Rediscovering the family meal : Retrouver le sens du repas pour "faire famille

This report was translated from the original French text The opinions expressed in this report are those of the Ce rapport est disponible en français author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Vanier Institute of the Family. [...] MAKING THE FAMILY PART OF THE SOLUTION Many nutrition specialists agree that the family is central to the prevention and resolution of a number of eating problems, and that the family meal is therefore a territory that must be won back to help instil nutrition teachings based on Canada’s Food Guide (CFG). [...] The CFG states that the single most important condition for effectively treating obesity, especially among youths, is “strong motivation on the part of the child and his or her family, and the guidance of his or her parents.”16 It is increasingly suggested that to effectively change children’s eating habits, health and nutrition authorities must target parents, the pillars of the family. [...] In 1865, Louis Figuier (a physician, writer, and popular scientist), enlightened by the triumphant science of the 19th century, wrote that “food shall provide the fuel just as coal heats the firebox.”18 His analogy between the human body and the steam engine was a reference to the laws of thermodynamics discovered by Carnot in 1824. [...] It is a special place where the personal and the sociocultural intersect.” Within the family, its actors are introduced to learning, values, and the development of personal identity.25 While we all believe we know what a family is, since it is essentially a matter of the course of nature, the human family is in fact pure invention.