Haute and healthy

Many of the conventional “how to eat healthy” rules are flouted by the French. Yet they remain comparatively slim and svelte, have lower rates of heart disease and live long. How do they do it? Kavita Devgan finds out

The French break every rule universally believed to make us fat. They love their croissants, cheese and creamy sauces, chocolates, after dinner liqueurs and wine; they enjoy eating; fat and cholesterol are never considered and certainly not mentioned — why ruin a good meal? They don’t diet and don’t spend hours panting in the gym. Yet, the French on the whole are thinner, have lower rates of heart disease and live relatively long.

No place like home
In France, 76 per cent eat meals that are prepared at home, says a study by Dr Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania. Their favourite place to eat both lunch and dinner is home, with 75 per cent eating at the family table. The act of cooking is sensual, part of their pleasure and love of food. By and large, they follow these rules (which are not that easy to follow) — no seconds, no skipping meals, no bolting down food, no heading straight for dessert before first filling up on vegetables, salad and meat. They don’t eat in front of the television (they’d rather head out to a café to enjoy fresh air or some company, than slouch on a couch), and mostly never eat while walking or standing. They hardly ever snack outside of meals (one reason for this is that they stay full longer as the small amounts of high fat-foods that they eat stimulate the production of cholecystokinin, a satiety signalling hormone that produces an extended sense of satisfaction). They usually consume 60 per cent of their day’s calories before 2 pm, followed later by a small dinner, so are less likely to sleep on a major calorie cushion. Really rich foods are reserved for special occasions. And most important, these habits are all learnt when they are young.  

Learn to savour
Eating comme il faut, means “the way it should be done”. The French take time over their food, eat less but take their time — eating slowly, chewing well and stopping between bites. There’s logic in it. If you eat huge quantities and fast, you can’t taste most of it because your taste buds are only on your tongue. Instead, if you relish food with smaller bites, you get satisfied with less. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that you’re satiated, so they are right on target here. So while the rest of the world speed-eats, cramming in king-size bites, the French take in smaller mouthfuls, rest their cutlery between bites, and discuss the food, often because it is worthy of discussion. Even at fast food joints like McDonald’s, it has been noted that on an average the French take 22 minutes to eat a burger, while Americans take 14 minutes to wolf it down.

Portion control
Exercising strict portion control works. Even their typical restaurant portion sizes are smaller. In a study done by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, it was found that one reason why the French eat less is because they are served smaller portions. Sample this — servings were bigger in 10 of 11 Philadelphia restaurants surveyed compared with those in Paris, even at the same chains. For example, a medium order of French fries weighs 3 ounces (100 gms) at McDonald’s in Paris, but nearly 5.5 (160 gms) ounces at McDonald’s in Philadelphia, which means Americans are getting nearly twice as many calories in the ‘same size’ serving. A croissant in Paris is one ounce, while in Pittsburgh it’s two. The American candy bar is 41 per cent larger, a hot dog is 63 per cent bigger and even a yoghurt serving is larger. Even the Chinese meals in America have been found to be 72 per cent bigger than those served in Paris.

CHOOSE RIGHT

Avoid haute cuisine and cuisine bourgeois — these terms indicate that butter, cream, pork lard, goose fat, and eggs are used liberally. Nouvelle cuisine is healthier. Choose simple meals, with few sauces (high in sodium). For an entree select one that has a wine-based sauce rather than a cream or butter based one, or choose from consommé and other stock-based soups, a crisp salade nicoise (salad with tuna and green beans or spinach salad (without bacon), poached or steamed seafood and roast chicken or chicken in wine sauce and fresh or poached fruit. Go easy on soufflés (heavy with eggs), gratins and quiches (loads of egg and cheese), fondue, crepes, croissants, éclairs, and other pastries.

Balance it out
A belief in sensible pleasures means a chocolate croissant for breakfast followed by a vegetable-based lunch and perhaps passing on the bread basket at dinner.

Deprivation can lead to overindulgence, so by bringing food to the forefront of their daily routines, they obviate the need for serial dieting, binge eating, panic snacking and guilt tripping.

Only what’s fresh
In France, every neighbourhood has its own market. They eat a wide variety of fresh foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables. But they never eat a lot at one sitting, and mostly eat what’s in season. Even the smallest mom-and-pop outlet looks askance at serving dehydrated, frozen food. Fresh ingredients, locally grown produce and quality ingredients tend to be the norm. Food shopping is done every day, it’s a way of life and only the freshest food is purchased. Little is left over or stocked in the refrigerator. Rare is the meal-in-a-box with preservatives used. French cooking also uses a lot of herbs, as opposed to spices. From bay leaves to aromatic lavender, the list is endless.

Only water
The Fench tend to consume more dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese, but there’s so much variety in taste and type that they don’t need to eat a lot of it. They go easy on fizzy drinks, drinking water with meals instead. If they have coffee, they order an espresso, which has far fewer calories than a branded cappuccino. The figures vary according to different sources, but the crux is that they consume around 10 times less sugar and salt than Americans. This is probably because they rely less on processed foods and also because they frown on ‘junk’ food generally. The French are the greatest consumers of mineral water (per head) than any other nation, and we all know how essential water is in weight management and overall health. Along with a baguette, you’ll invariably see a bottle of mineral water too tucked under their arm.

More smart tips
A glass of wine, of course. But they don’t feel the need to drink a bottle. A glass is all they need to complement the food (natural portion control again). Red wine has flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants (which help protect against heart disease and cancer).

And the bonus
French people tend not to be gym addicts but they walk everywhere — and if you’ve ever experienced the Arc de Triomphe roundabout during peak hour you’ll know why. They walk to the markets, they walk to restaurants and cafes; they walk to work if they can, they walk everywhere. That translates to the difference between slim and toned, and fat and pudgy.

(Sources: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations ; Heart (formerly the British Heart Journal), French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano; Copenhagen Heart Study; survey by the French government’s Committee for Health Education on French food; British Medical Journal; Journal of Psychological Science

Kavita Devgan is a Delhi-based nutrionist and writer