♥ Petite isn’t just a dress size. One of the reasons France has an 11 percent obesity rate (as compared to America’s 33 percent) is portion control. “A croissant in Paris is one ounce, while in Pitrsburgh it’s tow,” notes Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition at George State University. Buy one and share it with your beau.
♥ Never say diet. The French don’t get involved in the carbs versus protein debate, nor do they label food groups like dairy or beef “bad”. “There’s an emphasis on eating a wide variety of foods—fruits, vegetables, beef, poultry, fish, bread and cheese—without overdoing any one thing.” Explain Susan Herrmann Loomis, a cooking teacher in Louviers, France, and author of rhe cooking memoir On Rue Tatin.
♥ There’s no French Equivalent of Butter Buds. Most French regard processed foods with the utter disdain they usually reserve for instant coffee. In other words, they’d rather have a small piece of “real” chocolate than a big slab of some low-fat sweets probably negate any fat grams saved-which wont get you any closer to fitting into those YSL jeans.
♥ Snacking is a faux pas. They rarely snack, and they eat meals only while sitting at a table. Americans, on the other hand, eat everywhere—in our cars, at our desks, in the checkout line at the grocery store. In fact, the average calorie consumption in the United States is 3,642 a day, versus 3,551 in France—a small difference that can add up to a five-pounds weight gain in six months.
♥ Soak up the color. French women fill up on bright-colored vegetables, whether they’re in zucchini soup or a beef, lettuce and cabbage salad before their entrée. Good thing, too, since the antioxidants in these foods help stave off the free radicals produced by cigarette smoke.
Ref: fitness
