genevieve.malarkey Before there was a book that declared it to be true, most tourists noticed one glaring detail about Parisian women: they don’t get fat. Maybe only those who had physically been to France knew this fact, but thanks to Mireille Guiliano, this concept became a widely accepted truth, and suddenly everyone everywhere wanted to know the secret of the Parisienne and how she stays so trim.
After my time in France, I had decided that I just didn’t have the genetic makeup of French women; that was the only way I could explain why I ate French food for six months straight and gained fifteen pounds. I was clearly not blessed with whatever genetic marker allows them to stay skinny while eating all that bread. “French people walk everywhere, they don’t spend a lot of time in cars,” someone told me before my time abroad, “that’s why they stay thin.” So I went to France confident that I could eat all the baguette, croissant, and pain au chocolat I could handle and it wouldn’t make me fat, as long as I walked everywhere. Well, after six months of walking across half of a city to attend my classes every day, I can attest that this was again not true. French carbs had the same effect as American carbs, it would seem.
Clearly then, the key wasn’t that you could indulge daily in sweet or bready delicacies. I basically knew I was over-indulging (though without regrets- “when in Rome,” and all that), and so I started paying more attention. And even when I got home, I kept trying to understand how this clearly accurate observation could be true. Combining the research I’ve done with my own experiences, I’ve broken it down to seven reasons why the French eat what they want and stay thin.
Today I will share with you three of those tips, since this is such a lengthy topic. Want to be notified when the remaining tips get published? Be sure to click the “follow” link and enter your email so you don’t miss it!
1. They eat mindfully. Mindfulness is a huge buzzword these days, and for good reason. The French have been practicing mindfulness with their eating habits since probably forever (save those times of famine and starvation, of course). Though it is a simple concept, like other mindfulness methods, it takes practice and awareness to eat mindfully. In short, the French eat their food slowly, enjoying every mouthful, being in the moment of eating each bite- not shoveling their meals into their mouths at their desks while reading emails so they can log in more hours at the office. By paying attention to the food you are putting in your mouth, and allowing yourself the pleasure to enjoy it, you are hyper aware of not only what you are eating, but how much you are eating.
So how does one eat more mindfully? Simple: put away the phones, set up a nice table setting with silverware, a drink, a napkin, etc., and eat. That’s it. Don’t watch TV, don’t scroll your newsfeed, and don’t make your meal an Instagram story. If you’re with your friends or family, enjoy their company and engage in conversation. If you’re alone, enjoy the solitude and pay attention to the way your food tastes on your pallet- the texture, flavor, temperature, etc. In this way you will be present with your meal, enjoying it, and paying attention to how it makes you feel.
2. Know when to say “assez.” Enjoying a meal mindfully also allows you to be aware when you have had enough, or assez. The French do not eat until they are stuffed, but only when their stomachs feel satiated. We all know there is a line between “full” and “stuffed,” but it can be hard to tell where that line is when you’re binge-watching Netflix with a pizza on your lap (guilty). By paying attention to the food you are eating, you will notice when your stomach feels satisfied, and you are able to stop before you have any regrets. By doing this, the French are not prone to over-eating, which is a large cause of obesity.
3. Eat fresh, local produce. The French are the very best at the marché, or farmer’s markets, and they love shopping for in-season produce to cook their meals. They also really, really love vegetables, and are some of the best in the world at preparing them. Eating more vegetables = being more healthy, and skinny. Want some French recipe cookbooks to try? Go here.
Try implementing these three tips this week, and see if/how it changes your normal patterns. Take the time to set your table and enjoy your meals, both in flavor and aesthetic. Eat what you prepare in a mindful way, and pay attention to when your stomach is satisfied, and stop when it does. Just know that it takes more than a week to see changes in your weight, but you might start feeling a difference in your energy level and mindset right away.
Stay tuned for Part II of this piece. What do you think the remaining four tips for eating like the French will be?
À la prochaine!
geneviève
