Nutrition News WIC adds fresh fruit

Nutrition should be one of the top goals of any government run program where tax dollars are affected. This has finally happened with the WIC program which provides food supplements for women and children who are in need of help. Up until now the WIC program would not allow the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables with the program but now that has changed and many of these items can now be purchased with WIC vouchers.

This is good nutrition news as this program is designed to help disadvantaged mothers have healthier babies. This in turn should help to reduce the health costs associated with these children as the mother will receive more vitamins and healthy supplements while they are pregnant. Since these are disadvantaged women who receive these benefits a lot of times the birthing expense is also borne by the taxpayers.

These changes in the supplemental food program will better reflect the dietary guidelines set forth by the government. These vouchers and can also be used to buy whole grains and other foods that are more healthy in nature. The WIC program is funded in the amount of almost 7 billion annually and while this change will not increase that funding it will provide additional choices for the people who are participants in this nutrition program.

Before this new nutrition news concerning the WIC program recipients of WIC could buy infant formula, eggs, milk, juice, peanut butter and dried beans. While the addition of fresh fruits will not help infants it will help the mother’s nutrition as well as any other small children which may live in the home.

Adding fresh fruit vegetables to the mix of items the voucher will cover should also help the economy in some areas as more stores will be eligible to accept the government vouchers.

This all falls in line with the administration’s push to improve wellness programs within the US and as a result hopefully reduce the cost associated with healthcare. This is not really an addition of funds for this program but just reallocates the way the funds are dispersed. So its unlikely that this program change will cause any problems with people who are against government growth. Helping the small children of this country receive the proper nutrition should be something everyone one can support.

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