The French diet looks like coffee, wine and pastries, so how do they stay looking immaculate?
French cuisine is known to be indulgent from the fat of the meat being used in their sauces to a pâtisserie on every corner and of course lots of wine. So, it poses the question of how French women maintain a great physique without succumbing to temptation every day.
French Fashion and jewellery designer Justine Leconte says, “Eat lots of fruit and vegetables” French women enjoy all the rich goodness that the food in France has to offer whilst maintaining a great physique it’s all about balance.
The belief is that all food can be enjoyed as long as all is consumed in moderation; there’s no reason not to engage in culinary excellence. Nutritionists instil in us, that weight and maintenance is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Nowadays, people are more self-aware and place that importance on their diet.
Read – 6 Traditional French Dishes
How do French women stay so slim?
An exhilarating feast comes to mind when you think of a French experience when it comes to breakfast. Croque Madame, Croissants, Crepes- can’t think of better foods to begin the day with. If you were to watch those typical scenes in a movie but instead of a French family eating breakfast, with a beautiful spread, we would definitely see Tartine with that buttery and jammy goodness, the perfectly formed Pain Au Chocolat, and classic French Toast!
Although pastries may be what people identify French breakfast foods to be, it is actually not traditional to be including these in your daily diet for a French girl. In a dream world, we can talk about eating all this deliciousness and have it not affect our health, but the French are realists. This is why more fresh fruit is encouraged during breakfast and aim to incorporate that even in traditional breakfast delicacies to get that healthy balance, rather than opting to add more processed sugar to the dish.
This idea has become popular, for example, strawberries being in a strong partnership with crepes. The health-conscious French enjoy their quintessential food trends like a radish on salted butter toast but can also adopt modern healthier versions such as avocado toast which can now be found in most brunch spots in Paris.
What is the real French women diet?
Creating a French lunch menu, and placing priority on health is probably easier than the other two meals of the day. Even though lunchtime in France for a working girl can be generously timed such as an hour and a half, it is seen as a benefit to consuming a lighter meal. These tend to be exquisite salads which usually consist of vegetables and fruit such as asparagus, artichokes, figs, and then some. A comforting bowl of French onion soup or leek soup flavoured with shallots and garlic can also make the perfect lunch to complement the winter season.
A general notion that French women carry out throughout most of their meals, especially when lunching is to eat slowly before reaching the maximum potential of fullness and actually evaluate if you should proceed to eat more in the middle of the meal. It’s definitely not encouraged to waste food in French culture, but rather to get yourself habituated to eating smaller portions and actually eating with your mind to protect your body instead of in a frivolous manner to satisfy your hunger.
What do French women do for exercise?
The French are strong in their values that maintaining an impeccable physique should not be a full forced draining transformational experience but rather focus on incorporating simple active habits into your lifestyle. It is common for people to frequently go to the gym, go to fitness classes, and run, but the French also believe that these do not need to be the core and actually romanticize an active lifestyle. This should be done with a more relaxed approach, as the famous French term ‘Laissez Faire’ is engraved in their attitudes.
Bike riding is widely popular in France and not just as a means of transportation, but as a form of exercise and this is highly encouraged to take advantage to explore and admire the beauty of the outdoors in France. Another literal step, that is recommended to people is something as simple as taking the stairs.
Read – How to embrace the French Lifestyle for a stress-free life.
More modern buildings may include lifts/elevators, but the more traditional buildings tend to stay without this facility, perhaps subconsciously trying to emphasize that this is a healthy reinforcement to make part of your daily routine, as there is a stigma with modern technology maybe be beneficial for making everything convenient for humans, but also have made people lazier. Moreover, in France, a good amount of sleep is considered vital to leading an active lifestyle, so you are more inclined to want to be on your feet rather than lounging around.
How do French women keep weight off?
Any advice that is given for good sleep does come back to diet, with not overfeeding yourself at dinner, so you feel more relaxed and soothed to enjoy a deep slumber. Herbal teas from chamomile, fennel blend, and anise are also used to provide a calming atmosphere physically to prepare to sleep well.
Overall, the French diet of a healthy balance between indulgence and moderation is arguably a major contribution to why French people maintain a great physique whilst appreciating all their cuisine has to offer. They also carry the same stance with fitness with it being a part of their everyday lives rather than posing it as this unappealing mission. The French definitely have the right idea, which explains why more people are successful and fulfilled in their healthy lifestyle rather than feeling deprived.
