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I can't help admiring our french cousins. They are on average a lot slimmer than the US or UK citizens and eat smaller much healthier portions!
This is probably due to their eating habits of a more Mediterranean diet. We in the UK on the other hand are much stockier and plump, living on an island that sees much colder, wetter, wilder, weather in general, so we have to eat a diet with lots of carbs particularly to survive the harsher, colder weather conditions.
However, the french love food and especially fine cuisine!
"Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup" meaning "eat well, laugh often, love much" is a common saying in France that sums up the nation's enthusiasm for food.
Note the "eat well" rather than "live well" - eating is to be savoured as a central part of life itself.
French movie star Leslie Caron knows a thing or two about French food, having run a restaurant near Paris for nearly 20 years.
"I eat sensibly – every day at lunch I have a steak with a big salad and I eat fruit, vegetables, yogurt and muesli," she says. "I seldom eat pastry – maybe once a year. I never eat desserts and I don't drink. That makes a big difference."
On the other hand, numerous studies have indicated that red wine, and French red wine in particular, contains high level of antioxidants. So French women can rest assured that one or two glasses a day are not only pleasurable but beneficial to their health as well. Santé!
Unlike the UK or the US
Food portions are much much smaller in France. It is quite common for french women to leave half her plate or save it for later!
Food is celebrated in France and enjoyed with family and friends. The french eat 3 times a day but they never eat between meals!
Food should always look pleasing to the eye and beautiful on the plate. Nouvelle cuisine is the popular choice of meal and remember less is always more.
- Exclude All Processed Foods. ...
- Emphasize On Whole Foods. ...
- Shop At Local Food Markets. ...
- Think Quality, Not Quantity. ...
- Cook Every Single Meal. ...
- Eat A Wide Variety of Foods. ...
- Eat Everything In Moderation. ...
- Stay Thin simply by living your life. (Everyday excercise.)
- French women walk everywhere!
So I think we can learn a lot from our french cousins. Bon appétit!
* Sources - Stylist.co.uk
*leoncechenal.com/french-diet- how -to - like- a - french-woman
Comments
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Hi Gill
I do try and eat a mediterranean and tend to prefer two meals rather than three.
Breakfast tends to be around 10-10.30 - Homemade mueslie, kefir yoghurt and chia seeds and sometimes topped with fruit. Its my main meal i need to work on 🙃.
Judith
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Hi Judith,
I used to like croisants but had to put a stop to that, too fattening! lol!
Liking yogurt very much at the moment for breakfast. It keeps me going until past lunch time!
Lunch time I usually have some crackers and cheese (only if I am hungry). Although I often swap lunch and dinner around.
I eat a lot of vegetables or salad for the main meal at dinner time. I tend to be vegetarian in the warmer weather but now I am trying to cut out carbs like potatoes, or pasta, rice etc.
A family member cut carbs out and lost 2 inches off their waist!
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Hi Gill
Ive just had breakie - mueslie etc
Going to make French Onion soup for our evening meal and going to try and find a healthy pud 😄
Judith
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That sounfs good Judith 👍