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The 'French Paradox'
I'm currently reading about this and I think it's amazing. If you don't know of it, then basically it's the fact that despite the French eating more saturated fat, high calorie foods and drinking lots of wine, they have a much longer life expectancy, less coronary diseases and are generally much slimmer than other countries in the Western world.
Why? Well partly, it is believed, because of their different attitudes to food. They tend to prefer smaller portions of fresher, higher quality food instead of large amounts of manufactured crap. They also eat for pleasure whereas many people in the US and the UK tend to choose convenience over enjoyment with microwave meals, takeaway etc... because of their busier lifestyle and longer working hours. Many French people will spend two hours preparing a meal whereas too often in Britain we just stick a manufactured meal in the microwave for 10 minutes. The lower coronary diseases are suggested to be linked with the moderate wine consumption of the French i.e. a glass every night, which is believed to be very beneficial to the heart. Again, elsewhere, attitudes of binge drinking may be more common and this way of alcohol consumption has the adverse affect on your health.
So basically I think we need to change our attitudes to food, with growing obesity and many of the population overweight. It's interesting how our health is affected by society in this way though. Your thoughts?
Why? Well partly, it is believed, because of their different attitudes to food. They tend to prefer smaller portions of fresher, higher quality food instead of large amounts of manufactured crap. They also eat for pleasure whereas many people in the US and the UK tend to choose convenience over enjoyment with microwave meals, takeaway etc... because of their busier lifestyle and longer working hours. Many French people will spend two hours preparing a meal whereas too often in Britain we just stick a manufactured meal in the microwave for 10 minutes. The lower coronary diseases are suggested to be linked with the moderate wine consumption of the French i.e. a glass every night, which is believed to be very beneficial to the heart. Again, elsewhere, attitudes of binge drinking may be more common and this way of alcohol consumption has the adverse affect on your health.
So basically I think we need to change our attitudes to food, with growing obesity and many of the population overweight. It's interesting how our health is affected by society in this way though. Your thoughts?
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nah french women dont get fat because there is a secret national obsession with weight. 'they' stay thin because they eat very little....beleive me i know many french people who would back me up..
Yeah we definitely have bad eating patterns. In Sri Lanka people are healthy and have a high life expectancy despite being a third world country.
S.Watson
Diet isn't the biggest concern, I have a vague and unsubstantiated 'fact' floating about the back of my mind that says we eat a lot more healthily than we did fifty years ago, the difference is we exercise inordinately less than we used to
As implied , that's all conjecture
As implied , that's all conjecture
But the French have cars and public transport too
mademoiselle84
nah french women dont get fat because there is a secret national obsession with weight. 'they' stay thin because they eat very little....beleive me i know many french people who would back me up..
It's known that on average French women eat three times as much animal fat than us
tis_me_lord
Yeah we definitely have bad eating patterns. In Sri Lanka people are healthy and have a high life expectancy despite being a third world country.
yah i agree our eating habits should be more healthier, rather than conveniance. i don't know about Srilnaka having a high life expectancy though, because of deprivation of food in rural areas such as Jaffna.
http://www.theomnivore.com/sat-fat-chol-CHD.html mentions the case of France
Evil-Tuna
How is this in any way a paradox?
because conventional ******** says that those mentioned properties of the french diet should bestow greater CHD etc on the population
They also have a much more relaxed attitude towards alcohol; children /teens can have sips/small glasses of wine with meals, (obv under supervision), and thus are less likely to do the whole "underage binge drinking" thing. Makes sense, i think.
since I am half french... let me tell you a few things
i come from toulouse by the way. ( a village near to it). French people do eat microwave meals, however, when we cook, we really cook. we dont get chicken from Marks & Sparks and call it 'homemade'. Also, we eat for a looong time . There is a whole procedure and it is actually quite fun
i come from toulouse by the way. ( a village near to it). French people do eat microwave meals, however, when we cook, we really cook. we dont get chicken from Marks & Sparks and call it 'homemade'. Also, we eat for a looong time . There is a whole procedure and it is actually quite funBombalistic
They also have a much more relaxed attitude towards alcohol; children /teenscan have sips/small glasses of wine with meals, (obv under supervision), and thus are less likely to do the whole "underage binge drinking" thing. Makes sense, i think.
werd, the mediterranean approach to alcohol is so much better. I really hate the image of, and culture behind, alcohol in this country, and it is a major factor in my "not" drinking.
Gamma
I'm currently reading about this and I think it's amazing. If you don't know of it, then basically it's the fact that despite the French eating more saturated fat, high calorie foods and drinking lots of wine, they have a much longer life expectancy, less coronary diseases and are generally much slimmer than other countries in the Western world.
Why? Well partly, it is believed, because of their different attitudes to food. They tend to prefer smaller portions of fresher, higher quality food instead of large amounts of manufactured crap. They also eat for pleasure whereas many people in the US and the UK tend to choose convenience over enjoyment with microwave meals, takeaway etc... because of their busier lifestyle and longer working hours. Many French people will spend two hours preparing a meal whereas too often in Britain we just stick a manufactured meal in the microwave for 10 minutes. The lower coronary diseases are suggested to be linked with the moderate wine consumption of the French i.e. a glass every night, which is believed to be very beneficial to the heart. Again, elsewhere, attitudes of binge drinking may be more common and this way of alcohol consumption has the adverse affect on your health.
So basically I think we need to change our attitudes to food, with growing obesity and many of the population overweight. It's interesting how our health is affected by society in this way though. Your thoughts?
Why? Well partly, it is believed, because of their different attitudes to food. They tend to prefer smaller portions of fresher, higher quality food instead of large amounts of manufactured crap. They also eat for pleasure whereas many people in the US and the UK tend to choose convenience over enjoyment with microwave meals, takeaway etc... because of their busier lifestyle and longer working hours. Many French people will spend two hours preparing a meal whereas too often in Britain we just stick a manufactured meal in the microwave for 10 minutes. The lower coronary diseases are suggested to be linked with the moderate wine consumption of the French i.e. a glass every night, which is believed to be very beneficial to the heart. Again, elsewhere, attitudes of binge drinking may be more common and this way of alcohol consumption has the adverse affect on your health.
So basically I think we need to change our attitudes to food, with growing obesity and many of the population overweight. It's interesting how our health is affected by society in this way though. Your thoughts?
I loved this US government-funded report on obesity which came up with the conclusion that "Americans are more obese because they eat larger portions". Wow what a revelation...
As for French attitude to food, I'd much rather a British attitude. The French can litterally have arguments over food, it's ridiculous. Until recently, you couldn't go into shops during lunchtime because they were closed. Now only a few shops are like that. They also have one of the most close-minded attitudes towards food you'll ever encounter. Whichever country they visit, they will criticise food not on the quality but because they can't find what they would in France: so basically the more unfrench the food is, the worse it is...
I'd also look into that fact that the French have a health service that works and are much more physically active. For example, the reason why the Dutch are the tallest in the world is often credited (in addition to genetics) to a very performant health service.
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