Newsletter

be

Celebrate

Healthy Eating

LET’S EAT HEALTHY!

Belmont County WIC Newsletter

March 2019

Happy National Nutrition Month!

Good nutrition can make a big difference in your life. We’re celebrating at WIC!

WIC’s benefits to you go far beyond free food and formula.

Those who participate in WIC have safer pregnancies, with fewer premature births and infant deaths. WIC infants and children have healthier diets. WIC moms are healthier. WIC children do better in school. And there are many other advantages.

So celebrate with us this month! Keep your children on WIC until they are 5 years old and recommend WIC to your family members and friends.

Learn more about how WIC helps at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic-how-wic-helps

Breakfast Helps New Moms

Whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding, being a new mom is not easy.

“Fuel” your body with a healthy breakfast.

Start the day with protein from eggs, peanut butter or reduced fat milk and other dairy products. Protein helps you recover from childbirth, especially if you had a C-section. Breastfeeding moms need more protein than they did before

By WIC Dietitian,

Linda Ball, RD, LD

pregnancy, and some of it should come from breakfast.

Have whole wheat toast, whole grain muffins, oatmeal or whole grain cereals to help you feel full longer and give you “energy to go.”

Stay away from donuts, toaster pastries or highly sweetened cereals. Simple carbs can make your blood sugar shoot up and then fall.

New moms who eat breakfast can gradually lose “baby weight” better, because they are less likely to snack on junk food or eat too much later.

WIC Supports Breastfeeding

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Folic Acid Isn’t Hard to Get

Some women don’t eat enough foods that contain folic acid.

When that happens, they are more likely to have babies with brain and spinal cord birth defects. Other problems like low infant birth weight, preterm delivery, and fetal growth retardation can occur.

Folic acid is needed most in the first few weeks of pregnancy when you may not even know that you are pregnant!

That’s why it is important to get plenty of folic acid before you are pregnant and during your pregnancy.

An easy way to boost your folic acid intake is to eat fortified ready-to-eat dry cereals. Look for 50% or 100% of the “ % Daily Value for Folic Acid” on the nutrition label.

Also get folic acid from broccoli, asparagus, lima beans, dried beans and peas, spinach and turnip greens, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, nuts and sunflower seeds.

Be sure to take your prenatal vitamin or a folic acid supplement as recommended by your doctor when you are pregnant.

Breastfeeding Tip

If you plan to use a bottle or pacifier, wait until your baby is at least 3-4 weeks old. Bottles and pacifiers can decrease your milk supply.

From Ohio WIC “How to Breastfeed Your Baby”

Children Need Breakfast

Children who eat breakfast….

Learn more in school

Behave better in school

Get the nutrients that they need to be healthy

Are less likely to gain too much weight

Start good eating habits for life

From: Benefits of Breakfast, USDA, https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/sbp/benefitsbreakfast.pdf

Good Food for Babies, the Right Kind at the Right Time

If you give your baby solid foods before age 6 months he or she is at greater risk for:

Obesity Allergies Diabetes

Breast milk or formula provides all of the nutrients a baby needs before age 6 months.

It is usually best to wait until your baby is 6 months old to start solids. Talk to your WIC Health Professional and your baby’s doctor about it.

Balloon Safety

Balloons are fun, but children can choke or suffocate on uninflated balloons. Keep uninflated balloons away from children. Discard broken balloons at once. Supervise your children when they play with balloons.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission Safety Alert: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/5087.pdf

Spring Cleaning

Spring is a good time to clean up your recipe collection!

Some of your dessert recipes may no longer meet your healthy eating goals.

You probably have some dessert recipes that are “special,” like Granny’s banana pie or your mom’s sugar cookies.

They can be “once-in-a while” treats for special occasions.

You may want to replace some of your dessert recipes with healthier ones.

Here is a checklist to help you evaluate a dessert recipe. The more checks, the better the recipe!

Dessert Recipe Checklist

No more than ½ cup of sugar

Whole grain ingredients (like whole wheat flour, oats, or brown rice)

Liquid vegetable oils like canola or olive oil

Added vegetables or fruits

Other healthy ingredients from plants such as nuts, seeds, or dried beans

Buying a Dessert?

When you shop for a ready-made dessert, look for healthy ingredients on the Nutrition Facts label. Ingredients listed first are there in the greatest amount. If sugar is listed first, there is probably a lot of it!

It’s cold and flu season!

If you or your child is sick or has a fever, please call to reschedule.

Try this Chocolate Zucchini Bread. It does very well on the Dessert Recipe Checklist and I think you’ll like it!

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 small zucchini, grated (about 1 ½ cups)

Directions

1. Put grated zucchini in a strainer over a bowl to catch excess moisture.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.

3. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, beat sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in zucchini. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan.

4. Place pan on middle oven rack and bake 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from pan.

Find this recipe and others on the Produce for Kids website:

https://www.produceforkids.com/recipes/chocolate-zucchini-bread/