This article discusses a new book, French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure.
Much has been written in recent years about the French paradox: They drink lots of wine and eat baguettes and high-fat foods such as creamy sauces, red meat, butter and cheese and still stay slim and have less heart disease. But it's not such a paradox, Clower says. "The French eat real food, not faux foods like chips, sodas, Fruit Roll-ups and cheddar Goldfish."They eat a wide variety of fresh foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, but not a lot at one sitting, he says. They value quality over quantity. "People here would buy a 5-pound burrito if it cost 99 cents even if it was tasteless, but the French would never do that."
'They eat as they like'
The book seems to be very popular -- it's currently #3 at Amazon.com.
(Link found at Dennis Cheung's blog.)
Having spent a lot of time in France eating at dinner tables and breakfast tables with the French, I think their secret is moderation, more than anything else. I've never seen a French person binge on anything (except those guys who get up early, go down to the local cafe, and drink two or three cognacs with coffee before heading off to work.
Also, those 2 glasses of wine they consume everyday seems pretty important too.
Tom..
http://fermentations.blogspot.com
Posted by: Tom Wark | Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 08:39 AM