Photography by Bryan Rollins
Anyone who has tried to teach healthy eating habits to their kids has likely been met with the limitation of only a few dishes in regular rotation that will be gobbled down for dinner without complaints. And of those hard-won, kid-approved meals, there’s a 99 percent chance one is mac-n-cheese (or some version of it).
For the Williams family, however, organic veggies and homemade zucchini fries dominate the family menu and the secret’s not in some special sauce or fried batter, as the typical Southerner might assume. Instead, for Gene and Rachel Williams, the trick is in letting the kids get some hands-on participation in learning the ingredients and love that go into healthy, clean eating.
In between their work as a yoga instructor/personal trainer (Gene) and personal chef (Rachel), the couple encourages their kids — 16-year-old Adrian and Ghianna, who is 8 — to take an active role in the family’s daily health-conscious habits. On some days, that involves the kids watching their mother prepare “fresh, healthy, delicious edible art for the soul” for her catering and meal-prep business, Legacy by Chef Rachel Denise (chefracheldenise.com). On other days, that involves shopping for organic vegetables at the grocery store and preparing fresh food themselves.
“When it comes to healthy nutrition,” says Rachel, “[you have to] allow your kids to actively participate in trips to the grocery store, farmers market, etc. Allow it to be a fun, yet educational experience. Our kids are homeschooled, so we get creative and allow them to help while at the grocery store, as well as in the kitchen. They tend to have a greater appreciation for meals they helped to prepare and/or prepared all by themselves. I've also noticed they value and respect the love and time I put into what I prepare for them and my clients. It's a win-win situation.”
Some examples of health-conscious modifications that Rachel and her children use when preparing food are homemade pizzas with cauliflower crust, and naan bread instead of white bread or wheat. Instead of pork or beef, they use toppings like ground turkey, turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni and chicken; and load every pizza with fresh organic veggies, such as spinach, broccoli, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and kale. The Williams’ kids also love cauliflower mash, sweet potato mash, homemade zucchini fries (which Rachel notes is a great way to get disguise a vegetable), and lasagna prepared with zucchini instead of pasta.
Obviously, this is not the typical diet most children know. That’s especially true in America, where the childhood obesity rate has hit an alarming 18.5 percent according to the CDC’s latest statistics (2017). And even though both parents are professionals in the health and nutrition industry, the Williams’ journey to making healthy eating and living a family affair was one that — like any parent’s journey — included a lot of trial and error. That, and doing what it takes to make sure their family thrived.
Rachel’s passion for cooking was, in fact, inspired by their son, Adrian, and his autism diagnosis when he was 2-and-a-half years old. Now, he is 16 and thriving, and she credits much of that improvement to proper nutrition. “After his diagnosis, I was a mommy on a mission to help my son — by any means necessary,” she says. “There was a time when all he'd eat was cheese and crackers and oatmeal, and he would only drink soy milk. He could never tolerate cow's milk. Because of his delicate digestive system, we began eliminating processed foods, dairy, artificial colors such as Red 40, Yellow 20, and Blue 5. The rest is history.”
Since wellness is indeed a family thing, when Rachel isn’t working with their kids on learning and maintaining healthy eating habits, Gene is teaching them yoga, which helps with flexibility, balance, strength, and coordination. As a yoga instructor and avid yogi, he knows that there is even more going on in the practice than these physical benefits. “It offers countless life lessons as well,” says Gene. “Yoga has a beautiful way of making us aware of how we fit into the grand scheme of things on life's journey. When practicing the asanas or poses on the mat, we get a glimpse of how we are inflexible off of the mat.”
Part of the reason Gene teaches his children about Yoga is that he believes it instills concepts like compassion, empathy, patience, courage, acceptance, tolerance, love, discipline, and responsibility. “Our kids are much more calm, balanced, and grounded because of yoga and meditation,” says Gene. “Our son, who is autistic, is so easy to redirect and rarely has meltdowns anymore. He is human and gets frustrated just as we all do but, without prompting, he will be still and start to focus on his breathing. In those moments, our hearts smile because he has been paying attention.”
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina and a graduate of LeMoyne Owen College, Gene runs Premier Fitness (facebook.com/PremierFitnessMemphis). In his work as a yoga instructor for individuals and small classes, he’s often teaching at the Mississippi Greenbelt Park in Harbor Town. “I love being connected to nature,” he says, “and as you practice, you have all of the elements present. There's nothing like having a grounding practice while listening to the birds chirp, seeing kids play, and families enjoying one another. All of those variables bless my practice.”
If raising kids is the hardest job on the planet, raising healthy kids is even harder. Those of us without the professional expertise often try our best, but sometimes it takes the professionals to show us how it should be done. “One of the biggest tips I have to offer is simply to have fun,” says Gene. “Be flexible in your approach to getting your kids active and let them be instrumental in determining how they will maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
A Middle Tennessee native, Tonya Thompson now lives in Southaven, MS with her three kids and their crazy pets.