Every single person that visits France gets amazed by the French women. Everybody wonders which the secret of their slenderness is, especially taking into consideration that they eat chocolate, cheese, and drink wine at almost every meal. Despite all this, they are still slim and very elegant. The big secret is the attitude they have to food, which they learn from their families since childhood.
Table of Contents
Because we are in love with French women’s lifestyles and because we know that you are curious, we put up a list of their habits that will help you stay fit easily.
Food as a sacrament
The most important thing is that French women treat food as something sacred. They like food, but not any kind of food. They will not eat junk food or eat on the go because for them the meals are essential. They eat most of their lunches and dinners at a restaurant, enjoying a glass of wine and some good company. They are into exquisite food, not into junk food.
This is what a French nutritionist says about the eating habits in France “For France, a meal is a very particular moment in which you share pleasure: the food as well as the conversation. In many other countries, sadly, food is just fuel to give energy to your muscles. If you have no pleasure in it, you are breaking all the rules of eating.”
Read also: How to Make Face Slim in a Week
A French woman chooses top quality
French women will never choose the quantity over quality. They always choose the expensive products over the cheap ones, because they are very aware that cheap products are more likely to have a lot of bad ingredients. Fresh fish over cheap chicken, a few pieces of dark chocolate over ice cream, those are only some of the choices a French woman would make. And you should do the same because they are the living illustration of the saying, “You are what you eat.”
This is what an owner of a restaurant in Paris thinks, “Even though I was on a budget, I could afford to go to the fresh food market and get baguettes and cheese. I love that in Paris, there is no division (in terms of food) by social class.”
A French girl usually places her fork down on her plate
French women would never eat bite after bite. They take small pauses from their meal to talk with the people they are with. They turn every meal in a celebration, both of food and people that they find a good company.
She is completely truthful with herself in terms of food yet never prohibits herself anything
They know that foie gras, Brie cheese, or croissants are fatty foods with many calories. And they are very aware of the fact that if they eat those products twice a day, they won’t be able to keep their slim silhouette. But they also don’t forbid themselves anything, because they know that one day they are going to eat what they have forbidden themselves for so long in even larger quantities.
A French lady is everything about moderation and equilibrium
Even though French women do not forbid themselves any kind of food, they know that a slim silhouette is not kept by eating all day what you want the most. So they are careful not to eat cheese, cake, croissants, bread all in one single day. They understand that balance is essential, so they never eat too many fatty products in one day.
Sophie Marceau, for instance, eats everything, just not too much. “Not junk food, but I love wine and chocolate, and in that, as in many other tasty things, I don’t restrict myself.”
Excessive sugar or salt is not for her
French women learn from their childhood that a food that is too sweet or too salty is just not for them. They will always choose a light cream a fruit tart over a slice of a too-sweet creamy cake.
They will also not eat something that is over-fried.
A French girl will wait on supper rather than consume on the move
Of course, French women also eat a snack between meals from time to time. They may have a coffee with a cookie or two, but a French woman never lets herself carried away. If the dinner is not that far away, she will always choose to wait, though. But for the cases when dinner or lunch is far away, the best solution for a snack between meals is natural yogurt with no sweeteners.
She always eats at a well-set table
They always like to eat their meals at a well-set table. You will not see any French woman eating at the corner of a table or their desk while doing their work. They like to eat slow and enjoy their meals.
Being active is a lifestyle, not a way to ‘shake off’ what you consumed
Rebeca Plantier notes that active pastimes are a part of national culture in France. They are not so into workouts for looking good. They see physical activities as a way of life. Many French women go hiking, and they like playing tennis, kayaking, or running. Plus, they walk a lot. There is no way to get fat, adopting this way of living.
A French girl does not worry over excesses or punish her very own body
French ladies are women too, so whenever it happens that they break the rule of moderation and balance and eat a bit too much of a fatty product, they will not punish themselves or their bodies.
The “no pain, no gain’ school of thought never made it to these shores,” says Rebeca Plantier.
French women do not like counting calories, carbs, protein, fats, and so on. This bores them to death. They always prefer to make a pleasure out of food, but they are also careful not to cross the line.
Meet the Experts
- Dr. Frank Lipman – Dr. Frank Lipman is an expert in integrative medicine, blending Western and Eastern practices to optimize health. He works with Eleven Eleven Wellness
- Dr. Marion Nestle – Dr. Marion Nestle is a nutrition expert and author, specializing in food politics and public health nutrition. She is a professor emeritus at New York University.
- Dr. Joel Fuhrman – Dr. Joel Fuhrman advocates for nutrient-dense diets and is the creator of the Nutritarian diet. He runs his own wellness programs.
- Dr. Cynthia Sass – Dr. Cynthia Sass is a sports dietitian and nutritionist helping individuals achieve health goals through personalized plans. She collaborates with major sports organizations.
- Dr. Walter Willett – Dr. Walter Willett is a nutrition researcher known for his work on the health effects of diet and lifestyle. He is a professor at Harvard University.