The Georgia flavor [Vol. 1, Issue 2 (Summer Quarter 2008)]

Summer Quarter 2008
Volume 1, Issue 2

Division of Public Health's Office of Nutrition
The Georgia Flavor...

A Season of Change Coming for WIC

The food package for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will undergo its first major makeover in over 30 years. This comprehensive change in the food package will reflect current nutrition science by aligning with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. All states must implement these changes by October 2009.

Since 1974 the WIC program has provided nutrition education and food packages to improve the health and diet quality of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to 5 years of age.

The current food packages include infant formula, eligible medical foods, milk, eggs, cheese, juice, cereal, peanut butter, and dried peas or beans. Women who are exclusively breastfeeding their infants also receive tuna and carrots. These food packages were designed to include sources of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and protein.

The food package revisions largely reflect the Institute of Medicine's recommendations in the report, "WIC Food Packages: Time for a Change." WIC participants will continue to receive the current types of foods, but some amounts will be reduced in order to follow recommendations for saturated
fat and sugar intake including:
Less juice for children and women

WIC participants will receive some new foods to promote higher fiber,
vegetable, and fruit intake.

No juice for infants

Less eggs and dairy products

Old WIC Food Package for Children
New WIC Food Package for Children

WIC participants will also receive some new foods to promote higher fiber, vegetable, fruit, and fish intake (for exclusively breastfeeding mothers):
Vegetables and fruits (fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar) Whole grain foods (bread, bulgur, cereal, oatmeal, rice and tortillas) Canned salmon and other fish products in addition to tuna
The new food packages will make certain approved soy-based beverages and tofu available as milk alternatives. There also will be greater incentives for mothers to breastfeed rather than formula-feed their infants. And finally, the new food packages offer flexibility by providing culturally appropriate food options.
The Georgia WIC Program looks forward to offering the revised food packages beginning Fall 2009. For more information about the WIC program in Georgia, please visit us at the following web address: http://health.state.ga.us/programs/wic/.

The Georgia Flavor...

Summer Quarter 2008

Page 2

What is VENA? And why is everyone using it?

Beginning this summer, WIC clients will notice sizzling changes in the way they receive services. One of the biggest changes will involve the active role clients will have in setting goals for a healthier lifestyle, which can bring health benefits for the entire family. The interaction and working relationship between WIC staff and clients will feel more comfortable than ever before.
What is behind all the positive changes in the WIC program? The answer is VENA, Value Enhanced Nutrition Assessment (VENA).
The VENA initiative was developed to improve nutrition services in WIC by standardizing the assessment process and providing individualized nutrition education, referrals, and food packages. The initiative follows a recommendation by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) collaborating with other partners, Note: . and presumes a nutrition risk of failure to meet the Dietary Guidelines. This assumption does not replace the need to assess WIC participants for other risk criteria; however, it allows for priority placement and personalization of nutrition services. VENA specifically changes the following components of the nutrition assessment process:
Replaces the 24-hour food recall with a more comprehensive nutrition questionnaire Includes a presumed dietary risk criterion for participants Uses a positive approach based on desired health goals rather than deficiencies Complements participant-centered nutrition services delivery

"The interaction and working relationship between WIC staff and
clients will feel more comfortable than
ever before."
"The VENA changes finally brings forth the time for WIC to shine! This is
the opportunity for WIC Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists to finally align the WIC approved foods
with the MyPyramid recommendations
according to one of our own District Nutrition
Services' Directors, Rhonda Landrum".

In Georgia, WIC staff are receiving on-going information and training on VENA and are encouraged to increase their usage of client-friendly counseling techniques such as motivational interviewing, open-ended questioning, and reflective listening. By July of this year, all Georgia's WIC nutrition programs will integrate the first phase of VENA concepts with accompanying protocols leading to WIC nutrition assessments being guided by a new participant-friendly nutrition questionnaire.

This article is based on WIC Works Executive Summary, VENA in WIC: The First Step in Quality Nutrition Services

On behalf of the Dept. of Human Resources Division of Public Health's Office of Nutrition, here's wishing all
our partners and your customers a safe, fun-filled,
nutritious, and tasty Independence Day!
Picnic Safety Tip: Don't forget the only sure way to check for meat doneness is with the proper use of a thermometer!

The Georgia Flavor...

Summer Quarter 2008

Page 3

Target: Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby

One of the best things a mother can do to positively impact her pregnancy is to achieve a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. Recent studies show that a woman's pre-pregnancy weight has a tremendous impact on the birth outcome. So how does drinking water fit into this picture? A simple nutritional habit of drinking more water may help in reaching a healthy weight.
With the average American's diet, beverages make up about 20% of daily calorie intake. Replacing most of those beverages, and their accompanying calories, with water could make a big difference! A report in the journal Obesity (2007, v 15) found that replacing sweetened caloric beverages with water significantly decreased energy intake daily by approximately 200 calories in 118 overweight women. This effect lasted at least one year.
But the effects of water may go beyond it not contributing to a person's caloric intake. According to a 1999-01National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, adults who drink more water consume fewer calories and are more likely to eat veggies, fruits, and low-fat dairy products. Finally, water may contribute to a healthy weight when consumed prior to a meal by increasing satiety or the sense of fullness. This effect tends to decrease appetite which can lead to a lower daily calorie intake.
There are several ways in which water may help in the battle of the bulge, and further research may find other roles water potentially plays in weight management and obesity intervention. Regardless of the forthcoming scientific explanations, it is clear that drinking water is a vital part of a healthy eating plan and an important component in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

"According to a 1999-01 National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey, adults who drink more water consume fewer calories and
are more likely to eat veggies, fruits, and low-fat dairy products."

Recipe of the Quarter: Watermelon Kiwi Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 cups of seedless watermelon chunks 2 kiwis, peeled and chopped 2 cups of lowfat vanilla yogurt 1 cup of ice
* Springs of fresh mint for garnish *

Instructions: Place all ingredients in a blender

and puree until smooth consistency. Pour into

Celebrity Chef Harry Schwartz

two large glasses and garnish with a spring of

announces "Fitness from the Start"

mint. Serve for breakfast or as a cool

National Tour Promoting Health Benefits

refreshing afternoon snack during those blistering Southern

summer days. Recipe Servings: 2

of Watermelon and Fighting Childhood

Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamin C, Obesity. Visit Chef Harry today at

calcium, potassium, and fiber. A good source of folate and

www.chefharry.com

magnesium.

Nutritional Information per Serving:

Serving Size: 28.1 oz

Calories: 285

Carbohydrates: 53.94 g

Total Fat: 3.46 g

Dietary Fiber: 2.89 g

Saturated Fat: 1.88 g Protein: 12.98 g

Cholesterol: 11.35 mg Sodium: 160.45 mg

Special Note: A whopping 6,889 mcg of * Lycopene, 722.46 g H2O (25.8 oz or ~92% free water), and 431 mg of Calcium in a single serving!

* Lycopene is a plant flavonoid or chemical specifically referred to as a red carotenoid that tints the appearance of tomatoes and watermelons to exhibit their characteristic red color.

Watermelon is the current leader among fruits in providing the phytonutrient * Lycopene in the diet. Emerging research has shown Lycopene can play a role in fighting certain cancers as well as improving overall eye
and retina health.
Extra, Extra, Extra...
Read All About It!
Please join us in celebrating the welcome addition of two
new Nutrition Program Consultants to the Office of Nutrition: Julianne Gaston
& Amy Jarvis

Note: Recipe developed for "Fitness from the Start" and the National Watermelon Promotion Board by Chef Harry Schwartz, CEC, CNC.

Division of Public Health's Office of Nutrition
Two Peachtree Street, N.W. Suite 11-222 Atlanta, GA 30303-3142
Phone: 404-657-2884 Fax: 404-657-2886 Email: keshand@dhr.state.ga.us Program Associate, Office of Nutrition

To: All Internal & External Stakeholders
Welcome to the Summer `08 Edition of the Georgia Flavor!

WE'RE ON THE WEB! http://health.state.ga.us/programs/nutrition/index.asp

Director's Corner: Combating the Ill Effects of Dehydration!
By: Abdul K. Lindsay MScFT, RD, LD, CPT Chief Nutritionist, Division of Public Health

"Doing Our Part to Help Georgia's
Families Eat Healthy and Be Active"

There are a few mainstays expected during the summer months here in the South. Lots of sunshine, blue skies, picnics featuring tasty and sometimes nutritious food, and unfortunately high temperatures and humidity levels producing soaring heat indexes. The latter has been known to wreak havoc on Georgians' health especially those of us who do not maintain an adequate hydration status, as well as given the fact that some individuals (i.e. men) genetically perspire less effectively than others.
Too often, and in this case one is too much, preventable heat-stroke related deaths among Georgians has been an unsettling trend. Especially among student athletes, we have seen a number of Georgia's youngsters senselessly fallen as a result of dehydration giving rise to heat-stroke related death. Remember the summer of 2006 (Please see story, http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2006-08-01heat-death_x.htm), when a Metro-Atlanta student football player apparently died from heat-stroke that most likely resulted from the devastating combined affects of dehydration and a soaring core body temperature while engaging in intense-level physical activity (i.e. "two-a-day" football practices) amid extreme heat indexes. Hence, the Office of Nutrition's decision to decipher the scientific literature as it relates to maintaining adequate hydration status especially for our Georgia summer student athlete warriors. And no sooner, just in time for the Southern heat wave!

One of the recognized professional authorities within the nutrition and fitness industry is the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Recently, ACSM published its position paper titled, "Exercise and Fluid Replacement". Two of the primary conclusions of this paper pointed to the difficulty of specifying a "one size fit all" fluid intake due to the fact that there is "considerable variability in sweating rates and composition in individuals", and the need for customized fluid replacement programs.

It is generally recommended to consume uncarbonated, unsweetened, and/or decaffeinated fluids (i.e. plain water) before, during, and after the participation in physical activity of various intensity-levels. Additionally, it is also advisable to encourage the consumption of a variety of fresh produce that contain a high percentage of "free" water (i.e. melons, apples, cucumbers, oranges, celery, etc...) and foods with naturally occurring electrolytes (i.e. sodium and potassium) as a complement to adequate intakes of plain water. With children, encourage the substitution of juice with fluoridated faucet water; a timely eating behavior change in view of the forthcoming WIC food package updates (i.e. less juice).

Please continue to partner with us in educating the public about not solely relying on their thirst
It is generally recommended to sensation as an indicator of dehydration. Research tends to suggest the following as additional signs of
consume uncarbonated, dehydration: dark-yellow color urine having a strong odor, flushed skin, fatigue, increased heart and unsweetened, and/or decaffein- pulse rates, and/or headaches. Though these tips may seem trivial, let's not underestimate the number of
ated fluids (i.e. plain water) individuals that work with playing children at summer camps, summer student and adult athletes, as well as before, during, and after the the elderly who may need a refresher about the metabolic refreshing affects adequate consumption of participation in physical activity "H2O" (versus pouring water on their heads) will bring; It could save a life this summer!
of various intensity-levels.