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WIC: Addressing nutrition insecurity among the poor

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Food insecurity is a serious issue for many in South Los Angeles and countywide.

In 2012 a reported 10.3 percent of the African American women and 6 percent of the Latinas in Los Angeles County who were questioned six months before becoming pregnant reported not having enough to eat or enough money for food. These are findings of the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Survey, a project of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

But food insecurity is not confined to women about to become pregnant. It affects many men, women and children.

Marie Barnes knows this only too well. Every day she and her colleagues at the Manchester WIC Center encourage moms and dads to address the challenges to feeding their families healthy meals. They meet with parents during one-on-one counseling and group sessions focused on health and nutrition. WIC is short for Women, Infants and Children, a federal nutrition and health safety net program.

March is National Nutrition Month. But every month is nutrition month for Marie Barnes.

She has served as a nutritionist and registered dietitian with WIC for more than 30 years. She received her undergraduate degree in home economics with a concentration in dietetics, did her graduate work in nutrition and biology and became a certified lactation educator. Over the years she has met with thousands of WIC parents, their infants and their children.

“I am so proud of our parents,” Barnes said. “When they first come to us, they clearly want their families to be healthy. But they face many challenges, including poverty. Some don’t know a lot about nutrition. They are so busy; it’s hard to find time to cook. They think fruits and vegetables are terribly expensive, and often they’re right. Yet they persevere and often make valuable changes.

“We encourage pregnant women to plan on breastfeeding. Breastmilk is highly nutritional, and breastfeeding is a valuable way for mother and baby to bond. It also protects the baby and saves time and money.

“When I meet with parents of toddlers and older children, we talk together about the benefits of fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. They decide which aspects of nutrition they’d like to focus on, and we discuss their options. Yes they do struggle, but together we figure out ways they can stretch their food dollars, prepare foods quickly and encourage their children to enjoy nutritious foods,” Barnes said.

At WIC centers, eligible women, infants and children receive food checks for purchasing nutritious food.  “The checks are so helpful to families,” Barnes said. “But these food checks cover a portion of the food our participants need, not all of it.”

Together Barnes and parents discuss opportunities. “We explore ways to purchase fruits and vegetables inexpensively. We discuss looking for weekly and daily specials at local markets and the possibility that food might be less expensive in warehouse stores. And we talk about the 103rd Street Farmers’ Market, (at Ted Watkins Memorial Park) which is open every Saturday, 12 months of the year,” Barnes said.

“We talk with parents about nutrition, especially about Vitamin A and about Vitamin C, which flushes through the system quickly and needs to be replenished daily. Fruits and vegetables are sources of these vitamins, one of the reasons they are extremely important in everyone’s diet.”

Anemia is common in toddlers and older children because they don’t have enough iron in their systems, according to Barnes.

Toddlers are at risk for anemia, especially when parents continue to bottle feed them after age one. “Children only need three to four small servings of milk per day. But they often are drinking eight to 10 large servings,” Barnes said.

As a consequence, these children don’t have enough room in their stomachs for solid foods like the beans, meats, vegetables and fruits that are sources of iron. Anemic children lack the energy, strength and stamina they need and are at risk for problems with cognition and learning.

“We talk to parents about feeding their children less milk and more ‘family food’,” Barnes said. “We stress the importance of foods that provide iron as well as those providing Vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron.”

Barnes said she enjoys working with moms and dads at the Manchester WIC Center. “We embrace everybody. We want them to have a good experience,” she said.

Barnes encourages residents to learn more. “Visit us at the Manchester WIC Center and find out whether you’re eligible for WIC.”

Benefits of  WIC enrollment include nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding support, checks for healthy foods, and referrals to health care and other services. These benefits are available to eligible low-income and moderate-income residents, including working families.

Women and teenagers who are pregnant, have recently had a baby or are breastfeeding, as well as infants and children under age 5, will qualify for WIC if they meet household income requirements and other program requirements.

Fathers, foster parents, grandparents and other guardians of eligible infants or children can also apply for WIC.

The Manchester WIC Center is located at 250 E. Manchester Ave. (at San Pedro), Los Angeles.

For more information, call (310) 661-3080 or visit www.slahp.org.

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