The stereotypical French woman is slim despite a diet of rich foods and wine. But does the stereotype hold up to scrutiny? And if so, what are her diet secrets? Let’s see if and how the French woman keeps her trim figure.
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French Inspired Diet Secrets
It’s no secret that the French, as a whole, are slimmer than their American counterparts. Obesity isn’t unheard of in France. In fact, they have an obesity rate of 21.6% in 2023 so obviously they are beginning to struggle with the issue. But the United States’ rate is 36.2% so the French still have something to teach us.
Chances are that you have heard of the book, French Women Don’t Get Fat. This best seller by French woman, Mireille Guiliano introduced the concept of the French way of staying slim to a wide audience. Here is an overview of the book:
French women don’t get fat, even though they enjoy bread and pastry, wine, and regular three-course meals. Unlocking the simple secrets of this “French paradox”—how they enjoy food while staying slim and healthy—Mireille Guiliano gives us a charming, inspiring take on health and eating for our times. For anyone who has slipped out of her Zone, missed the flight to South Beach, or accidentally let a carb pass her lips, here is a positive way to stay trim, a culture’s most precious secrets recast for the twenty-first century. A life of wine, bread—even chocolate—without girth or guilt? Pourquoi pas?
It’s a good book and there is much to be learned from it. The leek soup recipe is a great tool in a woman’s toolbox. Have you overindulged a bit during the holidays or on vacation? Cook up a big batch of leek soup and eat that for your main meals over a couple of days. Little tricks like this won’t take off 50 pounds but will help maintain one’s weight.
Was Mireille Guiliano the first to write about the French diet? Non! She gets the most attention but many years before her book came out, Anne Barone was writing on the same topic.
I first became acquainted with Anne in a French Chic email group many years ago. Her books were self-published and could have used a professional editor. But the content was fresh and almost revolutionary at a time when the low-fat craze was sweeping the nation. Despite the less-polished aspect, her books are still well worth the read. I’ve pulled out my autographed copy of Chic and Slim to read again this week.
But even Anne’s book wasn’t the beginning. Back in 1978, Judith Krantz published the wildly popular book, Scruples. Billy Ikehorn is transformed from a chubby American teenager to a slim and sexy woman while living in Paris. This takes place early in the book and then it gets really steamy. That may not be your thing but there is a passage describing what she is given to eat during her time living with a French family. Initially she thinks she is going to starve but gradually, the weight begins to fall off.
Here is a description of what was served for her first dinner en famille:
-a thin, delicious vegetable soup
-soft-boiled eggs in the shell
-a large green salad with one thin slice of cold ham for each of them
-bread and cheese
After the salad plates were cleared, fresh plates were put on the table and Madame placed a small platter in front of her own place. On it was displayed a small cheese sitting on a mat of woven straw and surrounded charmingly with fresh leaves. The Comtesse judiciously cut herself a slice and passed the platter to Billy. Billy cut herself a slice exactly as large as Madame’s, too intimidated to take more. The bread was finally passed and a round crock of butter; a very small crock, although a pretty design was stamped into the butter. The cheese was not passed a second time.
-dessert was a bowl of four navel oranges (one each)
-coffee served in demitasse cups
There are many aspects to the success of the French way of eating which can help one stay slim but here are a few key points:
10 Diet Secrets of the French
1. Choose quality over quantity
This applies to more than just food. The French woman is likely to have a much smaller wardrobe than her American sister yet the items will be of higher quality. The same concept applies to food. By choosing delicious, high quality foods one is more likely to enjoy meals and less likely to overeat.
2. Eat in courses
Three course meals are the norm in France and I saw for myself the positive effects of this when we went to Paris. Well-spaced out courses help you pace yourself.
3. Enjoy the experience of meals with others
While food is extremely important to the French, so is the company in which they partake. Much emphasis is placed upon the entire dining experience and especially the act of breaking bread with others.
4. Smaller portions
In my lifetime I’ve seen portion sizes explode here in the United States. Fast food meals are “supersized”. 32-ounce styrofoam cups of soft drinks are the norm. A “quarter pounder” is no longer the big burger but we now “need” 1/3 or even 1/2 pound of beef in our burgers. Sit-down restaurants serve plates of food that would have easily fed 2-4 people a few decades ago. And we wonder why obesity is such an issue here. Take a tip from the French and reduce your portion sizes.
5. Eat slowly
One of my favorite things about French restaurants is that they don’t rush you through your meal. None of this business of asking if you want dessert before you are half way through your meal. (I HATE that!) No. They have no expectation of turning tables several times during the evening so you are left to enjoy a leisurely meal. If we could learn to slow down, chew our food well, take little breaks between bites and longer breaks between courses, our stomachs would have time to register that they are full and signal our brains.
6. Don’t snack
Schoolchildren might have an afternoon snack – le goûter – but in general the French do not snack between meals. Imagine the calories saved by this approach alone!
7. Eat soup
I’ve heard some people say they don’t like soup but I find that so hard to imagine. I adore a good bowl of soup! Starting a meal with a cup or small bowl of soup is a good way to take the edge of one’s hunger, often with relatively few calories. And of course, skipping the calorie-dense burger or sandwich for lunch and replacing it with a steaming hot bowl of soup is another way to keep one’s calorie intake in check over the course of the day. Here are some of my soup recipes:
Soup Recipes for National Homemade Soup Day
8. Avoid processed foods
Choose whole foods, preferably organic, over highly-processed items. The French are fussy about the foods they eat and believe that being well-nourished is worth the time, effort and expense.
9. Eat yogurt
French women eat one or two yogurts every day, according to Mireille Guiliano. And science backs up the efficacy of this:
A study published in the April 2005 International Journal of Obesity looked at obese adults who cut 500 calories a day while consuming three daily servings of low-fat yogurt. It found that they lost significant amounts of fat, especially around the waist, while maintaining lean muscle tissue. The three-yogurts-a-day group lost 22% more weight, 61% more body fat, and 81% more stomach fat than a comparison group who ate just one serving of yogurt daily. – Popular Diets of the World: The French Diet
10. Finish your meal with a bit of dark chocolate
The French are not into depriving themselves. Non! Enjoy a glass of red wine with your dinner a few nights a week and nibble a tiny piece of dark chocolate after your meal. You will be consuming some healthful flavonoids and won’t feel compelled to binge on something less healthy.
Staying slim is important to the French woman and by following her tips and tricks we can learn to do likewise!
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