French Diet Secret: Eat Well but Stay Active

French women may have the answer on how to enjoy food without wrecking your waistline.

By Leanna Skarnulis
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

When you're being "good," do you settle for cardboard cookies, head for the gym five times a week, and think food is a four-letter word? Eat your heart out, because across the Atlantic French women enjoy rich pastries, loathe exercise, and think food is one of life's greatest pleasures. And they don't get fat.

The good news is that their secret is out, thanks to the best-selling book, French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure, by Mireille Guiliano. There's no counting carbs or calories or memorizing the glycemic index. Losing weight boils down to a few simple principles very similar to those in another popular book, The Martini Diet: The Self-Indulgent Way to a Thinner, More Fabulous You!, by California native Jennifer Sanders.

"These books aren't intended to be dietsper se," says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. She adds that in some ways they are consistent with the USDA 2005 Dietary Guidelines. "They're about making small changes for life. They're not a quick fix but more about changing your outlook on life, your perspective on food, and being active in ways that you enjoy. If you'll take the time to appreciate food with all of your senses, you won't need to have a lot of it."

And although the authors don't advocate counting calories, Moore says, "The bottom-line message of these books is to consume fewer calories and burn more."

'Diet' Is a Four-Letter Word

Guiliano, who is CEO of Clicquot, Inc., says that one reason French women don't get fat is that their sensible approach to eating comes naturally. It's part of their culture.

Adopting their way of thinking and eating will take about three months before becoming second nature. Start by keeping a food diary for three weeks. Record why you want to lose weight, why you've gained weight, and a food inventory so you can identify problem foods that you could cut back on or eliminate. Culprits in the American diet typically include potato chips, bagels, pasta, pizza, fried foods, juices, beer, hard liquor, candy bars, ice cream, soda, and "junky" chocolate.

At this point her approach begins to sound like a diet. For two days, you will eat nothing but leek soup. Hang in. It gets better.

Become a Food Snob

Guiliano advocates choosing a variety of high-quality foods, buying produce in season, and avoiding most prepared foods, especially processed foods. She says that French women know their way around a market and shop several times a week, buying only what they need for the next day or two. They tend to eat more fish than vegetables, more vegetables than fruit, and yogurt twice a day.

Sanders tells WebMD it's important to have a guiding philosophy about food. "If you're not paying attention, it's easy to pack on pounds unconsciously." Her philosophy is expressed in three rules: "Eat only the very best. Eat somewhat less of the very best. Eat the very best only at mealtimes."

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