Tourists often wonder how French women manage to stay slim and elegant while eating chocolate and copious amounts of cheese, all washed down with wine. This is all the more surprising because they are not obsessed with diets or exhausting workouts. Their secret lies in their attitude to food, which has been cultivated in them since childhood.
Which habits of French women should we adopt in our lives to stay in shape without too much trouble and even with pleasure?
10. Food as a sacrament
This is probably the main secret of every French woman. They treat food with respect and do not allow themselves to eat bad food or when they are on the go. It can be said that French women are obsessed with food, but their obsession is with excellence and beauty, not quantity. French women often have lunch and dinner in restaurants or cafes and enjoy wine and good company.
"For the French, a meal is a very special moment in which you share pleasure: food and conversation," says Parisian nutritionist dr. Francoise L'Hermite. "Unfortunately, in many other countries, food is just fuel for muscle energy. If you don't enjoy the food, you break all the rules of eating."
9. French women choose quality
French women prefer the best, freshest and most selected ingredients. Their principle is to opt for more expensive and better rather than more and cheaper. There are no alternatives: it will always be pieces of good quality dark chocolate or a light handmade cake, but never a big tub of cheap ice cream (which will most likely contain harmful trans fats); they will always prefer fresh fish to cheap chicken of unknown quality.
French women are a living illustration of a universal truth: we are what we eat. Rachel Khoo, owner of Paris restaurant La Petite Cuisine, says: "Although I had limited financial resources, I could afford to go to the fresh food market for baguettes and cheese. I really like that in Paris there is no division (of food) by social class.”
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8. French women often place their fork on their plate
No French woman will eat and eat and turn lunch or dinner into "fuel" for her body. She will eat slowly, chewing and swallowing every morsel of food, pausing to chat with those at the table so that a regular meal celebrates taste and companionship.
7. They are completely honest with themselves about food, but they never forbid themselves anything
A French woman fully understands that foie gras or brie cheese are very fatty foods. She knows very well that she will not be able to stay in good shape if she eats croissants and fresh bread twice a day.
But she will never deny herself anything. It is better to allow yourself to eat a little of what you love than to suffer complete abstinence. French women do not regret their “petits riens” – those little “sinful pleasures.” You must not say: "I don't eat sweets!" and then looking at his friend's plate with eyes full of hunger and jealousy. Why bother so much? This will only lead to you breaking down one day and then suffering even more from guilt and lack of willpower.
6. French women are primarily about moderation and balance
If they want to stay in shape, they won't eat both pastry, cheese and bread in one day, says Rebeca Plantier, author of Lessons From France: Eating, Fitness, Family.
They do not forbid themselves small pleasures, but they understand that thinness can only be maintained with moderation and balance. You can eat a piece of cake today, but your dinner then won't contain any extra calories. Tomorrow you can treat yourself to some chocolate, and during the day some wine with cheese and nuts.
French actress Sophie Marceau, for example, is anything but. "I don't eat fast food, but I love chocolate, I don't limit myself."
5. Too much sugar or salt is not for them
French dishes are known for their elegant taste, and if they contain spices, they only emphasize the natural taste and aroma of the ingredients. French women have been taught since childhood that anything "too much" is not for them. A piece of cake that is too sweet or too creamy will be rejected in favor of a light cream or fruit pie, and the same goes for food that is too salty or too fried.
4. French women will rather wait for dinner than eat on the go
A French woman can, of course, drink a cup of coffee with a cookie or two between meals, but she certainly won't overdo it. She prefers to wait until dinner and enjoy a good piece of meat with a salad, and light hunger is the best aperitif for delicious food.
If lunch or dinner is too far away and if you are hungry, natural yogurt without sweeteners is the best option. The French eat far more yogurt than any other European. Mireille Guiliano, author of the blog French Women Don't Get Fat, writes that the consumption of this product in France is about 20 kg per person per year.
3. They always eat at a tidy table
French women did not deny themselves the pleasure of eating slowly and with taste, at a beautifully decorated table. They are not used to eating on the corner of the table or at their desk and licking their fingers in between eating and typing.
Long lunch breaks are very common in French offices. "Slow food" is better digested and allows you to enjoy eating. When we eat in a hurry, we often pay no attention to either the taste or the aroma. That's why we want to treat ourselves to something sweet after an hour to get a dose of happiness.
2. Being active is a way of life, not a way to burn off what you've eaten
Rebeca Plantier notes that the activities are part of the national culture in France. French women are hikers, go to the mountains and love kayaking, playing tennis, running in parks, skiing, etc. In addition, they walk a lot. And all of this is a way of life for them, not a desperate way to burn the food they eat or struggle to achieve perfection. French women believe that any kind of self-abuse is harmful to our well-being.
Those who exercise a lot, like to walk, eat quality food with pleasure - these people are not overweight.
1. French women are not worried about exaggeration, nor do they punish their own bodies
We are all human and we all indulge sometimes. This happens to French women too, even though they care about themselves. But even if they allow themselves to exaggerate and violate the rule of moderation, they do not take it as a tragedy and go to extremes. They will not punish their body and say: "I ate too much yesterday, so now I'm going to starve and work out at the gym for two hours."
"The 'no pain, no gain' rule never got here," says Rebeca Plantier. And when movie star Eva Green (who is really thin) was asked to diet and lose weight for her first movie role, she quickly gave up. "Food is so important to me. I couldn't go on," she admitted.
A French woman will very soon become bored if she has to count calories, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and trans fats, and will be completely depressed if she has to put this knowledge into practice in relation to the blissful part of her life, food. He prefers to treat food as pleasure, but always keeps moderation and balance in mind. This is the art of living with pleasure.
