Written by: Ellen Ma
Have you ever tried to search for dieting methods that doesn’t make you starve and crave for snacks in the middle of the day? Well, at least I do. What I found, which sounds a bit of a nonsense when I first heard about it, is the saying: ‘French women don’t get fat‘. But according to CBS news, only 11 percent of French people are obese compared to 30 percent of Americans who are 30 pounds heavier than a healthy weight.
The saying was actually the title of a book by Mireille Guiliano, who was recognised as “an ambassador of France and its art of living,” by the French Daily Le Figaro. The book reveals the ingredients for a lifetime of painless weight control and everyday tricks that make you feel contented with each meal. It emphasises the virtue of freshness, variety, balance, and always pleasure, which is a very typical ‘French philosophy’.
The word ‘philosophy’ seems difficult to understand what exactly you have to do. But no worries, tips in the book are actually pretty practical. Let’s look into a few of them.First, savour what you eat. According to Guiliano, French women eat with five senses. Instead of stuffing their stomach with food, they take it as an experience of enjoyment. This allows them to eat less because they are very focused on what they are tasting. Guiliano believes that the pleasure of most foods is in the first few bites.
Also, eating the greatest variety of good food is the key to losing weight. She said, “such variety will go a long way towards compensating you for those things you miss – you will actually find yourself not missing them so much.” Guiliano suggests to ‘choose quality over quantity’ and ‘pick things in season’. She also encourages people to place one thing on their plates at a time to enjoy the full flavours.
Last but not least, French women don’t like sports or the gym but it’s part of their daily habit to walk indeed. She suggests that walking and climbing stairs can also do wonders.
The philosophy of French dieting gives hope to people who is afraid of the traditional way to cut away all the delicacies from life. It really inspires us to see dieting as another way to enjoy life instead of a torture. After all, the only thing you left with is a healthy body that makes you feel good. So, pourquoi pas (why not)?
