is a wonderful program that helps assist families with affording healthier food choices for mother and child both. So before you go criticizing things you don't even know about maybe you should look into the facts!
Posted by Serafin (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, I guess "Foolish" is a proper name.
Are there people who milk the system? Of course. Is that awful? Yes.
But for every 1 person milking the system there are many more working hard to get off of the system.
Posted by newyankee (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You don't have to be a U.S. citizen to be on WIC. Why am I not suprised?
Posted by BananaPancakes (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can I also add that there are many families who were at one time thriving and getting by just fine. Thow in a job lay off, or an injury and you'll find many who just can't make ends meet any longer. It has nothing to do with being irresponsible or having a "one night fling".
I am not dumb enough to think that there are not people out there taking advantage of "the system" but I refuse to make judgments on those that use it because "There but for the Grace of God go I".
One day it could be me and my family in need. One never knows.
Posted by metisman (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yup, instead of WIC lets give billion$ away to big banks so that 1000s of execs can each receive a million dollar bonus.
Posted by lillyrose (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How about we look at the good WIC does, not the negative!
They support breastfeeding - which in turn saves TONS of money for formula.
People from all sorts of backgrounds get assistance from WIC, it's an awesome program that makes sure the kids are given foods that are good for them. Breastfeeding and pregnant mothers get as well, but that's to ensure the child's health!
I'm very pleased with the changes to WIC!
Posted by jeanniemaria (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats to the Minn Dept of Health. I have always felt that states (including my own, AZ,) should do more to improve the nutritional quality of food offered via federal/state programs to our most vulnerable citizens, particularly where there R regulations that the states already agreed to adhere to. The most recent guidelines referred to in the article I suppose to be the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Well, better late than never, & I sincerely applaud Minnesota. Now, Minn, why not extend the DGA, as required by law, to Meals on Wheels, Sr. Congregate Meals, School Lunch, Assisted Living, & Nursing Home Programs?
Posted by tamilynne (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Without WIC I would have never survived my son's first year. A week before we had him my husband lost his job. I was working full time it was extremely hard to pay the bills on my own. I don't know how I could have put food on the table without their help, and there was no way I could have bought the formula that my son needed.
Posted by None (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well it's about time! I was on WIC (while my husband and I were both working full-time, in case "Foolish" is wondering) and could never understand why fruits and vegetables weren't included in the food plan. I would have gladly given up a couple gallons of milk or jars of peanut butter to get some veggies!
Posted by prego09 (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am a working mom with a 3 month old and I receive WIC. I have worked my whole pregnancy and returned to work when my son was 9 weeks old. Not everyone who gets WIC is jobless and milking the system. Foolish needs to open their eyes and realize that working people need help. Just because we work doesn't mean we don't need help.
I wish they would have offered the fruits and veggies during my pregnancy! I am excited that they have added healthy choices! I want the best for my son and these changes will help me provide the best.
Posted by mnnative (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
'Foolish' is just that, foolish. WIC is for anyone with children under the age of 5. They do have income limits but they are very high. I wish I had known that when I had my first child. It's also great that they're going to be including fruits and veggies now. I don't like the fact that they'll give better benefits to those women who breastfeed, some women can't breastfeed (myself being one) for various reasons so now they get discriminated against.
Posted by None (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nobody's discriminating against you mnnative, the breastfeeding mothers get better food packages because they're providing the nutrition for their child. I'd hazard a guess that the total cost of the package for breastfeeding mothers is still much, much less than the package formula-feeding mothers get when you figure in the cose of the formula.
Posted by None (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That should be *cost*, not cose ;)
Posted by thinking (anonymous) on July 31, 2009 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Foolish are you serious you really need to figure out what you are talking about before you begin to type... I also had wic when I was pregnant & both myself & my babys Dad (whom I am with still!!!) work full time & it was great to have that extra help. I could not breastfeed for certain reasons & I was so happy wic could help with the cost of formula. so no, not just woman who have one night stands trying to milk the system are on wic!!!!! and newyanke, really are you serious, again with the illegal bull can we EVER stay on the subject that the article is about??????
Posted by newyankee (anonymous) on August 1, 2009 at 3:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You do not have to be a US citizen to receive my tax dollars in this welfare program. I looked it up on the WIC website after I read, what seemed to me, to be a reprint of a WIC press release. I did not type the word "illegal" when I posted that fact followed with my inferred opinion.
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