Nutrition & Health

WIC Nutrition Education

WIC is proud to offer healthy foods and friendly experts in nutrition, health, and breastfeeding to assist families. When you are on WIC, you can count on us to be there with support and answers from the beginning of your pregnancy all the way up to your child's fifth birthday!

On most visits you'll get personalized nutrition counseling. Talk with a nutritionist, registered dietitian, or other staff to set goals and answer your questions. WIC families can expect to learn about:

  • Eating healthy during pregnancy for mom and baby
  • Infant and child nutrition - healthy foods for happy children, picky eaters, food pyramid for kids, watching your child's weight and lots more
  • How to get the most out of your food dollars
  • Valuable parenting skills
  • Stages of child development
  • Importance of childhood immunizations
  • Tips for pregnant teens
  • Common infant problems: such as colic, constipation, and crying

On other visits, learning comes from group classes, self-paced lessons, or online! Unless the clinic tells you otherwise, go to Texas WIC to complete a class and print your certificate with the class code. Be sure to bring the class code to your next appointment. While you're on the Texas WIC website, be sure to browse for other helpful information, tips, and recipes!

Breastfeeding Support

Clients receive encouragement and instruction in breastfeeding. In many cases, breastfeeding women are provided breast pumps free of charge. WIC helps clients learn why breastfeeding is the best start for their babies, how to breastfeed while still working, dad's role in supporting breastfeeding, tips for teens who breastfeed, pumping and storing breast milk, and much more. We have Breastfeeding Peer Counselors on staff and access to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) to make breastfeeding a positive and successful experience for mother and baby.

Free & Nutritious Foods

WIC issues an electronic Lonestar card which can be used at WIC-approved grocery stores (PDF) to buy healthy and nutritious foods. WIC foods include iron-fortified infant formula and infant cereal, iron-fortified adult cereal, vitamin C-rich fruit and/or vegetable juice, milk, eggs, cheese, beans, and peanut butter. Different food packages are issued to different clients. For example, mothers who are 100% breastfeeding their babies without formula are issued more foods than other WIC mothers.

During the spring and summer months, some WIC clinics provide vouchers for clients to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at approved Farmers' Markets.

Referrals

WIC can connect you with a variety of health and social service agencies and programs. Ask WIC staff to help you find local services (PDF). Some examples are:

  • Alcohol and drug abuse intervention
  • American Cancer Society - Quit Smoking
  • Breastfeeding help [PDF]
  • Child health insurance
  • Child support enforcement-Attorney General
  • Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
  • Employment
  • Family Planning
  • Food banks
  • Housing services
  • Literacy services
  • Local hospitals and health departments
  • Medicaid / SNAP/Food Stamps
  • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families - TANF
  • Texas Health Steps (EPSDT)

Other City of San Marcos Health Resources: