Table Of ContentHistoric, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific l<nowledge, policies, or practices.
WiC May Be Able To
Help You
If:
• You arepregnantorhave
recentlygivenbirth, and
• Youhave alowincome or
no income, and
• Youhave anutrition or
healthproblem
Beingpregnantor
breastfeedingababyis a Callyourlocalhealth depart-
bigjob. Andthe Special mentto seeifyouare eligible
SupplementalFood toreceiveWIC Program
ProgramforWomen,
benefits.
Infants and Children,
knownasWIC, ishere WIC Provides At No
tohelpyou. Cost To You:
• Nutritiousfoodsto supple-
mentyourdiet, and
• Informationonhealthy
eating, and
• Referralsforhealthcar(
WIC May Be Abie To Everyone Wlio Is Eligible May Not Get WIC Benefits
Help You
If:
• SometimesyourlocalWIC agencymaynothavetliefundsto
• Youarepregnantorhave serveeveryonewhoiseligible.Whenthishappens,WIC
recentlygivenbirth, and servesapplicantsaccordingtoaprioritysystem.
• Youhavealowincomeor • Undertheprioritysystem,pregnantwomen,breastfeeding
noincome, and women, and infantswhohaveanutiition-related medical
• Youhaveanutritionor problemreceiveWICbenefitsfirst.
healthproblem
Length Of Time You Can Stay
Callyourlocalhealth depart- On WIC
mentto seeifyou areeligible
to receiveWIC Program • Ifyou are pregnant: Duringyour r-
pregnancyandupto6weeksafter
benefits.
yourbabyisborn.
r-WIC Provides At No • Ifyou tire postpartum and
Cost To You: breastfeeding: Upto 1yearafteryour Vj
• Nutritiousfoodstosupple- babyisbornifyoucontinuebreastfeeding.
mentyourdiet,and .Ky<-' -
• Informationonhealthy bi _ Upto (3 month
eating, and afteryourbabyisborn
• Referralsforhealthcare
yourselfandyourfamily
Graduation From The throughoutyourentirelife.
WIC Program
WIC encouragesyou and
• WICprovidesshort-term yourbabytogetregular
benefitsforyou andfor health care.
yourbabyduringcritical IfyoueatyourWICfoods
timesofgrowth and andfollowtheadviceofthe
development WICnutritionist,your
•WICteachesyouhowto nutrition and/orhealth
chooseandprepare should improve.Then,you
nutritiousandaffordable cangraduatefromthe
foods. Theinformation progra—m in ashortperiod
yougetfi-omWICwillhelp oftime healthierand
youchoosehealthyfoods smarter.
birthweight Good
nutrition alsoprotects
againsthealthproblems.
Ifyou are ateenager,
yourbodyis stillgrowing
whileyourbabyis
developinginsideyou.
Eatingtherightfoods
willhelpbothyou and
yourbabyto develop and
grow.
Whenyouarepregnant
TheWICfoodpackage
orbreastfeeding,you
andyourbabyneed doesnotprovide allthe
certainnutrients.The foodsyou andyourbaby
onlywayyourgrowing need. Itsupplementsthe
babygets nutrientsto foodsyoubuy. TheWIC
buildhealthymuscles staffcanhelpyouplanto
andbones and other makehealthychoicesfor
bodytissuesisfromyou yourselfandyourfamily
andthefoodsyou eat WIC can also referyou
Whatyou eatcanmake andyourbabyfor
the differenceinyour medicalcare.
health andyourbaby's
Food Groups WIC Foods and Their Nutrients
HOW SOME IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS WORK FOR YOU i providescertain
Milk, Yogurt, & Milk(ZfidchcGSBPTovidcculciufn
AND YOUR BABY Cheese Group vitaminA, andprotein. Theymay IfIoCodsfromeach of
alsoprovidesomefat.
Nutrient What it does
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Drybeansandpeas, eggs,peanut thefive majorfood
Carbohydrates Provideenergy. Helpthebodymakethebestmeof DNurtysBGearnosu,p Eggs, & baunttderm,inaenrdaltsu.naBfeiasnhspraonvdidpeeparsoatreien gi-oups.TheWICfoods
othernutrients.
goodsourcesoffolateandfiber.
Prote n* Helpsto buildandrepairallbodytissues. Helpsform Peanutbutterandtunafish also aregood sourcesofsome
1 substances in thebodythatfightinfection. Helpsin the providesomefat.
regulation ofbodyfunctions. Maybeusedtoprovide importantnutrients. No
energy. Vegetable Group
vitamin C, andminerals. Carrots
Fat Providesenergy. Carriesfat-soluble vitamins. Needed provide vitiminAandfiber one food givesyou alltlie
forhealthyskin.
Vitamin A* Promotesgrowth anddevelopment. Neededforhealthy Fruit Group Juicesprovidevitamin C. Orange nutiientsyou need to stay
skin.Alsoprotectsagainstinfection andis important andgrapefruitjuicesaregood
fornormalvision. sourcesoffolate. healthy So eatmany
Vitamin C* Helpsto maintain bloodvessels, bones, teeth, and
muscles.Aids in ironabsorption. Helpsthebodyresist Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Cerealsprovidecomplexcarbohy- differentfoodseveryday
\
infection. Pasta Group drates, B-vitamins, includingfolate,
Folate Helpsthebodyform redbloodcellsandaids in the iron, andfiber. j Ifyou arebreastfeeding
formation ofgeneticmaterials within everybodycell
andyourbabyreceivesno
B-Vitamins Helpkeepthe nervoussystemhealthyandhelpthebody
tofunctionproperly Promotenormalappetiteand
digestion. Help thebodyto usetheenergyinfood. formulafromWIC,you
Calcium* Helpsbuildandmaintainstrongbonesandteeth. mayreceive someextra
Helpsmusclesandnervestofunction normally Helps
bloodclot.
foods. Ifyou arehome-
Iron* Helpsform andmaintain bloodcells. Helpsprotect
againstinfection. Helpsthebodycarryoxygen tocells. WIC
less, tellthe staff.
Other IVIinerals Perform manyimportantfunctionsthroughoutthe Typesandbttnds ofWICfoods will differ from State to State.
body " They maybe able to
1
Dietary Fiber Helpskeepthedigestivetracthealthy
provideWIC foodsthat
do notneed cookingor
refrigeration.
1
IC provides certain
foodsfrom each of
the five majorfood
I
groups.TheWIC foods
aregood sources ofsome
importantnutrients. No
onefoodgivesyou allthe
nutrientsyou needto stay
healthy. So eatmany
differentfoods everyday.
Ifyou arebreastfeeding
andyourbabyreceives no
formulafromWIC, you
mayreceive some extra
foods. Ifyou are home-
WIC
less, tellthe staff
.
nds ofWICfoods will differfrom State to State.
Theymaybe able to
WIC
provide foods that
do notneed cooking or
Why breastfeeding is
so good:
Breastfeeding
• Breastmilkhelpsfight
Best infectionsand delays
Is
allergies. Breastfedbabies
Breastmilkisthe are sicklessoften.
bestfoodforbabies. • Breastmilkiseasyfor
Breastfeedinggives babiesto digestsothey
babiesthebeststartin haveless diarrhea, consti-
life.TheWIC Program pation, and spittingup.
encourageswomento
• Breastmilkismadejustfor
breastfeed.
babies. Ithasjusttheright
balance ofvitamins,
minerals, and othernutri-
entsneededfor
yourbabytogrowwell.
• Breastmilkisalwayswarm
andreadytofeed.
• Breastfeedingbuilds a
specialclosenessbetween
you andyourbaby.
•Breastfeedinghelps
yourbodygetback
into shape after
pregnancy.
