Fine French Women – Their Secret Revealed…

I had a fab weekend just gone with my girlies in Paris!!! It’s our once a year get together and we do not stop talking from start to finish, ‘tis a true talking marathon – if there were an actual competition, I know we would win hands down.

Anyway, looking around the stylish women of Paris, I couldn’t help but note that not one of them looked like they were carrying any extra junk in their trunk. Yet everywhere we ate, we were served with bread, cheese and wine!! A body-tone nightmare no? Yet a mere 11% of French adults are obese.

Here are their secrets ladies, usurp them…in fact create a daily mantra…

1. Enjoy your food!

The French enjoy and savour every moment of their food, tasting the food individually rather than piling it all on to their plates. They eat until they are satisfied, not stuffed. An international study on populations and food showed the French were the most pleasure orientated with food.

2. Small portion size

French portion sizes are notably smaller. Whilst the French diet is rich in cream, butter and pastries, the amount of each thing they eat is sizeably different.

3. Red wine in moderation

Much like their portion sizes, the French drink antioxidant rich red wine. Enough to obtain the benefits, yet moderately enough to over-work the liver or the heart.

4. Quality over quantity

This is the bit I love about France the most, they buy their fruit from markets, their bread from the grocery, their meat from the butcher and their cheese from the fromagerie. None of this all in one go supermarket shopping with food that has plenty of preservatives to lengthen the shelf life! Sure it takes longer, but the actual shopping experience is a joy in itself!

5. Home-cooking tradition

Ready-meals, what?? The French take their time to buy, prepare and cook their meals, no 6 minutes in the microwave and away you go jobby. Doing so ensure fantastic quality control of their food.

6. “No snacking” habit

The French aren’t big snackers, and if they do it tends to be on fresh fruits in between meals, not crisps and chocolate.

7. Water over soda

The French turn their noses up at sodas in favour of bottles water. Why it is the home of Badoit and Evian darling!

8. Walking

Walking is a part of everyday life for the French. They don’t rush to the gym to squeeze in a quick session before whacking the ready meal in the oven. This type of exercise is known as non-exercise-physical-activity, using energy consistently throughout the day, instead of saying, right, I’m training now.

9. Self-discipline

Yes it would be lovely to devour a chocolate gateau after a meal, but French women are more likely to enjoy a dark piece of chocolate or two. When they do indulge, they are mindful the next day, to balance everything out.

Related posts:

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2. Let’s get a little portion control up in here!