Using your SNAP benefits

If you are approved for SNAP benefits, you will receive an EBT card (similar to a bank card or ATM card), and your SNAP benefits will be transferred electronically to the EBT card. Now you are ready to go grocery shopping! 

SNAP allows for many different types of foods

Add a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods, and other good food to your shopping cart. Here are some helpful hints for making choices that will support a healthy eating pattern.

Use your benefits to create a healthy eating pattern 
These 10 tips will help you get the most nutrition with your benefits. Here are some helpful hints for making choices that will support a healthy eating pattern.

  1. Know what you can buy with your benefits before you shop.
  2. Eat healthy home-cooked meals.
  3. Meal Plan before shopping: take our Making a Meal Plan lesson!
  4. Find healthy recipes; let Health eKitchen help! 
  5. Always shop with a list.
  6. Look for the WIC logo as you shop.
  7. Choose fresh whole foods as often as possible.
  8. Avoid processed foods with more than 5 ingredients; always read the label.
  9. Eat more beans, lentils, and peas. They are low cost, high in protein, a great source of fiber, rich in folic acid, and super for the planet! Growing beans or peas puts nutrients back into the soil. Good soil needs less fertilizer to grow tasty food.
  10. Drink mostly water, milk, or 100% juice. Avoid sugary beverages.

Tip

  • For more budget-friendly tools and tips for a healthy eating pattern go here: SNAP ED.
  • To find stores that welcome SNAP benefits, go to the SNAP Retailer Locator.
  • Find out more about what you can buy with SNAP here.


Daily recommendations for juice:

- No juice for infants

- 1/2 cup for toddlers 1 - 3 years

- 4 - 6 ounces for children 4 - 6 years

- 1 cup for 7 years or older

- Encourage the habit of drinking water when thirsty and throughout the day.

Whole Foods

Whole foods are close to their natural state.

They are minimally processed or not processed at all before reaching the supermarket shelf.

They do not contain any extra additives or preservatives.

Examples:

Examples of whole foods are: fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, brown rice, eggs, milk, meats, seafood, and poultry.

Canned and frozen foods can be whole foods too. Read the label, there should be only one ingredient.