The Daily Dozen: 12 Reasons the French Stay Slim and Healthy

Give them A Hand:  the French excel at healthy, sane, eating and drinking habits. (Photo taken at the St-Ouen Market in Paris).

Hmm, it’s February—how are those resolutions going?  Still hitting the gym, are those scales descending?  Or not?  Time to get back to figuring out those darn French—how and why they are so slim.

Americans have some lousy food habits.  You know the sins:  eating on the run, supersizing portions, eating quickly, drinking sodas, snacking, eating processed foods, roller coaster dieting, mindless eating.  

To our credit, there’s a renewed interest in slow food, good nutrition, and especially in eating local, fresh food.  The Anglos have taken the locavore thing and run with it, in the past few years.  But the French have been at this forever.

Remember, the French don’t just eat, they dine.  Pleasure at table is the guiding principle.

So, Dear Readers, how do you stack up against the French?  Here is a Daily Dozen of good French eating habits.  

If you were French, you would probably do the following: 

1  Eat a light but filling breakfast, a tartine or yogurt with your café au lait.

3  Cook homemade stuff, and avoid prepared or processed foods.

4  Eat seasonally, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

5  Eat three regular meals,  no snacking.

6  Always eat at table.  No eating—or even drinking– at the sink, at the refrigerator, in your car, or walking around.

7  Nibble on  apperatifs with your wine that are light, like radishes or nuts.  Never cheese, which is eaten after a main meal (when your hunger is diminished), and in small portions.

8  Eat reasonable portions, SLOWLY and in courses (aids digestion, fullness), with lots of flavors at each meal.

9  Eat only until you’re satisfied, not until you’re stuffed.   

10  Eat intelligently, in touch with your body and nutritional needs, but without obsessing about fat, calories or carbs.

11  Treat every meal as an event to be savored with family and friends.  No TV, no distractions, just conversation. 

12  Eat lots of carbs–a baguette per person per day is the average , but rarely with butter. Pasta and potatoes are common too.

13  Wash it all down with some good wine, in moderation. Avoid cocktails, beer, and soft drinks; drink tons of water instead. 

14  View dessert as an occasional treat, not as a routine or a major food group (OK that was news to me but I’m too old to change).

15 End each meal with a divine little expresso, as a filling finish. 

Did I say 12 reasons?  No charge for the extras.  Bon appetit, Y’all!

Now, what shall we cook, that will be delicious and guilt -free?  The French eat lots of fish and they love sauces, so let’s go with that, for an easy dinner. 

RECIPE:  Glazed Asian Salmon 

4 servings 

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons brandy
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• juice of one lime 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion, the white bulb only

4 salmon filets                                                                                                                        scallions, green part only, for garnish

Combine first set of  ingredients in a bowl.  Place filets in a large zip-top bag and add marinade. Marinate in refrigerator up to 2 hours. Slice green scallion tops thinly lengthwise, for garnish.

Remove filets from bag, place in baking pan and pour marinade over.  Bake in 400 degree oven (200C). Begin checking for doness at 12 minutes, may take up to 20 if filets are thick. If sauce is thin, pour it into a saucepan on top of stove and boil briefly until it becomes a glaze. Or, sear filets in skillet on top of stove, then add marinade and cook filets until done, turning once.  Remove filets and boil sauce a bit if needed.

Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; drizzle each serving with  warm glaze.   Garnish with green onions.

Serve with a rice mixture (like brown, red, wild, etc), dressed up with a sprinkling of chives and pecans, plus some roasted asparagus.  A slice of good cheese with a bit of bread and red wine to follow, some fruit for dessert capped off by an expresso, and la vie est belle!

In the comments this past week: Mark has great stories about his language trials–we've all been there! Randi discovered a unique trick for communication, and Frank's goal is eavesdropping on those interesting French conversations.  Sandra's looking for a program, French teacher Kathy knows a good one, and Judy is studying with the Alliance Francaise, a great organization.  Ericka and PJ are Villefranche alumni, and like me would love to go back (yes, we all remember Chez Betty's!).

Unless otherwise attributed, all POSTS, PHOTOS and RECIPES on this blog copyright ©2010 Lynn McBride.  All Rights Reserved.