I recently read the inspiring book, French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, which is definitely worth a read regardless of your weight because it isn’t about dieting, it is about eating extremely well with an emphasis on quality over quantity. Mireille shows us how less is more and how eating everything in moderation is the key and joie de vivre is everything! The world has been mystified by the “French Paradox” that makes it seem that the French manage to get away with drinking wine, eating crusty French bread, eating full-fat, rich cheeses, avoiding the gym, and still managing to be much thinner and healthier than Americans. (Men, don’t be put off by the focus on women here, you too can take a few pointers from the French on how to more fully enjoy what you eat).
Here is Mireille’s own summary of her observations as a French woman living in New York:
- French women typically think about good things to eat. Other women typically worry about bad things to eat.
- French women eat smaller portions of more things. Elsewhere women eat larger portions of fewer things.
- French women eat more vegetables.
- French women eat a lot more fruit.
- French women love bread and would never consider a life without carbs.
- French women don’t eat “fat-free,” “sugar-free,” or anything artificially stripped of natural flavor. They go for the real thing in moderation.
- French women love chocolate, especially the dark, slightly bitter, silky stuff with its nutty aroma.
- French women eat with all five senses, allowing less to seem like more.
- French women balance their food, drink, and movement on a week-by-week basis.
- French women believe in the three P’s: planning, preparation, pleasure.
- French women do stray, but they always come back.
- French women don’t weight themselves, preferring to keep track with their hands, eyes, and clothes: “zipper-syndrome.”
- French women eat three meals a day.
- French women don’t snack all the time.
- French women never let themselves be hungry.
- French women train their taste buds, and those of their young, from an early age.
- French women honor their mealtime rituals and never eat standing up or in front or on the run. Or in front of the TV.
- French women don’t watch much TV.
- French women eat and savor what’s in season, for maximum flavor and value, and know availability does not equate to quality.
- French women love to discover new flavors and are always experimenting with herbs, spices, and citrus juices to make familiar dishes seem new.
- French women eschew extreme temperatures in what they consume, and enjoy fruits and vegetables bursting with flavor at room temperature, at which they prefer their water, too.
- French women don’t care for hard liquor or spirits.
- French women do enjoy wine regularly, but only with meals and only a glass (or maybe two).
- French women drink water all day long.
- French women choose their own indulgences and compensations. They understand that little things count, both additions and subtractions, and that as an adult, everyone is keeper of her own equilibrium.
- French women plan meals in advance and think in terms of menus (a list of little dishes) even at home.
- French women care enormously about the presentation of food. It matters to them how you look at it.
- French women walk everywhere they can.
- French women will dress to take out the garbage (you never know).
- French women adore fashion.
- French women know you can go far with a great haircut, a bottle of champagne, and a divine perfume.
- French women know l’amour fait maigrir (love is slimming).
- French women avoid anything that demands too much effort for too little pleasure.
- French women love to sit in a cafe and do nothing but enjoy the moment.
- French women love to laugh.
- French women eat for pleasure.
- French women don’t diet.
- French women don’t get fat.
What I noticed as well, after reading the book, that didn’t make Mireille’s list above, is that French women enjoy their “indulgences” first and then compensate afterwards, whereas Americans tend to compensate first (or save points) for a later indulgence. The French might typically have a three-course lunch and then have a vegetable soup for dinner. Never two big meals in one day. As Mirielle explains, “The theory goes that the French, who eat soup up to five times a week for dinner, eat better and less… The evening soup eater tends to consume less through the night, after which she needs ‘a real meal’ on rising to get her through the morning.” I tried this myself and can guarantee that if you eat a large bowl of soup for dinner, you’ll have a healthy appetite for breakfast.
So I would add to the already extensive list above, eat soup five times a week for dinner – cold soup in summer and hot in winter. In addition, Mirielle also advises having a small portion of plain organic yogurt twice a day (the real, quality yogurt with live cultures) in order to incorporate all the live bacteria needed for good digestion into your diet. And, for women over forty-five, a tablespoon of walnut oil to keep the brain in good order.
Homework:
Review the list above and choose a few things you could easily and happily change to enjoy your dining experiences more fully. Perhaps you’ll light candles or start serving soup before the main course at dinner. Implement one or two of these this week and jot down in your calendar when you will implement the next few items until you feel you’ve maximized the pleasure you get from food. Remember, the point here is to fully enjoy, savor and appreciate your food, going for small quantities of top quality fresh and, ideally, organic food. This is a cultural change so don’t expect it to happen overnight. Instead, print out this list and gradually make the changes that most appeal to you now.
Ten Minute Option: Review the list above and write down the one or two things you could easily and happily change to enjoy your dining experiences more fully.
Enjoy!
Talane
