Earlier this month I attended the 19th Annual California WIC Association (CWA) Conference in San Jose. This year’s theme was ‘Getting Real about Going Platinum’, with the main goal being to equip WIC staff with the tools and resources needed to create a stellar WIC experience. The California WIC program has really risen to a level of excellence by providing California’s 1.47 million participants with top-notch services, which include the updated WIC food package, providing breastfeeding support, nutrition education, widespread community collaboration and innovative service systems.
Dairy Council of California is pleased to be a longstanding partner of CWA as we share a common goal of empowering Californians to make food and activity choices for optimal health and wellness. Every year we sponsor and exhibit at the conference, and this year we had some exciting experiences. Here are some of the highlights:
- We provided samples of a delicious fat-free yogurt smoothie donated by Sunnyside Farms. These tasty smoothie drinks are low in calories, packed with nutrients and included added probiotics, which made them irresistible! I couldn’t hand them away fast enough. Thank you Sunnyside Farms!
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Earlier this year we released our newly revised
Activity & Eating booklet. WIC staff seemed to love the new look, lower reading level and addition of new graphics and concepts. CWA has been focusing a lot on workplace wellness and this booklet will be a perfect addition.
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Each year CWA does a raffle which requires participants to answer questions chosen by each exhibitor present. We decided on this question, “Milk and milk products contain 3 of the 4 ‘nutrients of concern’ addressed in the recent
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. What are they?” The majority of attendees were quick to answer calcium and vitamin D, but you would be surprised at the hesitation for the third nutrient. With so many nutrition professionals in attendance I thought this would be a given. I guess it’s pretty normal to think of calcium and vitamin D when you think of milk, but it’s also a great source of potassium, which is lacking in most American’s diets. Potassium helps us maintain a healthy blood pressure which is why milk and milk products are included in the
DASH eating plan. We were glad to bring some attention to potassium as a superstar nutrient!
Ashley Rosales, R.D.
Project Manager
Ashley Rosales, Registered Dietitian
About me:
Ashley Rosales, registered dietitian, received her B.S. in Clinical Nutrition from UC Davis and completed the dietetic internship program at Napa State Hospital. She has a professional background in nutrition for the elderly and has worked in both the clinical and community setting. However, she has found her true calling working in the field of nutrition education where she can empower others to make the best food and lifestyle decisions for their own optimal health and wellness.
Ashley’s fondest childhood memories took place in the kitchen helping her mom and grandmother cook, or around the dinner table sharing laughs with family and friends. As a wife and new mom she loves keeping the family mealtime tradition alive by preparing delicious and nutritious meals at home and she is inspired to help others do the same. She strongly believes that no matter what challenges families are faced with, such as limited time, lack of skills or even economic resources, they can find unique ways to share in a home cooked meal and reap all of the wonderful benefits of family meal time.
Her favorite quote: “We are indeed more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us be much more than what we are.”
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