Are you trying to lose weight? If so then you may be interested in French food. That suggestion might seem quite odd, because when you think of French food and ingredients you don't immediately leap to images of a stick of celery and a glass of water. Instead French cuisine seems often to feature meals consisting of several generous courses, with lashings of butter stuffed into every crevice, cream sauces drizzled generously over anything that doesn't move, glasses of wine at every possible moment and of course desserts to die for.
If that's a French food diet then it doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't sound likely to help you drop a few dress sizes either. But when you consider the fact that we massively out rank the French when it comes to obesity, with nearly a quarter of all adults in the UK classed as obese whilst in France it's just under one in ten adults, there's clearly something interesting going on.
How is it possible that the French can enjoy multi course meals, wine, butter stuffed meat dishes and desserts oozing with calories and yet remain significantly more slender than we British? Not only that, but the French even have a better life expectancy than we do. Somehow if you're sitting there with a stick of celery and a glass of water it really doesn't seem right or fair. So what's the secret?
The answer is that the French can enjoy their food because they tend to stick to a number of simple habits which allow them to appear to indulge and enjoy themselves without piling on the pounds in quite the same way we tend to on this side of the water. If you're looking to lose weight or simply improve your health then the following three French food tips could well help you to start loving food rather than seeing it as the incarnation of temptation and the future of your hips.
1. Breakfast Like A King. The old adage goes: "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper", and there's a great deal of good advice in this. If your mornings are usually spent putting on your makeup and shoes at the same time while holding your car keys in your teeth with your mobile gripped between ear and shoulder as you ferry three children and a husband off to work and school then you may feel you simply don't have time for breakfast, yet this is the worst way to start your day.
The French see breakfast as very much more important than we often do, spending time enjoying each and every meal. The French never skip a single meal, which is one of the biggest secrets to weight control. French food offers everything from croissants to yoghurts, fruit and nuts, and it will really help stabilise your metabolism for the rest of the day, as well as giving you much more energy right when you're going to need it.
2. The French Don't Have A Word For 'Snack'. If your coffee breaks usually involve a handful of biscuits, a chocolate bar or some other snack then this is really not helping. French food is diverse and magnificent, but the French don't actually have a word for snack. It's that unheard of. The closest you'll find is 'casse-croûte' which actually means 'breakage crust'. Hardly indicative of chocolate and calorie rich indulgences. Eat a bigger breakfast and stave off the snacks and you'll find your weight loss much easier.
3. A Full Plate Doesn't Have To Mean A Big Plate. The French are able to enjoy meals with several courses because they don't pile up huge plates full of French food. Instead they take their time, eat slowly, and only have small portions. If you find yourself piling your plate to the brim and battling to stop it falling off the edges then this could be the perfect time to buy smaller dinner plates. Simply by reducing the size of your plate a little you can help reduce the amount you eat. It's a psychological trick that will fool your stomach into thinking it's just as full as when you had a bigger plate, but your hips will thank you for it.
The French food diet means you don't have to give up cheese, chocolate and wine - just enjoy it like the French do and you could start to find your hips looking much more continental!
If that's a French food diet then it doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't sound likely to help you drop a few dress sizes either. But when you consider the fact that we massively out rank the French when it comes to obesity, with nearly a quarter of all adults in the UK classed as obese whilst in France it's just under one in ten adults, there's clearly something interesting going on.
How is it possible that the French can enjoy multi course meals, wine, butter stuffed meat dishes and desserts oozing with calories and yet remain significantly more slender than we British? Not only that, but the French even have a better life expectancy than we do. Somehow if you're sitting there with a stick of celery and a glass of water it really doesn't seem right or fair. So what's the secret?
The answer is that the French can enjoy their food because they tend to stick to a number of simple habits which allow them to appear to indulge and enjoy themselves without piling on the pounds in quite the same way we tend to on this side of the water. If you're looking to lose weight or simply improve your health then the following three French food tips could well help you to start loving food rather than seeing it as the incarnation of temptation and the future of your hips.
1. Breakfast Like A King. The old adage goes: "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper", and there's a great deal of good advice in this. If your mornings are usually spent putting on your makeup and shoes at the same time while holding your car keys in your teeth with your mobile gripped between ear and shoulder as you ferry three children and a husband off to work and school then you may feel you simply don't have time for breakfast, yet this is the worst way to start your day.
The French see breakfast as very much more important than we often do, spending time enjoying each and every meal. The French never skip a single meal, which is one of the biggest secrets to weight control. French food offers everything from croissants to yoghurts, fruit and nuts, and it will really help stabilise your metabolism for the rest of the day, as well as giving you much more energy right when you're going to need it.
2. The French Don't Have A Word For 'Snack'. If your coffee breaks usually involve a handful of biscuits, a chocolate bar or some other snack then this is really not helping. French food is diverse and magnificent, but the French don't actually have a word for snack. It's that unheard of. The closest you'll find is 'casse-croûte' which actually means 'breakage crust'. Hardly indicative of chocolate and calorie rich indulgences. Eat a bigger breakfast and stave off the snacks and you'll find your weight loss much easier.
3. A Full Plate Doesn't Have To Mean A Big Plate. The French are able to enjoy meals with several courses because they don't pile up huge plates full of French food. Instead they take their time, eat slowly, and only have small portions. If you find yourself piling your plate to the brim and battling to stop it falling off the edges then this could be the perfect time to buy smaller dinner plates. Simply by reducing the size of your plate a little you can help reduce the amount you eat. It's a psychological trick that will fool your stomach into thinking it's just as full as when you had a bigger plate, but your hips will thank you for it.
The French food diet means you don't have to give up cheese, chocolate and wine - just enjoy it like the French do and you could start to find your hips looking much more continental!