M aking the most of your WIC and SNAP benefits is more than just getting more food for less money. It is also about improving your health! Use your food benefits to purchase nutritious foods and create a healthy eating pattern. Getting the most nutrition for your money is your best buy!
There are 3 simple things to look for:
1. Start with the Nutrition Facts abel (A-F)
A. Start by looking at the serving size and total servings per container.
B. Next, look at the total calories. This is total calories per serving.
C. Limit the nutrients highlighted in grey.
D. Get enough of the nutrients highlighted in blue.
E. The footnote gives more information about the percent daily values.
F. Quick guide to percent daily values:
5% or less is LOW and 20% or more is HIGH
Use these Nutrition Facts labels to compare food choices.
The example shows two soup options. The Nutrition Facts labels show us that the reduced-sodium vegetable soup has less sodium per serving than the original vegetable soup -- in this case half the amount.
This makes the reduced-sodium vegetable soup the healthier choice, as long as the serving sizes are about the same size.
2. Then look at the ingredients list
Shorter is better
Try for fewer than 5 ingredients
Avoid added sugar and salt
Compare the ingredients of these two jars of peanut butter. Notice the one on the left has two ingredients. The jar on the right has more ingredients, and sugar is the second one. Molasses is third on the list. If both are WIC approved brands, getting the one on the left is the more nutritious choice. Always compare prices. If you can afford to, buy the peanut butter with fewer ingredients and no added sugar.
3. Choose a variety of whole foods
- These are usually along the outer walls of the store. Produce, Dairy, Meats, and Fish.
- Whole foods have no additives, artificial colors/flavors, or preservatives.
- Whole foods are minimally processed.
- Examples of whole foods are whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, beans, peas, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and milk.
Deeper Dive
Finding added sugars in foods can be a challenge. This is because sugar comes in many forms and has many names. Learn more about how to recognize added sugars here.
Percent Daily Value (DV) on the Nutrition Facts label is a guide to the nutrients in one serving of food. For example, if the label lists 20% for calcium, it means that one serving provides 20% of the calcium you need each day.