Nutritional Assistance for Pregnant Women
We all know that eating the right nutrients is a vital part of our life in order to stay healthy. Pregnant women face an even bigger challenge, eating enough nutrients for their own bodies to stay healthy and to replenish the nutrients that the baby growing inside you needs as well.
If you live in the United States and have a hard time getting the right things to eat for you and your baby, there is help available. A federal agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Food and Nutrition Service or FNS, wants to make sure that no one goes hungry, especially pregnant women and their children.
I know some of you may find it hard to accept anything from our government, but please remember that this is the reason these programs were put into place. Yes, there are food stamp programs, but the FNS also oversees a program Called WIC or Women, Infants, and Children. This program is federally funded and distributed to the individual states to ensure the proper distribution of funds to properly feed those who qualify for the program.
Not only can pregnant women qualify for nutritional assistance, they also provide funds for women who are breastfeeding, and children up to the age of 5 who qualify for the program. This service provides the basic nutrients for young children to develop properly and get the nutrients their body needs.
Most WIC programs allow you to choose items from your grocery store shelves as long as they are qualified products from a list you will be given. Items such as Juicy Juice and Cheerios, along with dairy products of all kinds can be found on the list of qualified products. You will receive a card that keeps track of what products you have purchased and you will use it at the store similar to a debit or mastercard.
There is no shame in taking the assistance you qualify for. To find a local WIC office near you visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/Contacts/statealpha.HTM for a complete list categorized by states.
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