why don't french women get fat?

[Laura Corin]

It's been a while since I lived there though: '83-'84 and '86-'87.

 

I noticed this in China too. People in China waited for meals, and drank green tea (no milk, no sugar) between meals. I remember going to an all-afternoon TKD event in China and noticing that none of the parents or children ate anything, from about 2pm to 6pm.

 

Laura

Edited February 21, 2012 by Laura Corin

[Negin]

II remember going to an all-afternoon TKD event in China and noticing that none of the parents or children ate anything, from about 2pm to 6pm.

Wow! 4 hours without food! As the guy on Princess Bride would say, "Inconceivable!" :tongue_smilie: That would be unheard of in this part of the world and in most other developed/food-centered countries.

[Kate in Arabia]

From what I understand through my studies they are finding this true since they now are experiencing so much more of the American diet in their culture.

I don't know whether this tied into the studies you conducted, but they have had a leap in obesity and related health complications here that has been attributed in part to the increase in wealth. Not only have they imported western food chains, but because of more money they can afford to have local dishes that are heavier but were before only eaten once or twice a year at special occasions because of the expense - now they can be eaten anytime. Also the change to a very sedentary lifestyle.

[Negin]

I don't know whether this tied into the studies you conducted, but they have had a leap in obesity and related health complications here that has been attributed in part to the increase in wealth. Not only have they imported western food chains, but because of more money they can afford to have local dishes that are heavier but were before only eaten once or twice a year at special occasions because of the expense - now they can be eaten anytime. Also the change to a very sedentary lifestyle.

:iagree: It's definitely related to affluence and is becoming a global problem.

Two fabulous books that cover so many countries and go into this in depth - books that we are just crazy about: :D

 

What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets

 

What the World Eats

 

 

I really, really wish they would hurry up and write more books. We love this couple. :)

[Osmosis Mom]

Wow! 4 hours without food! As the guy on Princess Bride would say, "Inconceivable!" :tongue_smilie: That would be unheard of in this part of the world and in most other developed/food-centered countries.

 

Actually I was struck here in the States as well at how people must eat all the time. I am from Denmark where we would have a very meager (but fiber rich as the bread there is all fiber) breakfast, go to school with a couple of sandwiches on this kind of bread (Rye bread, very rough) and then have possibly an apple as a possible snack until dinner which was very simple. That was it.

 

I was shocked, shocked, when I saw the size of the plates here (and that was sans food even!). Everything is big portions here, all fatty and generally not very tasty. The donuts we used to buy in Japan were much smaller, less sweet and delicate in taste (think the Kruller by Dunkin Donuts regarding the taste). Here donuts are big and bland and people seem to eat for emotional reasons first of all.

 

And then of course the drinks here are big and sweet and everyone seem to carry a drink or a soda can (unless they are health conscious in which case it is water, but they are not the norm).

[Joyofsixreboot]

I always wonder if this all started when our society "medicalized" food with science. (Not that science is bad, just that pronouncements were made on incomplete data and companies figured out how to make money on that). Traditional food wisdom was discredited and started a cascade of effects.

[Negin]

Actually I was struck here in the States as well at how people must eat all the time.

:iagree: with all that you said. Portion sizes, processed foods, etc. ~ these are all factors.

 

Something else occurred to me while making breakfast just now. In France (and most European countries at least, as well as in Iran where I was born), food just tastes so much better, maybe because it's less processed. You don't need to eat as much in order to feel satiated.

 

I'm convinced (at least I think I read this somewhere) that HFCS (so common in most processed foods) is partially to blame for this never-ending hunger also.

 

I always wonder if this all started when our society "medicalized" food with science. (Not that science is bad, just that pronouncements were made on incomplete data and companies figured out how to make money on that). Traditional food wisdom was discredited and started a cascade of effects.

:iagree: with this fully. Good old common sense. I get annoyed when everyone asks for studies to prove every. single. thing ... :glare:

[stripe]

What bugs me is stuff about "how your grandma cooks." My grandma is almost 90. So there aren't many people with a living grandma much older than mine. She was a 1950s housewife. She loves mixes and canned food. As I think most women of her generation do/did. Does she cook all the time? Yes, but it's a can of this mixed with a can of that. Neither my mother nor I use so much canned stuff. So this fictional grandma is for maybe people in their 60s, not for me.

 

I think people are used to very bleh food so you need to eat a lot of it to feel like you ate anything. Like ice cream. Really cheap ice cream is all air and has virtually no flavor. And we Americans are used to having a big dish! I once went to a restaurant in London with another girl, who was very small (short and slim). We ordered some ice cream dish to share. The waitress asked us abut five times if we were sure. Finally they brought the thing, and seriously, it had three regular sized scoops of ice cream, a moderate amount of whipped cream, and some canned fruit cocktail. We had absolutely no problem eating it. It just wasn't very big to us. At all! And we were girls!

 

My husband thinks his culture doesn't snack but I've studied them and they do! And they drink sweet drinks. Mostly women though. But the difference is, I think, snacks are social (e.g. friends share a plate of fries), they are confined to certain situations (visiting, or certain times of the day), at least one meal is not that heavy, AND there is plenty of exercise. Including in household tasks that in the US are mostly done by machine (like laundry) or walking many places and not driving much. These things add up throughout the day.

[Negin]

I think, snacks are social (e.g. friends share a plate of fries), they are confined to certain situations (visiting, or certain times of the day), at least one meal is not that heavy, AND there is plenty of exercise.

Agreeing with all that you say.

When eating is more social (at least for me, anyway), one might tend to eat less, as opposed to eating alone in front of the computer or TV, not being fully aware of how much is being eaten.

 

One other thing that occurred to me while doing laundry is eating slow and mindfully. I had some naturopathic friends who once told me that if you want to lose weight, you really can eat pretty much anything, just eat very, very slowly. Chew each bite at least 20 times. When a meal lasts at least 20 minutes, you're far less likely to get hungry. I did this for a long time and I was at a perfect weight. Then life got in the way and eating slowly seemed to become a luxury. I hope to implement this again. Good reminder.

[justamouse]

Interesting article

 

and I really like her stuff.

 

So they get the good stuff because they demand it, and we get big, fat, ZERO:glare::glare::glare:

 

French cattle are all grass fed, which many argue makes them tastier. Growth hormones are illegal here and each animal has a passport showing where it was born, raised, and slaughtered, according to McDonald's France. That's called traceability, and we don't yet have such a national system in place.

As for chicken nugget lovers, French chickens, unlike some of their American counterparts, are not rinsed in chlorine to disinfect them. The regular use of chlorine in the U.S. chicken industry is why poulet americain has long been interdit in the European Union.

 

 

Sometimes I really hate the US.

[Negin]

So they get the good stuff because they demand it, and we get big, fat, ZERO:glare::glare::glare:

Sometimes I really hate the US.

First of all, I absolutely and utterly adore your avatar. :D :grouphug: :D And this is coming from me, so not a mouse person. :lol:

Secondly, I hear you. :grouphug: And trust me, it's not just the U.S. - it affects so many other countries also, since the "U.S.-ification" of food (not a real term, I know!) is becoming common in other countries also. So much of our food here comes from the U.S. This is becoming more and more a global problem.

[KnitWit]

I agree with all that has been said. I never gave it any thought, until I married into a European family that also spent time in SE Asia. They went to the store and didn't bring home ONE THING to put in the pantry! LOL! (Meaning it was all fresh and used right away)

 

I wish I could say they influenced me more than I influenced my dh, but since we live here in the states, well...yeah.

 

I am striving to eat fresh, fresh, fresh as much as is possible and to take the time to make the food taste good. There is so much to be said for that and honestly, once we started getting back to that we pretty much QUIT eating out. If I'm going to pay for it, I'd just about rather buy the ingredients and make it ourselves. Of course, I AM married to the son of a French woman and he LOVES to cook!

 

Not that we don't still have our hockey puck burgers from Costco, or our chili mac... :lol:

[KungFuPanda]

What bugs me is stuff about "how your grandma cooks." My grandma is almost 90. So there aren't many people with a living grandma much older than mine. She was a 1950s housewife. She loves mixes and canned food. As I think most women of her generation do/did. Does she cook all the time? Yes, but it's a can of this mixed with a can of that. Neither my mother nor I use so much canned stuff. So this fictional grandma is for maybe people in their 60s, not for me.

 

My grandmother is a few years younger than yours. She's always made everything from scratch and detests box mixes and convenience foods. She was also a 50s housewife, but out in the country they usually kept a cow, some chickens, and a huge garden. She also has berries, apples, and grapes growing. Her garden has shrunk down to the size of a few flower beds, but she still grows enough that she feels compelled to put some food away for the winter.

 

So, not every 50's housewife bought into the convenience food craze. Some maintained a taste for fresh food. Both of my grandmothers cooked in similiar ways. They might be regional, but they're certainly not fictional.