Smart Snacking

Almost everyone eats snacks. Some adults can do OK with 3 big meals a day, but for many of us, snacks are important to help get us through to the next meal time. Children especially need snacks because they have very high energy needs and small stomachs. They cannot get enough of what they need from 3 meals. Plan for your child to have 2-3 snacks and 3 meals each day. 3 meals alone may not be enough!

For kids, snacks can either help their nutrition or hurt their nutrition. Snacks will hurt their nutrition if:

• Children are allowed to snack or "graze" all day and whenever they want. Little contraptions exist now that allow toddlers to carry around cereals or little "puffs" and eat them all day. This is not really a good idea. Neither is allowing your child or toddler to carry around a sippy cup or bottle. What happens when children do this is that they do not eat very well at mealtimes because they are not hungry. No wonder! They have been eating and drinking all day! Some children get rotten teeth from eating and drinking constantly as well...


• Snacks are given as rewards for eating at mealtime. This can teach a child to overeat.


• Snacks are given any time the child does not want to eat their meal. This can cause a picky eater.


• They are given too close to the next meal time.

Snacks can help your child's nutrition if

• They are planned to be about 2-3 hours before their next meal.


• They are eaten at the table or high chair only.


• They contain nutritious foods. Try to regularly have snacks that contain milk, cheese, yogurt, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Remeber that snacks help fill nutrition gaps and should really be considered "mini meals".

For a good snack try to have one energy food (carbohydrate) and one growing food (protein).

Energy foods are foods like: bread, crackers, cereals, tortillas, fruit, vegetables, juice (only once a day)

Growing foods are foods like: milk, cheese, yogurt, meats,beans, peanut butter, nuts, eggs

Here are some examples of snacks that contain both types of foods. These snacks will help your child feel full and happy until their next meal:

• Fruit and Cheese


• Cereal and Milk


• Crackers with cheese or peanut butter


• Half of a sandwich (with peanut butter, cheese, or meat)


• Fruit and milk


• Graham crackers and milk


• Fruit or vegetable juice and string cheese

- Allison Leonard RD

Protecting Little Smiles

Even in the very beginning when the first little teeth are starting to come in, dental health is an important part of your child's overall health.

Why is it important to care for baby teeth?
Even though they will eventually fall out, baby teeth hold the place where adult teeth will grow.
Also, it can be difficult to eat a large variety of healthy foods without healthy teeth or with constant toothaches and brittle teeth that chip easily.

Here are some of the Do's and Don'ts of Baby Teeth:

-Do... Make sure that your child's bedtime routine involves wiping teeth or gums with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush for babies, or brushing your toddler's teeth with a small dot of toothpaste.

-Don't... Put your child to bed with a baby bottle or sippy cup, especially one with filled with milk or juice-- This leads to tooth decay that can be painful for your child and your pocket. If this has been a part of your routine and you and you child are having trouble breaking this habit, try replacing this routine with another one like singing a soothing song or practicing your numbers by counting sheep.

-Do... Limit juice to 4-6 ounces each day.

-Don't... Allow your child to walk around with a sippy cup full of juice. If your child is thirsty, it is fine to offer water. However, sipping on sweet drinks all day can lead to tooth decay and cavities.

-Do... Have your child using a sippy cup by age 1-- The sippy cup is a short-term tool used for transitioning to a big cup

-Don't... Continue to use the sippy cup out of convenience if your child is able to use a big cup-- Around age 2, most children can drink fine from a regular cup. There will be spills, but that's just a part of learning. As mentioned before, the purpose of the sippy cup is to help your child learn to drink from a big cup.

-Do... Feed your baby healthy foods. A lot of foods aren't very good for us because they have too much sugar. These unhealthy foods that tend to be high in sugar are also bad for baby teeth.

-Do... See a dentist regularly!

If you are having trouble locating dental services in your area, or of your child has dental problems that are affecting his/her eating, contact your WIC nutritionist.

Valerie Marcellus, Nutritionist

Big Changes Coming!

    The Rappahannock WIC program is excited to announce our new hours starting in February 2012.  The Rappahannock WIC program will now be open later at 4 of our 5 sites during the second week of the month. We will no longer be offering Saturday clinics but clients can now come in later in the day after school and work!!   The new hours are listed below:

NEW HOURS
Spotsylvania- 2nd Monday of the month will be open 8am- 7pm
Fredericksburg- 2nd Tuesday of the month will be open 8 am-7pm
Caroline- 2nd Wednesday of the month will be open 8am- 5:30pm
Stafford- 2nd Thursday of the month will be open 8am-7pm

Let us know what you think about the new hours.  If you like the Saturday clinic better just send us an email or call your local health department.

- Eileen Alwang
WIC Coordinator

                                

Exciting Opportunity Ahead...

Rappahannock WIC is excited to announce that we will be doing store tours for our WIC participants!


Come learn how to use your WIC food instruments and get the best nutritional bang for your buck in our local stores. So far we will be doing the tours at the Southpoint Wal-Mart in Spotsylvania and the Giant off of Garrison Road in Stafford. Here are some tentative dates and times. These times and dates are subject to change so be sure to check back!

South Point Wal- Mart WIC Tours:

January 20 at 10:30 and February 3 at 10:30 and 3:00
February 24 at 10:30 and 3:00
March 2 at 10:30 and 3:00
March 23 at 10:30 and 3:00

Giant Tours:

January 19 at 10:30 and 3:00
February 2 at 10:30 and 3:00
February 23 at 10:30 and 3:00
March 1 at 10:30 and 3:00
March 22 at 10:30 and 3:00

If you would like to attend one of the free tours or would like more information call Allison Leonard at 540-899-4142 extension 5948.

Thanksgiving, Round 2!

You are all ready for Thanksgiving.  You have the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the green bean casserole, and A LOT of it all.  Now fast forward to Friday and you still have tons of leftovers in the fridge.  As good as everything was the first day, eating the same thing meal after meal can get pretty boring.  Here are some easy recipes you can make to use up all of your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

Slow-Cooker Black-Bean Soup with Turkey

 Thanksgving Leftover Casserole

Tex-Mex Turkey Soup 

     

Dad's Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Thanksgiving in a Pan

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Rappahannock Area WIC!

Ready to POP!

We will be having our next breastfeeding baby shower on January 20, 2012 at 10:00 am.  We had so much fun at the last "Ready to Pop!" baby shower that we decided to do it again!  Further details are below.  Please RSVP to ZaKia if you would like to join us!

Homemade Apple Cider

Now is the season to enjoy a delicious, warm cup of apple cider. There are so many different apple cider recipes floating around, how do you pick just one? The easiest way to make apple cider is to buy a gallon of apple cider, pour it into a large pot, add some cinnamon and allspice and let it simmer. If you want 100% homemade apple cider, give this one a try and see how you like it!

Ingredients:

12 or so small- medium apples (assorted types)

1 small orange

3-4 cinnamon sticks

nutmeg

1tbsp of cloves

water to cover

-Wash and roughly chop apples and orange-do not worry about removing peels, seeds, or stems. -Toss into a large stock pot.
-Add sugar (start with 1/2 cup, you can always add more later)
-Add spices, and cover with water.
-Bring to a boil and boil uncovered for at least an hour.
-Cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow juice to simmer for at least two hours.
-Uncover and use a potato masher or big spoon to roughly mash content of pot. To further reduce: continue simmering until cider is dark and tastes sweet and spicy.
-When cider is ready allow to cool then strain apple pieces and whole spices into a clean pitcher or pot.

-Serve hot. Store in the fridge and reheat as desired.

Yields about 1/2 gal.

*Rememeber you can use your cash voucher to buy most of your apples and your orange!

Enjoy!

Christy Redmond- Nutritionist

Leaves, leaves and more leaves!

I think most people would agree that this time of year is the most beautiful time of year because of all the trees changing colors and preparing for winter. Looking around we have orange trees, red trees, bright yellow trees and a few green leaves left. I have a few ideas on how you can really enjoy what is left of Fall before the start of Winter.

Bundle the kiddies and family up (even the dog) and head outside for a fun afternoon of raking! Kids will love the idea of being able to jump into a giant pile of leaves! Raking is a great form of exercise for the whole family and gives everyone the chance to get outside for some fresh air.

Head to the local park with the family and let the kids run around to burn off some of that energy! Make it a day trip or just for the afternoon. Take a healthy picnic lunch and enjoy the cool weather and wonderful scenery!

Be sure to enjoy a nice warm cup of apple cider with the family at the end of the day. Oh and don't forget to add cinnamon sticks to the cider for a little added flavor!

Happy Fall!

-Christy Redmond, Nutritionist