Yes, they really are. Thank you for your feedback, Aidan!

Me too!

Thank you for sharing your feedback & perspective! You've shared an impressively high level viewpoint! You're right, food programs have a far reaching impact- I'm happy to read that you support food programs for people in need. WIC is a bipartisan program that's supported by both Democrats and Republicans. And yes, I agree that often times these programs and others are used as a political talking point by politicians. I wish they would focus less on the politics and more on the science/efficacy/impact that these programs have on the population.

They're in the description box of the video 😊

Thank you for watching!

Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching my videos!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video, Jennifer!

Thank you, Twana! I'm glad the video was helpful!

Thank you so much, Parker! I'm glad to hear you find my videos helpful! Best of luck on your MPH program, I'm actually from St Louis, MO so happy to hear you're working on a policy memo for the state!

A bipartisan program supported by both Republicans and Democrats, WIC helps to build a healthier generation thus contributing to a stronger nation. I'm not sure where the assumption that women participating in the program made bad decisions but it's incredibly narrow-minded to say the least.

@@DarlenatheDietitian Clearly if any womens first financial thought is wic when having a kid & other programs clearly she’s not ready at all I’d say across the street family planning center 😂ur not ready . Meanwhile our government loves single lazy mothers we give them money free housing food health care. All on tax payers dime . So really it’s not political party it’s tax payers dime dip fuck ..

@@DarlenatheDietitian basically women spread ur legs & get paid … don’t worry my tax dollars will bail u out ….

@@ShitCrazyy1 Oh I see now, a troll needs to be fed.

Dumbest comment ever 😂

Thank you so much, Keri Ann!

Thank you for your comment, John! The FPL is determined nationally, not individually, so I don't think it could be feasible to incorporate individual assets into the calculation that the federal government uses. But if you're suggesting that assets be included when determining eligibility for participation in federal programs, based on my experience working for WIC, I don't think that'd be beneficial. For the most part, program participants aren't trying to use benefits they don't need so the likelihood that one would own a home/have millions in the bank and still participate in a federal program for low income families is unlikely. It's not impossible but it is unlikely. Additionally some federal programs have divisions that specifically focus on fraud and how to prevent it. I hope my comment helped but please feel free to comment with additional thoughts/questions!

Except they don't.

Thank you for reaching out, Hanane! I recommend contacting your local WIC agency and asking if they're hiring, what positions they're hiring for, etc. and from there, see if you qualify to work for WIC. Qualifications vary depending on position so unfortunately, I can't answer your question directly. Let me know if you need anything else!

Thank you for your comment, Barbara! Unfortunately, there is no FPL for North Carolina - the way the federal government defines the FPL is that it sets the value based on family size for the 48 contiguous states and has a separate FPL for Alaska and Hawaii. This is incredibly unfortunate as we all know the cost of living varies from state to state. Therefore, having a poverty level/threshold per state would be the ideal in my opinion. I'm so sorry to hear of your financial struggles, you're absolutely right that $13.00 doesn't go far at all especially considering inflation, increased gas prices, etc. If you'd like, please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I can try to see if I can be of any assistance. Thank you!

@@DarlenatheDietitian thank you Darla for replying. I didn't think I would hear from anybody.

Anytime Babara 😊

Thanks for watching my video and for sharing your feedback!

You're welcome and thanks for watching! 😊

Thank you for the feedback! Do you mean I speak too fast? I'll be sure to slow it down in future videos I post. :-)

@@DarlenatheDietitian ,yes you do. I'm an intermidiate un english. Thank you.

Excellent question! In their 2017 report, NASEM reduces the amount of juice given to participants by half and recommends allowing participants the option to substitute their juice benefit for an extra $3 on the CVB so that they can buy more fruits and vegetables. So the good news is that juice, provided that USDA accepts the recommended changes, will be further reduced in the WIC food package. Now whether or not juice gets completely eliminated from the WIC food package in the future remains to be seen. :-)

Thank you!

@@DarlenatheDietitian stay connect

Excellent question! I don't have any recipes/recommendations per se for infants. For the first 6 months, all an infant needs is breastmilk/formula. Complementary foods can be introduced anywhere between 4 to 6 months depending on the infant but generally, foods shouldn't be introduced before 6 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends introducing single ingredient foods for a few days to ensure no allergic reactions. With regards to whether or not it's better to make your own baby food, I'd consider it somewhat of a gamble since toxic metals get into fruits & vegetables through the soil so it depends where things are grown as some regions of the country have higher concentrations of toxic metals. But personally, I'd prefer to make my own. I hope this helps!