Hayley made it safely to France and I am so jealous of all the French food she is going to be eating.
Because of this, I chose to look in to the age old question, “How do French women stay so skinny?” I have seen this question in a few of my readings recently and wanted to share some of the responses with you.
In a book by Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which I will be referencing in a lot in the near future addresses this question. Here is an except of the writing:
“Here in the U.S. we seem puzzled but these people who refrain from gluttony in the presence of a glut. We’ve even named a thing we call the French Paradox: How can people have such a grand time eating cheese and fattened goose livers and still stay slim? Having logged some years in france I have some hunches: they don’t suck down giant sodas, they consume many courses in a mean but the portions of the fatty ones tend to be tiny, they smoke like chimneys (though that’s changing); and they draw out meals sociable so it’s not just about shoveling it all in. the all-you-can-eat buffet is an alien concept to the French to put it mildly. Owing to certain rules about taste and civility in their heads, their bodies seem to know when enough is enough. When asked, my French friends have confided with varying degrees of tact that the real paradox is how people manage to consume, so very much, the scary food of America.”
This month’s Health magazine, writes “An easy way to be more active: Make like a French woman and, whenever possible, walk instead of drive.”Here is an excerpt of the article:
"French Women Stay Slim with Petite Portions
According to the best seller French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guliano, the paradox of how French women consume butter and cream without gaining can be explained in two words: portion control. They have small amouts of frensh, quality food and antioxidant-rich wine, lingering over multiple courses and savoring every bite.
French women also tend to walk everywhere instead of attempting to get to the gym. “In France, they climb stairs. Many of the buildings are older and don’t have elevators,” says Steven Jonas, MD, professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York and co-author of 30 Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Cuisines. Plus, the price of gas is a lot higher, so people are motivated to walk instead of drive. All of this adds up to French women having a low incidence of heart disease and obesity (12 percent compared to the U.S.’s 36 percent).
I admire the French “food is the focus” idea, in theory. If only I could while away the afternoon strolling form boulangerie to fromagerie. But as a working mother of two teenagers, I scramble to pull off a 30-minute meal. And that’s OK, Dr. Jonas says: “Even if it’s quick, a homemade meal with whole ingredients is better than going to a restaurant with huge portions and empty calories.””
So if they answer is portion control- what is a good portion?
It is hard to say exactly, what the right portion size is because of different dietary needs but earlier this year the USDA came up with “my plate”. You can learn more, such as weight management and calories, healthy eating on a budget, and tips for vegetarians at the new website: www.choosemyplate.gov
According to this NBC News article, “Gone are any references to sugars, fats or oils, and what was once a category called "meat and beans" is now simply "proteins." Next to the plate is a blue circle for dairy, which could be a glass of milk or a food such as cheese or yogurt.”
If you are interesting in learning what a good portion size is for you, look at this website!
But returning to the French Paradox... I bought Hayley the French Women Don't Get Fat cookbook and she made this recipe from it recently! Make like the french, try it out, and stay thin :)
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