10 Diet Lessons From the French
Say oui to Brie! Brie has 95 calories an ounce, compared to 114 for cheddar.
1. Petite isn't just a dress size. One of the reasons France has an
11 percent obesity rate (as compared to America's 33 percent) is por-
tion control. "A croissant in Paris is one ounce, while in Pittsburgh it's
two," notes Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition at
Georgia State University. Buy one and share it with your beau.
2. Never say diet. The French don't get involved in the carbs versus
protein debate, nor do they label food groups like dairy or beef "bad."
"There's an emphasis on eating a wide variety of foods—fruits, vege-
tables, beef, poultry, fish, bread and cheese— without overdoing any
one thing," explains Susan Herrmann Loomis, a cooking teacher in
Louviers, France, and author of the cooking memoir On Rue Tatin.
3. There's no French equivalent of Butter Buds. Most French re-
gard processed foods with the utter disdain they usually reserve for
instant coffee. In other words, they'd rather have a small piece of
"real" chocolate than a big slab of some low-fat chocolate dessert.
The fact is, the sugar calories in low-fat sweets probably negate any
fat grams saved— which won't get you any closer to fitting into those
YSL jeans.
4. Snacking is a faux pas. They rarely snack, and they eat meals only while sitting at a table. Americans, on
the other hand, eat everywhere-in our cars, at our desks, in the checkout line at the grocery store. In fact, the
average calorie consumption in the United States is 3,642 a day, versus 3,551 in France— a small difference
that can add up to a five-pound weight gain in six months. Quelle horreur!
5. Soak up the color. French women fill up on bright-colored vegetables, whether they're in zucchini soup or
a beet, lettuce and cabbage salad before their entrée. Good thing, too, since the antioxidants in these foods
help stave off the free radicals produced by cigarette smoke.
6. Make the most of meals. The French space out their courses and eat them at a leisurely pace— generally
with friends and family, reports Loomis. In addition to cutting down on indigestion, this practice makes them
less likely to overindulge, because the sensation of fullness has time to develop.
7. Wine and dine. Bordeaux and Beaujolais are staples, but French women usually drink them with their
meal— no guzzling one or two glasses at the bar before dinner. Plus, glasses in France are only partially filled
-the better to taste the wine and cut down on calories.
8. C'est cheese. They love cheese, but treat it as if it were a delicacy— eating it only after meals and stop-
ping after just a slice or two, says Loomis. And although French cheeses seem rich, many (like Brie and
chèvre) are actually lower in calories than American favorites.
9. Park your car. Thirty-five percent of the time, the French get where they're going by walking or biking.
Americans don't leave home without their cars a whopping 84 percent of the time.
10. Boycott the buffet. In France, you won't find many all-you-can-eat fests, such as brunch buffets, tailgate
parties and unlimited pasta and dessert bars, where it's easy for the calories to add up quickly. The French
realize that they will get to eat again in a few hours.
Source:
O’Connor, A. (n.d.). 10 Diet Lessons From the French. Retrieved from https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/
tips/10-diet-lessons-from-the-french/ .
Wellness Newsletter Issue 36/ January/February 2020
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