Im no nutritionist but...uhh?
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how is this post going sour? im not complaining about the program. its great for people who need it. im frustrated with inaccurate information. its a program to promote healthy children- so why are they not using people who are educated in the subject to teach or talk with us? that is all im saying
Well...then don't take the free food at all then
This is so frustrating. What right do they have to tell us how or what to feed our kids? sure- dont like it dont use the program. but right now i really dont have a choice- was laid off and we need the help (weve only ever used it between jobs). but why should i be forced to sit through a "class" taught by someone who doesnt know what they are talking about?She is not a nutritionist. She is a government employee selling the food pyramid.
This. WIC workers are under no obligation or regulation whatsoever to be formally educated in nutrition. They are given a script to follow (itself most likely not written by a nutrition major) and a few vague ideas to sell.0 -
You're taking their money, you gotta follow their rules. That's the way it is.
This is so frustrating. What right do they have to tell us how or what to feed our kids? sure- dont like it dont use the program. but right now i really dont have a choice- was laid off and we need the help (weve only ever used it between jobs). but why should i be forced to sit through a "class" taught by someone who doesnt know what they are talking about?She is not a nutritionist. She is a government employee selling the food pyramid.
This. WIC workers are under no obligation or regulation whatsoever to be formally educated in nutrition. They are given a script to follow (itself most likely not written by a nutrition major) and a few vague ideas to sell.
no more like taking taxpayer money. I would rather make sure that the staff is properly educated before they open their mouth0 -
As would I. Is complaining on MFP going to make that happen? I answered her question: why should she have to sit through their class.
You're taking their money, you gotta follow their rules. That's the way it is.
This is so frustrating. What right do they have to tell us how or what to feed our kids? sure- dont like it dont use the program. but right now i really dont have a choice- was laid off and we need the help (weve only ever used it between jobs). but why should i be forced to sit through a "class" taught by someone who doesnt know what they are talking about?She is not a nutritionist. She is a government employee selling the food pyramid.
This. WIC workers are under no obligation or regulation whatsoever to be formally educated in nutrition. They are given a script to follow (itself most likely not written by a nutrition major) and a few vague ideas to sell.
no more like taking taxpayer money. I would rather make sure that the staff is properly educated before they open their mouth0 -
I don't mind sitting through a class if they knew what they were talking about.
You're taking their money, you gotta follow their rules. That's the way it is.
This is so frustrating. What right do they have to tell us how or what to feed our kids? sure- dont like it dont use the program. but right now i really dont have a choice- was laid off and we need the help (weve only ever used it between jobs). but why should i be forced to sit through a "class" taught by someone who doesnt know what they are talking about?She is not a nutritionist. She is a government employee selling the food pyramid.
This. WIC workers are under no obligation or regulation whatsoever to be formally educated in nutrition. They are given a script to follow (itself most likely not written by a nutrition major) and a few vague ideas to sell.
however i do not appreciate incorrect information, or being belittled and treated like im stupid.
You are getting free food from the government which comes out of the taxpayer's pocket... you do NOT get to pick and choose a program structured to your liking. If that is what you want then pay for it yourself.0 -
I don't mind sitting through a class if they knew what they were talking about.
You're taking their money, you gotta follow their rules. That's the way it is.
This is so frustrating. What right do they have to tell us how or what to feed our kids? sure- dont like it dont use the program. but right now i really dont have a choice- was laid off and we need the help (weve only ever used it between jobs). but why should i be forced to sit through a "class" taught by someone who doesnt know what they are talking about?She is not a nutritionist. She is a government employee selling the food pyramid.
This. WIC workers are under no obligation or regulation whatsoever to be formally educated in nutrition. They are given a script to follow (itself most likely not written by a nutrition major) and a few vague ideas to sell.
however i do not appreciate incorrect information, or being belittled and treated like im stupid.
You are getting free food from the government which comes out of the taxpayer's pocket... you do NOT get to pick and choose a program structured to your liking. If that is what you want then pay for it yourself.
money that i have paid into. money that my husband still pays into. what is wrong with expecting them to have proper education? just because its a government program doesnt mean we arent or have never paid for it.0 -
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I would rather make sure that the staff is properly educated before they open their mouth
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exactly0 -
Thank you to those who answered the question instead of jumping on the "pay for it yourself" crap.
im glad im not the only one who feels like it was inaccurate information. We will continue to do as we do0 -
I do believe nutrition education programs are helpful. I wish they were taught by people who were qualified. I also wish they had some sort of "smart shopper" course that could teach people serious menu planning on a budget which is sometimes difficult to do.
Unfortunately, state workers aren't paid a lot and often have to deal with a tremendous work load. It's an unfortunate situation.
They can't afford to pay the requested salary by people who have the proper education.
They system beats people down on both sides.0 -
Why didn't you ask her these questions? It sounds like some of it could just be misunderstanding (as some people have already pointed out for the servings info) and some of it is just because it is an employee giving the information they are told to give. If they have a lot of those classes then they probably don't feel they have the time to give customized information (such as no, your 1 year does not have the same dietary needs as a 10 year old) but wanted to give the most basic info to try and benefit as many people as possible in that brief time.We had a WIC appointment today and it was a nutrition class. Ive never been to one of these classes the entire time we've been on WIC but I think the lady was insane. Im no nutritionist so please tell me if this sounds about right...
It was early in the AM so no one that was there (about 5 families total) was very talkative. Who would be anyways? This lady basically has an attitude that we do not know how to feed our kids because were on WIC. But she was telling us fiber is important (obviously). and that we (kids included) need 11 servings of bread, pasta, rice, etc., a day. ELEVEN? Seriously? That seems like A LOT. Not sure if she meant 11 servings of FIBER a day but she said 11 grains, pasta, and bread. I don't really follow the food pyramid, I just feed my kids healthy foods, lots of protein, lots of veggies, and everything in moderation. Seriously- does my 1 year old REALLY need 11 servings? Thats insane. if she meant 11 servings with fiber rich veggies included that would make more sense. but she didnt say...
She also said I should be giving her, and my other kids, 4-6 oz juice daily. she went on to say how i shouldnt give any more then that because 4oz juice had the same amount of sugar as 1 can of pop. So please- WHY would I want to give juice to my kids daily anyways? I might as well give them a damn coke! And i'd never do that, so why would I give them bottled juice daily?
She ended up getting upset that no one was engaging in conversation (she wanted us to talk about us, our kids, ages, names, etc) and stormed out. She reminded me of the WIC lady who told me to stop breastfeeding my 12 month old and give cows milk because she needs "real milk". *eye roll*0 -
interesting usually the WIC classes are taught by a registered dietitian or at least someone under an RD. Have to remember though the generally pay the lowest and usually get just new grads out of school...sorry to say. I'm confused she talked about the food guide pyramid I thought the USDA had replaced it with the healthy plate model? I could be wrong it's been awhile since I've had to think about the USDA guidelines.
I think the juice thing was because that's all many parents feed their children. You have to teach that it should only be served in a limited amount and a 4-6oz serving/day is perfectly acceptable for a healthy child.
Terrible experience sorry you had to go through that. Makes me so sad that someone who probably really needed that education was loading their child up on fast food, processed food, and juices didnt get anything out of that class.0 -
The USDA recommendations for servings of grains are high, but I don't think they're 11 servings a day high.
Edit: I stand corrected. The food pyramid recommends 6-11 servings a day of grains. I was thinking that the recommendation was for 6 servings. I aim for no more than 3, and also eat some carbs in the form of starchy vegetables and beans.0 -
money that i have paid into. money that my husband still pays into. what is wrong with expecting them to have proper education? just because its a government program doesnt mean we arent or have never paid for it.
If you have worked and paid into the system, then use it.
I do have problems with people that abuse the system though.......and I have seen quite a few of those people in front of me at the store.
Hope things work out for you and your family.....0 -
she really didnt give time to. she wanted to talk about us and the kids and like i said personal life. when no one was interested she jumped into her little speech and jumped around a lot. asked a lot of silly (IMO) questions. "Where is fiber. why is it important? how much juice do your kids need a day? (I got that "wrong". i said they didnt NEED any.) then she went back to asking about us and not nutrition. again no one was interested so she said "well fine. if no one is willing to participate were done" and walked out. she really never stopped to breathe, much less ask if anyone had questions pertaining to the topic at hand
Why didn't you ask her these questions? It sounds like some of it could just be misunderstanding (as some people have already pointed out for the servings info) and some of it is just because it is an employee giving the information they are told to give. If they have a lot of those classes then they probably don't feel they have the time to give customized information (such as no, your 1 year does not have the same dietary needs as a 10 year old) but wanted to give the most basic info to try and benefit as many people as possible in that brief time.We had a WIC appointment today and it was a nutrition class. Ive never been to one of these classes the entire time we've been on WIC but I think the lady was insane. Im no nutritionist so please tell me if this sounds about right...
It was early in the AM so no one that was there (about 5 families total) was very talkative. Who would be anyways? This lady basically has an attitude that we do not know how to feed our kids because were on WIC. But she was telling us fiber is important (obviously). and that we (kids included) need 11 servings of bread, pasta, rice, etc., a day. ELEVEN? Seriously? That seems like A LOT. Not sure if she meant 11 servings of FIBER a day but she said 11 grains, pasta, and bread. I don't really follow the food pyramid, I just feed my kids healthy foods, lots of protein, lots of veggies, and everything in moderation. Seriously- does my 1 year old REALLY need 11 servings? Thats insane. if she meant 11 servings with fiber rich veggies included that would make more sense. but she didnt say...
She also said I should be giving her, and my other kids, 4-6 oz juice daily. she went on to say how i shouldnt give any more then that because 4oz juice had the same amount of sugar as 1 can of pop. So please- WHY would I want to give juice to my kids daily anyways? I might as well give them a damn coke! And i'd never do that, so why would I give them bottled juice daily?
She ended up getting upset that no one was engaging in conversation (she wanted us to talk about us, our kids, ages, names, etc) and stormed out. She reminded me of the WIC lady who told me to stop breastfeeding my 12 month old and give cows milk because she needs "real milk". *eye roll*0 -
Those group nutrition counseling sessions are tough because the WIC Nutrition Assistant has to assume that nobody knows much about nutrition and go from there. You know that giving a lot of juice to your children isn't the greatest idea, but some people might think that juice = healthy and so she was probalby just saying to limit it. The 11 servings of grains thing is definitely weird. I would assume they use the American Heart Association recommendations, which is 6. Maybe she meant something else or was confused about the recommendations.
I think someone might have pointed it out but a WIC Nutrition Assistant doesn't need a background or education in nutrition. They just need to pass a standardized test basically. Maybe your lady barely squeaked by.
The WIC dietitians provide 1-on-1 counseling only.
I am a student in a dietitian program right now and working for/volunteering at WIC is something I want to do in my career.0 -
she really didnt give time to. she wanted to talk about us and the kids and like i said personal life. when no one was interested she jumped into her little speech and jumped around a lot. asked a lot of silly (IMO) questions. "Where is fiber. why is it important? how much juice do your kids need a day? (I got that "wrong". i said they didnt NEED any.) then she went back to asking about us and not nutrition. again no one was interested so she said "well fine. if no one is willing to participate were done" and walked out. she really never stopped to breathe, much less ask if anyone had questions pertaining to the topic at hand
Why didn't you ask her these questions? It sounds like some of it could just be misunderstanding (as some people have already pointed out for the servings info) and some of it is just because it is an employee giving the information they are told to give. If they have a lot of those classes then they probably don't feel they have the time to give customized information (such as no, your 1 year does not have the same dietary needs as a 10 year old) but wanted to give the most basic info to try and benefit as many people as possible in that brief time.We had a WIC appointment today and it was a nutrition class. Ive never been to one of these classes the entire time we've been on WIC but I think the lady was insane. Im no nutritionist so please tell me if this sounds about right...
It was early in the AM so no one that was there (about 5 families total) was very talkative. Who would be anyways? This lady basically has an attitude that we do not know how to feed our kids because were on WIC. But she was telling us fiber is important (obviously). and that we (kids included) need 11 servings of bread, pasta, rice, etc., a day. ELEVEN? Seriously? That seems like A LOT. Not sure if she meant 11 servings of FIBER a day but she said 11 grains, pasta, and bread. I don't really follow the food pyramid, I just feed my kids healthy foods, lots of protein, lots of veggies, and everything in moderation. Seriously- does my 1 year old REALLY need 11 servings? Thats insane. if she meant 11 servings with fiber rich veggies included that would make more sense. but she didnt say...
She also said I should be giving her, and my other kids, 4-6 oz juice daily. she went on to say how i shouldnt give any more then that because 4oz juice had the same amount of sugar as 1 can of pop. So please- WHY would I want to give juice to my kids daily anyways? I might as well give them a damn coke! And i'd never do that, so why would I give them bottled juice daily?
She ended up getting upset that no one was engaging in conversation (she wanted us to talk about us, our kids, ages, names, etc) and stormed out. She reminded me of the WIC lady who told me to stop breastfeeding my 12 month old and give cows milk because she needs "real milk". *eye roll*
You fulfilled your obligation to attend a useless meeting, and now you can get on with doing a better job than the USDA is trying to get people who eat chips and drink soda to do.0 -
She really compared juice to soda...oh wow. The crappy juices with added sugars aren't the best but a high quality juice with some pulp still in tacked is way different. But all in all it's much better to give them just the fruit.
Kids can't actually properly digest grains until age 3. There's something in their digestive system that isn't fully formed until then.
Creating Healthy Children by Karen Ranzi is a great book on nutrition for little ones.0 -
No we certainly do not abuse the system. I would much rather take care of my kids on my own and know that the program is available for others who need it. but like i said previously. i was just laid off and we need it for now. in fact when i had my last job they called to remind me we had a WIC appt., i told them i was working now and no longer needing or using the vouchers, and to cancel my appt. She asked what our income was and then proceeded to tell me "you should just stay on it. technically you still qualify".money that i have paid into. money that my husband still pays into. what is wrong with expecting them to have proper education? just because its a government program doesnt mean we arent or have never paid for it.
If you have worked and paid into the system, then use it.
I do have problems with people that abuse the system though.......and I have seen quite a few of those people in front of me at the store.
Hope things work out for you and your family.....
no thanks. i dont care if i can make over 4grand a month and still qualify. if i can do it on my own ill do it on my own.0 -
No we certainly do not abuse the system. I would much rather take care of my kids on my own and know that the program is available for others who need it. but like i said previously. i was just laid off and we need it for now. in fact when i had my last job they called to remind me we had a WIC appt., i told them i was working now and no longer needing or using the vouchers, and to cancel my appt. She asked what our income was and then proceeded to tell me "you should just stay on it. technically you still qualify".money that i have paid into. money that my husband still pays into. what is wrong with expecting them to have proper education? just because its a government program doesnt mean we arent or have never paid for it.
If you have worked and paid into the system, then use it.
I do have problems with people that abuse the system though.......and I have seen quite a few of those people in front of me at the store.
Hope things work out for you and your family.....
no thanks. i dont care if i can make over 4grand a month and still qualify. if i can do it on my own ill do it on my own.
Good to hear, glad things are working out for you and your family.0 -
the juice that they provide is like juicy juice or something like that (we dont get the juice so im not sure exactly) its not like orange juice or the healthier juices. so it really wouldnt surprise me if it was compareable to soda.She really compared juice to soda...oh wow. The crappy juices with added sugars aren't the best but a high quality juice with some pulp still in tacked is way different. But all in all it's much better to give them just the fruit.
Kids can't actually properly digest grains until age 3. There's something in their digestive system that isn't fully formed until then.
Creating Healthy Children by Karen Ranzi is a great book on nutrition for little ones.0 -
I would rather make sure that the staff is properly educated before they open their mouth
Could you offer to help teach the class perhaps?0
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