WIC Food Tips

Cooking Dry Beans
1 Sort: Look through the beans and remove any damaged beans, small stones or dirt.

2 Soak: Soak the beans before cooking. Choose one of the following two ways to soak your beans:
• Quick Soak: Add 10 cups hot water to 1 pound of dry beans. Heat to boiling and boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 to 4 hours.
• Overnight Soak: Add 10 cups cold water to 1 pound of dry beans. Allow to stand overnight.

3 Cook: After soaking, drain the soaking water and rinse beans. Add 6 cups of fresh water. Cover with the lid slightly tilted to let out steam. Cook slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender.

Other Cooking Options
Crock Pot: Follow the sort and quick soak directions. Drain the soaking water. Place beans in crock pot and add 6 cups of fresh water. Cook on low heat for 10-12 hours, until tender.

Choosing Whole Grains
Whole grains include the bran and germ portions of the grain kernel and are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Make half the grains you serve your family whole grains for the natural health benefits they offer.

Whole grains (choose more):
• Brown rice
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Oatmeal
• Whole-wheat bread, tortillas or pasta
• Whole grain barley
• Whole grain breakfast cereal
• Whole grain cornmeal
• Wild rice

Refined grains (choose less):
• Cornbread*
• Couscous*
• Enriched macaroni or spaghetti*
• Flour tortillas*
• Saltine crackers
• White bread (refined)
• White rice

*Most of these products are made from refined grains. Some can be made from whole grains. Look for "whole grain" or "whole wheat" as the first ingredient on the ingredient list.

Cooking Vegetables
Cooking vegetables by steaming or microwaving keeps their vitamins from being boiled away. All fruits and vegetables should be washed before using.

---

Steaming Vegetables
• 1 Add 1/2 inch of water to a pan. Add sliced vegetables (if a steaming rack or insert is available, use it at this time).
• 2 Cover tightly and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook covered 10-12 minutes or until tender-crisp.

---

Microwaving Vegetables
• 1 Place sliced vegetables and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe dish.
• 2 Cover with lid slightly tilted or use plastic wrap, leaving a small opening to vent. If using plastic wrap, be careful that it does not touch the food during microwaving.
• 3 Microwave on high 9-12 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Let stand covered 5 minutes. Drain.

Small tummies need snacks. Think of snacks as "mini-meals", a chance to give your child nutritious foods that his body needs to grow strong and healthy. Offer snacks at regular times each day, at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the next meal. If you give a snack less than an hour before a meal, your child may not be hungry at mealtime.

---

Make snacks count! Choose snacks that are healthy. Snack favorites: fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, bread, cereal, eggs and peanut butter.

Satisfying a sweet tooth
Desserts can be part of a healthy diet, but should be reserved as "sometimes" foods that are served in small portions after a nutritious meal.

Banning dessert may only make sweets more attractive to your child.

Avoid using sweets as a reward or withholding them as a punishment. Connecting food to emotions, instead of hunger, can make it hard for your child to learn healthy eating habits.

Choose the right beverage for good health
Thirsty? Water will satisfy thirst the best. Teach your children to drink water when they are thirsty. Soda pop or other sugary beverages will not satisfy thirst and can cause dental cavities and high weight gain.

Kids who drink soda pop and other sugar beverages may be too full to eat healthy foods at meals and snacks.

Move to fat-free skim or low-fat milk to cut fat and calories. Fat-free skim and low-fat milk have all the nutrition of whole milk with little or no fat. They are not "watered down" and they taste great.