We Need to Change How We Advocate for Nutrition in a Woman’s Life.

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Food has the power to change a woman’s life. It has the power to set her up for success and provide a basis for her to think critically about the world around her. It has the power to determine her path in life. But, we are waiting too long to provide support and resources and this is causing a major health crisis.

For girls, the need for adequate nutrition starts during her conception and continues throughout her lifespan. During embryonic development, a baby girl will depend solely on the nutritional status of her pregnant mother. What her mother has the ability to access and consume can determine if the baby girl is able to play youth soccer, it can determine if as a young woman she has the ability to successfully finish her first college degree and ultimately sets the tone for her health for the rest of her life. Truly magnifying just how powerful nutrition is.

When pregnant mothers lack support, resources, and access to safe and adequate nutritious foods, they can suffer from nutrient and caloric deficiencies that result in conditions such as pregnancy-related anemia, unintended weight loss, and even death. The nutritional impact will extend from the mother to the baby girl, potentially increasing the risk of a multitude of birth defects, fetal growth restriction, and premature death. All of which impact the young girl for the rest of her life.

The problem with the way we discuss nutrition in a woman’s life is that we only talk about it during pregnancy. Nutritionists, health care professionals, and other health workers both government and not-for-profit, have developed programs and nutrition education that is centered around ensuring supplemental nutrition only during the time that a woman is pregnant. The Women, Infants and Children program is a prime example. To become eligible for WIC benefits, which include supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education and counseling and referrals to additional services, one has to be pregnant. Once the baby is delivered, the mother only remains eligible for the WIC benefits for 6 weeks postpartum or up to 1 year if she is breastfeeding. The benefits are stripped away from the woman after either of these time periods, regardless of her ability to access safe, adequate and nutritious foods.

Many of the women that I served were only able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables with the benefits that they were receiving. For a majority, if not all, their time with me was the only time in their life that they would ever have the opportunity to speak with a nutritionist. Let’s put this problem into perspective. If a woman becomes eligible for WIC twice in her life, that means she only has access to nutritional support and resources for approximately 21 months of her life. If she has the ability to live a long and healthy life, according to the Centers for Disease Control the average American woman is expected to live for 81 years, she may go 951 months or 98% of her life without any type of nutritional support or education.

This is damaging. By the time a woman becomes pregnant, her nutritional status has long been influencing her health. Researchers are just beginning to understand and explore how impactful healthy nutrition is at every stage of the lifespan, specifically in regards to women. Providing a healthy diet for women only during the time of her pregnancy is not sufficient enough to ensure a healthy pregnancy. In fact, it may be too late.  America continues to lead developed countries in maternal mortality rates, making this country one of the most dangerous to become pregnant in all of the developed world. It is critical that we disrupt the current state of nutrition interventions to implement policies that provide accessible nutritious foods for the remaining 98% of a woman’s life. Research shows that when a woman is healthy and well nourished, so is her family. When she is not, her family is likely also suffering.

As public health professionals, medical service providers, researchers, policymakers and community advocates we must shift the conversation about women’s nutrition from support only during pregnancy to support throughout the lifespan. Monitoring and improving the nutrient content of public school lunches, sometimes the only meal a young girl may be consuming is a critical entry point for improving health outcomes. Eradicating food deserts, areas where there is limited to no supermarket access, and promotion of affordable healthy options is another critical step in addressing women’s health through nutrition. In addition, extending culturally competent nutrition education and cooking classes that are inviting and inclusive to individuals and their families have shown to assist in building capacity for making positive health choices. Lastly, we must not forget the additional barriers to food access and preparation that impact the level of nutrition a woman faces including a safe and stable home with a clean water source.

We have to stop picking and choosing when women are important. Women’s health matters and is important all of the time. It matters every single day, regardless of her age and regardless if she is pregnant or not. Let’s start talking about it.

Tiffany Rodriguez is a Public Health Nutritionist, aspiring Social Epidemiologist, and advocate for minority health. Before moving to Boston, she worked as a Nutritionist for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Austin, Texas. Her time within the various clinics consisted of providing bilingual nutrition education, instructing cooking classes and, most importantly, listening to the challenges and concerns of the women and families of central Texas. Her undergraduate education in Nutrition and Foods taught her the clinical importance of nutrition, but it was these clients who taught her the true impact of nutrition.