Establishing a Healthy Home Through a Healthy Diet

To create a happy home, family members must be both emotionally and physically nourished. As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, parents have a responsibility to provide for their children’s physical needs. Through small steps, such as encouraging nutrition in the home, families can flourish.

Elements of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet in the United States is defined as one that “emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars”.⁴ The foods with the most nutrients—vitamins, minerals, fibers, and phytochemicals—are greens, such as romaine lettuce, kale, collards, swiss chard, and spinach. Raw vegetables, in general, help prevent cancer more than any other foods.³

Green vegetables also provide 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber per pound, while fruits provide 250 calories and 9 grams of fiber per pound, and beans provide 350 calories and 5 grams of fiber per pound. Compared to the 1,300 calories and 0 grams of fiber per pound of white bread, vegetables, fruits, and beans provide sustenance unheard of in any other food group. Such a diet high in nutrients and fiber and low in calories will ensure a “full” feeling and prevent overeating.³

With the emergence of fast food restaurants and junk food factories, families have abandoned the regular home cooked meals widely embraced by previous generations, thus losing the nutritional benefits of foods. For example, the foods with the most nutrients are dark greens, such as romaine lettuce, kale, collards, swiss chard, and spinach.³ When fast food restaurants offer salads, the lettuce used usually has few nutrients. Salads are also often coated with dressings and toppings that are high in saturated fat and calories, lowering the overall health benefits of the salad. When parents did not rely on fast-foods for their meals, they were able to provide more wholesome meals made with fresh ingredients. Instead of fresh ingredients, restaurants now commonly rely on processed foods such as canned, frozen, or packaged goods with added chemicals to retain “freshness”. By lengthening the shelf life of foods through processing, many nutrients naturally found in the foods are lost.

The website http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/ suggests “eating fruits and vegetables of different colors” to provide bodies with a variety of nutrients, including “fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C.” This principle can be applied to most eating habits: eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, as all offer different benefits. Eating more slow-foods (or meals cooked in the home) rather than fast-foods—which often have larger servings and fewer nutrients— will increase the health in a household. Studies show that, aside from the lower quality of ingredients, when large servings are offered at restaurants, consumers eat more, whether or not they recognize how large the serving is. Conscious decisions about serving sizes can better be made in the home as the meal is being made.

If children do not initially seem to enjoy the new foods that are introduced, try again later. Studies show that “acceptance of specific food items increases with repeated, neutral exposure—typically 10 to 20 exposures. … Exposures include looking at the food; touching, smelling, and handling it; preparing it, and tasting it over and over”.⁹ Parents should not pressure children into eating all food, but food should be available should they choose to eat it.

Beyond anything else, it is important to remember that “When the joy goes out of eating, nutrition suffers”.⁹The Importance of Positive Parenting Surrounding Food

Positive parenting must precede positive outcomes in family health. From birth, a child knows how to respond to his or her body to receive proper nutrition. Only from outside influences may this innate ability be altered. It is the parent’s responsibility to offer the children food; it is the child’s responsibility to choose how much to eat if anything.⁸ In the book The Surprising Power of Family Meals by Miriam Weinstein, a similar sentiment is shared. Weinstein shares the research of psychologist Paul Rozin, who believes that Americans worry too much about what foods children like and dislike. Rather, emphasis should be placed on enjoying the meal, as, for example, Italians do, when “everyone is just smiling and enjoying themselves. There’s no bargaining over what gets eaten. Dessert isn’t the big event”.¹⁰ Parents should consider adopting this philosophy of joy to encourage not only physical health but emotional health at the dinner table.

Children cannot be expected to eat nutritious meals if parents do the opposite. Recent research has shown that a child’s diet is heavily influenced by the quality of the mother’s diet. An analysis of the research results states that “infants of mothers who have high prudent diet scores and ‘healthier’ dietary patterns before pregnancy…are more likely to have a comparable diet,” and are fed foods that are appropriate for their age level.⁷ A child’s diet is also influenced by the diet of his or her siblings, as well as the birth order of siblings, and the number of siblings one has.⁷ This can be explained by the different foods that different age groups consume both in and out of the home. Care must be taken to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the entire household, not merely a portion of the household. If older children or parents are eating foods that lack nutritional elements, younger children may follow that example. The health of the entire family diminishes if such patterns continue through the family line.

While it is important to encourage health within a family, excess pressure can be detrimental to individual family members. For example, excess weight in children has been shown to be associated with parents who are controlling and restrictive about food issues.² Research has also shown that when a mother encourages her daughter to diet, the daughter is “five times more likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors than girls whose mothers did not encourage them to diet.” Additionally, when mothers engage in dieting themselves, similar negative outcomes appear in daughters.⁵ Extreme dieting should never be encouraged within the home. Rather, healthy eating habits should be encouraged within the family unit.

Parents should also be aware of how they treat food in the home, and how they use it to encourage or discourage a behavior. If food is viewed as a reward for good behavior, or if it is restricted as a punishment for poor behavior, youth will continue to view food in that way throughout their lives.⁶ Food will become a reward for accomplishments and a coping mechanism for disappointment. Such a view detracts from the main purpose of meals: to nourish the body.

Meals should be age appropriate, but as streamlined as possible within the home (for example, if an infant can only eat pureed food, then that is the exception). By keeping fruits and vegetables present in the home, along with other nutritious foods, family members will be able to establish and maintain healthy eating habits.

For more information on how to plan and prepare nutritious foods, parents should consider taking classes from a local college, a community sponsored program, or grocery stores.

If concern for the child’s health arises, parents should consult with a healthcare professional.

Mealtime as a Ritual for Healthy Eating

One of the easiest ways to encourage a healthier home is to make mealtime a ritual, by making mealtimes special and meaningful, and placing value on that time together. Habit is “infused… with meaning” when mealtimes become ritualistic.¹⁰ By intentionally setting aside a time to eat together, a wholesome and nutritious meal can be shared and relationships can be strengthened.

Rituals have a set beginning, enactment, and end. In the case of a meal, a prayer could mark the beginning of the meal, the enactment is eating the meal, and the end could be gathering plates, or some other act done after a meal. Each family is different and should decide together how to organize mealtime as a ritual.

Beyond strengthening relationships, when family members are all sharing the same foods at a meal, it is “an opportunity to create boundaries around which foods are acceptable and limit access to unhealthy foods”.² Additionally, by eating together, children “see what size portion they are given. They know whether or not they are expected to finish, whether they should expect seconds or thirds, whether they will be praised for eating a little or a lot. They are also aware of how much the others at the table are eating”.¹⁰ Children establish their eating habits from being a part of family meals. They not only learn what foods to eat, but how to eat them.

According to Dr. William Doherty in his book The Intentional Family, if the schedules of family members do not allow for regular mealtimes spent together, even beginning with one regular meal per week can be beneficial.¹ To establish a regular mealtime, parents should first consider the needs they want to meet and the values they want to promote within their home. Such values include strengthening familial relationships, service in the home, sacrificing for others, or showing love to one another in other ways. By concentrating on meeting such needs and strengthening the values a family shares, a family can become an “intentional family,” a family “whose members create a working plan for maintaining and building family ties, and then implement the plan as best they can”.¹ Viewing mealtime as a ritual allows a family to strengthen both relationships and health. When mealtime is kept as a high priority, a family can flourish.

In her book How to Get Your Kid to Eat… But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter, she reaffirms the need to establish such habits in the home. “At home,” she states, “it’s important to continue offering meals and snacks and to keep good food around. It’s all right to say ‘don’t eat now, dinner is in an hour,’ and, ‘get out of the refrigerator—you’ve had your snack.’ Scheduled eating times are still important. It’s good to eat and then forget about it. When you can eat any old time, food becomes an issue all the time”.⁸

Regardless of where you eat or what you eat, it is important that a family face each other while eating meals. You may also choose one place to define as the eating space, such as a dining room table. In such a case, eating should be restricted to that one area. If the dining room table is used for other activities as well, make sure to clear it off for its dedication to mealtime.¹⁰ This will help children associate the dining room table with mealtime, helping to further establish mealtime as a ritual.

Conclusion

To improve nutrition within the home, one should consider what kinds of foods will help the body flourish, how to positively guide children to eat such foods, and how to make mealtime a special time within the family. While nutrition is only one aspect of living a healthy life, making such improvements in this one area can lead to health in other areas as well.

How do you strive to create a healthy home for your family? What rituals are already established in your family? How can you ritualize a meal, if you have not done so already?

Recommended Reading/Resources

• Pollan, Michael (2009). The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids: The Secret Behind What You Eat. New York: Penguin Books.
• Pollan, Michael (2009). Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. New York: Penguin Books.

Written by Allison Barnes, Research Assistant, and edited by Christine Moore and Stephen F. Duncan, professors in the School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.

References

1. Doherty, W. J. (1999). The intentional family. New York: Harper Paperbacks.
2. Fiese, B. H., Schwartz, M. (2008). Reclaiming the family table: Mealtimes and child health and wellbeing. Social Policy Report, 22(4), 1-20.
3. Furhman, J. (2005). Eat to live: The revolutionary formula for fast and sustained weight loss. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
4. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Bauer, K. W., Friend, S., Hannan, P. J., Story, M., Berge, J. M. (2010). Family weight talk and dieting: How do they matter for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls? Journal of Adolescent Health, 47, 270-276.
5. Puhl, R. M., Schwartz, M. B. (2003). If you are good you can have a cookie: How memories of childhood food rules link to adult eating behaviors. Eating Behaviors, 4, 283-293.
6. Robinson, S., Marriott, L., Poole, J., Crozier, S., Borland, S., Lawrence, W., … Inskip, H. (2007). Dietary patterns in infancy: the importance of maternal and family influences on feeding practice. British Journal of Nutrition, 98, 1029-1037.
7. Satter, E. (1987). How to get your kid to eat: But not too much. Boulder, CO: Bull Publishing.
8. Satter, E. (2007). Eating competence: Nutrition education with the Satter Eating Competence Model. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 39, S189-S194.
9. Weinstein, M. (2005). The surprising power of family meals: How eating together makes us smarter, stronger, healthier and happier. Hanover, NH: Steerforth.

Latter-day Saint children are nourished spiritually both in the home and at church, but another aspect of their well-being must be considered. As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, parents have a responsibility to also provide for their children’s physical needs. Through small steps, such as encouraging nutrition in the home, family health can flourish.

Elements of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet in the United States is defined as one that “emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars” (Mypyramid.gov, 2010).

Prior to any modern research about nutrition, Latter-day Saints received revelation from God about the subject. In Doctrine and Covenants Section 89, the Word of Wisdom is outlined.

It encourages the consuming of herbs, or rather, vegetables and fruits—“Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving” (D&C 89:11).

• Originally, saints were commanded to consume meat sparingly, “only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine” (D&C 89:13). However, these days, we are encouraged to eat meat in moderation.
• Grain is ordained as the “staff of life,” for the use of both man and of beasts (D&C 89:14).
• We are also encouraged to consume “fruit of the vine” and “that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground” (D&C 89:16).

The ideas outlined in the Word of Wisdom are very similar to the ideas given by United States nutrition experts. By following a healthy diet, Latter-day Saints

shall receive health in their naval and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them (D&C 89:18-21).

Fasting

In additional to following the Word of Wisdom, Latter-day Saints are also encouraged to fast for two consecutive meals on the first Sunday of every month, and any other time deemed necessary. The Friend magazine states the following principles of fast offerings for young Latter-day Saints:

Fast Sunday is on the first Sunday of each month. It is a special day to humble ourselves before the Lord by fasting, praying, and attending fast and testimony meeting.

• On fast Sunday, members of the Church do not eat or drink for two meals. Children may be encouraged to fast when they are old enough.
• Members donate the money they would have spent on food for the two meals to help the needy. This money is called a fast offering.
• Members can give fast offerings to one of the bishopric or branch presidency members. The bishop or branch president uses the money to help those in need in his ward or branch.
• Fast offerings may be used to help feed the hungry.
• Fast offerings might be used to care for the sick.
• In each way a fast offering is used, it helps take care of Heavenly Father’s children.⁹

Matthew 6:16 &18 states:

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. … Appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

At times it is hard not to show hunger, but it is important to concentrate on reverence during fast Sundays, and not one’s hunger. In the January 1978 issue of the Ensign, Sheryl Condie Kempton shared five things that she concentrates on while fasting:

1. A spirit of love for God and for my fellow beings. These two most important goals need constant work and attention. Not only is it difficult for me to love some people some of the time, but it is also sometimes difficult to want to love them. And when I think of loving God, I am overwhelmed to know that even my best love at this point is a weak and meager gift.
2. A spirit of sacrifice and service. Fast offerings are one sign of this spirit. Another is a willingness to share my testimony with others. I must also diligently seek other opportunities to give and to share my abundance of blessings with others. Sometimes I feel that I don’t even begin to understand what real sacrifice is.
3. A spirit of brotherhood and fellowship with the Saints. It gives me a wonderful feeling of joy to realize when I fast, that I am joining the rest of the Church membership in this opportunity, and that we can gain power through unity.
4. A spirit of communion with God. For one day in each month I have an opportunity to put aside all distractions (except my three children, who cannot yet fully support me in my effort) and with “simplicity of intention” try to purify my heart to be one with God as I purify my body temple.
5. A spirit of self-control. To me, the exercise of my will in fasting is a sign of humility, that I submit my will to the Lord’s will, that I desire to strengthen my spiritual power and bodily discipline, and that I am willing to repent of wanting to do or doing other than what the Lord would desire.

Many blessings are available to those who follow the law of the fast, including the gift of revelation (Alma 5:46, 17:3), consideration for the well-being of others (Alma 6:6), an opportunity to join together as saints (Moroni 6:5), and a chance to show joy and gratitude (Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-15). Doctrine and Covenants 59:16 states that, through fasting, “the fulness of the earth is yours,” and Isaiah 58:6-11 states:

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Fasting is a way to draw closer to our Father in Heaven through sacrifice, that we may better see His children as He sees them, that we may better serve our brothers and sisters, and that we will have the strength and comfort needed to fulfill our individual missions on the earth.

It should be noted, however, that according to the June 2001 visiting teaching message, “We should exercise caution to fast in moderation, and we should not fast if our health or other circumstances do not permit it.” Blessings will still be available to those who have a pure intention to fast, even if they physically cannot.

The Importance of Positive Parenting

Elder M. Russell Ballard suggested that parents “[c]reate meaningful family bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anyplace else”.² A way to create and maintain such a bond is through establishing and maintaining meaningful time together at mealtime. Parents must consider the implications of the atmosphere they create at such a meal: Will it attract or detract the Spirit? Is the time spent together peaceful or hostile?

In a 1998 article in the Ensign magazine by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard, she suggests that families:

Begin the meal with a prayer.

• Remove distractions, such as the television or ringing telephone.
• Encourage positive conversation at the dinner table.
• Let each family member have a chance to talk.
• Invite others to join in the meal, such as missionaries or neighbors.
• Talk about gospel principles, or read the scriptures, during the meal.

To practice positive parenting, parents can also consider getting their children involved in planning and creating meals. When children are involved in this process, not only are they more invested in the meal, but they also know what the meal is composed of. Beyond the benefit of becoming familiar with the meal, by serving others within the family, youth “will find meaning, relevance, and status in life. These things are typically missing in youth caught up in rebellious, unhealthy behavior,”.⁴ When a positive environment is maintained at mealtime, families will benefit significantly in the love and peace extending beyond that particular meal.

The concept of lovingly caring for others is also seen in 1 Kings 17 when Elijah asks the widow of Zarephath for “a morsel of bread.” Though she did not even have enough food to feed herself and her dying son, she provided him with food anyway. Because of her love and service to another, he promised her that her “barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth,” and when her son became sick and died, Elijah raised him and, through the power of God, gave him life once more. When parents focus on providing meals for their family and doing so willingly and positively, blessings will come.

Mealtime as a Ritual

One of the easiest ways to encourage a healthier home is to make mealtime a ritual, by making mealtimes special and meaningful, and placing value on that time together.¹⁰ Rituals have a set beginning, enactment, and end. Consider rituals within the church, such as the sacrament: congregations prepare for the sacrament by singing a hymn, the sacrament is blessed and shared with the congregation, and the priesthood holders are dismissed to sit with their families when their service is done. There is a set beginning, enactment, and end.

In the case of a meal, a prayer could mark the beginning of the meal, the enactment is eating the meal, and the end could be gathering plates, or some other act done after a meal. Each family is different and should decide together how to organize mealtime as a ritual. By setting aside a time to eat together, a wholesome and nutritious meal can be shared and relationships can be strengthened.

Aside from learning healthy eating habits through observation, children have a chance to grow closer to the family as a whole. Elder L. Tom Perry stated:

If we will build righteous traditions in our families, the light of the gospel can grow ever brighter in the lives of our children from generation to generation. We can look forward to that glorious day when we will all be united together as eternal family units to reap the everlasting joy promised by our Eternal Father for His righteous children.⁷

Similarly, in the October 2010 General Conference address, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared:

We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key to harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities.⁸

These are some of the “hidden treasures” mentioned earlier in D&C 89:18-21. By spending mealtime together, both health and relationships will become stronger in the home. As we treat mealtime as an important event in the home, we can feel the “light of the gospel” in our families and our “deep and loving family relationships” will grow stronger.

Just as Christ initiated the ritual of the sacrament (see Luke 22) with His family of disciples, giving sacred meaning to the bread and wine that they partook of, Latter-day Saint families can follow His example by giving special meaning to mealtimes.

By nourishing children both physically and spiritually through positive family meals, families can grow stronger in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Written by Allison Barnes, Research Assistant, and edited by Christine Moore and Stephen F. Duncan, professors in the School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.

References

1. Baadsgaard, J. W. (September, 1998). Mealtime, family time. Ensign, 22.
2. Ballard, M. R. (November, 2005). What matters most is what lasts longest. Ensign, 41-44.
3. Increasing our spirituality through fasting and prayer (June, 2001). Ensign, 61.
4. Kelly, B. C. (December, 1992). Young and healthy. Ensign, 48.
5. Kempton, S. C. (January, 1978). Fasting—A gift of joy. Ensign, 10.
6. My Pyramid
7. Perry, L. T. (May, 1990). Family traditions. Ensign, 19.
8. Uchtdorf, D. F. (November, 2010). Of things that matter most. Ensign, 19-22.
9. Webb, K. (June 2005). What are fast offerings? Friend, 34.
10. Weinstein, M. (2005). The surprising power of family meals: How eating together makes us smarter, stronger, healthier and happier. Hanover, NH: Steerforth.