Hey hey hey!
I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for a while but my schedule has been chaotic AF with the internship! Work, assignments ( and let’s be honest, badger game days ) have been keeping me busy!
SKO BADGE !! 🤘🏼
I rotated at various WIC sites over 10 days and wanted to share what I learned with you guys. We talked about WIC in my undergrad classes but I never had the opportunity to take a deep dive into it until my internship!
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What is WIC?
WIC stands for “women, infant, and children.” The target population are low-income, nutritionally at risk individuals including pregnant women ( through pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after birth or after pregnancy ends ), breastfeeding women ( up to infant’s 1st birthday ), nonbreastfeeding postpartum women ( up to 6 months after the birth of an infant or after pregnancy ends), infants ( up to 1st birthday ), and children up to their 5th birthday.
Here, WIC participants receive supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education and counseling, and screening and referrals to other health or social services.
What did I do there?
I shadowed the WIC nutritionists during their nutrition education and counseling sessions. To be a WIC Nutritionist, you are required to have at least a bachelorette in nutrition and dietetics but aren’t required to be a RDN.
After a few days of shadowing, I wrote SAP notes for the Nutritionists after the counseling sessions. SAP stands for subjective, assessment, and plan. This is a similar note to what most healthcare providers use, SOAP (subjective, assessment, objective, and plan). Basically, it’s a way to document in a structured and organized way.
One of the days, I shadowed a WIC Nutritionist with a med student from Arizona! This was a great experience because medical students don’t study nutrition in school – some only take one nutrition class!! I had the opportunity to discuss and introduce dietetics to the med student before she started her residency!
There are a few other opportunities throughout this semester where I will be working with med students, BUT that’s for another D.I.aries!! 😉
Takeaways
This was a very eye-opening experience. I learned about the many obstacles that prevent low-income individuals from receiving sufficient nutrition including policy, language barriers, lack of transportation, disability, and time.
In addition to those obstacles, I was v disappointed at how some products’ false marketing influences the children’s food choices and decisions. ( Also briefly discussed this in my DI Q+A ). This becomes an issue because when these individuals do have access to food, they become falsely educated! As a blogger-nutrition NUT, this drives me crazy. I use this platform to share evidence-based information but unfortunately, some other platforms and brands don’t follow an evidence-based practice.
Fake news??? Fake MARKETING???? 👀
There are a many food products on the market that target young children. These products appeal to the kids because they are delish and the parents like the products because the kids enjoy them, the product may provide some nutrients, and the kids actually consume the product ( as opposed to their veggies ).
Some brands claim that the product contains nutrients essential for growth, but doesn’t address the calorie surplus it provides to the consumers. Also, these products are supplemental – and not meant to replace meals because they provide a surplus of calories! The nutrition facts panel shows a very small serving that isn’t likely to be what one actually consumes in one sitting and as a result, the kid is guzzling sugar and calories.
At WIC, the issue isn’t just nutritional deficiencies. The goal is to promote a healthy growth and weight for the children, but many of these products that claim to be healthy and taste good actually are making the child overweight or obese and increasing their risk of many comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Fortunately, the nutritionists do a FAB job in educating the clients on the importance of focusing on eating wholesome food and not supplements!
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Calorie surplus rant over!
I’m curious, have you heard of WIC before? LMK!
xx hails