WIC Offers

• Helpful nutrition for you and your family
• Breastfeeding Advice & Support
• Healthy Foods
• Health & Medical Service Resources

Nutrition

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
was launched in 1974. Its goal was to provide supplemental foods that would supply nutrients
lacking in the diets of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women, infants, and
children less than 5 years of age, who had at least one nutritional risk factor.

Highly preventable, chronic diseases can be reduced and prevented through adopting healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods.

• Because risk for chronic disease begins prenatally and in early childhood, there is substantial opportunity to prevent and reduce chronic diseases during these life stages.
• WIC provides to eligible beneficiaries nutritious foods – aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans – that supplement the nutritional needs of participants and supports optimal nutrition during critical periods of growth and development-pregnancy, infancy and early childhood.
• WIC also provides nutrition education that is specific to participant needs and promotes healthy eating habits for life.

Healthy Eating News – July 2016

What is a "healthy diet"?

A healthy eating pattern is one that provides enough of each essential nutrient from nutrient-dense foods, contains a variety of foods from all of the basic food groups, and focuses on balancing calories consumed with calories expended to help you achieve and sustain a healthy weight. This eating pattern limits intake of solid fats, sugar, salt (sodium) and alcohol. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides guidance for creating a healthy eating pattern to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. See http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-style

Additional information on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/.

Breastfeeding

Good nutrition is important throughout our lives. It is especially important during infancy and childhood because of its effect on growth and development. Many of the important ingredients in breastmilk are not found in artificial baby milk.

Breastmilk is very easily digested and changes daily to meet your baby's nutritional needs. It also helps in other ways. Breastfeeding creates a close emotional bond between you and your baby. It improves your baby's oral and facial development. And it lowers your risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis late rin lfie.

By breasfeeding you are doing something that only you can do for your baby.

Congratulations on giving your baby the best!

Breastfeeding is encouraged and supported as the natural and best method of infant feeding for every mother and baby. Our program offers Prenatal Education and provides help to all new mothers to make an informed feeding choice after delivery. We also offer free services of Lactation Consultant and Breastfeeding Peer Counselors are provided. Along with breastfeeding counseling we offer manual or electric pumps for mothers returning to work, school, etc. Breastfeeding mothers receive an enhanced food package as well as an exteded eligibility for program benefits.