The French Diet
By Sandra Gordon
WebMD Medical News
Oct. 30, 2000 -- Flaky croissants, plump snails and frogs' legs swimming in butter, triple-fat cheese, melt-in-your mouth foie gras (goose or duck liver), and clouds of chocolate mousse: For centuries, the French living in north and central France have feasted on such hedonistic pleasures. Yet, on the streets of Paris, most women appear enviably slim.
In fact, despite their rich diet, the French generally are slimmer than Americans. According to the Institut National de la Sante et la Recherche Medicale in Paris (the equivalent to the National Institutes of Health), just 8% of the French qualify as obese, compared to 33% of Americans. How do the French do it? It's more than good genes -- and Americans may well want to follow their lead. How? The French tend to snack less and savor their meals more slowly -- which could lead to eating less food overall.
How They Do It
The eating patterns of the French offer significant clues to their healthfulness. For one, they traditionally don't take lunch lightly. In a study that tracked the eating habits of 50 blue-collar workers in Paris and Boston, the French participants consumed 60% of their day's calories before 2 p.m., followed later by a small dinner, so they were less likely to sleep on a major calorie cushion. Second, the study found that the French participants didn't snack, generally defined as consuming one to two between-meal foods, such as a handful of peanuts and a glass of orange juice. "The French ate less than one snack a day. Here in the U.S., we have about three snacks a day," says R. Curtis Ellison, MD, professor of preventive medicine and epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine and the study's lead researcher.
Like Americans, the French traditionally consume three meals a day. But that's where the similarity ends. For the French, lunch and dinner are the most structured meals, consisting of a starter, such as crudite (raw vegetables), followed by a main course, a salad, the cheese course, and perhaps dessert. Their substantial lunch and dinner often usurps the need for a snack. As a result, "snacking is simply not part of the culture," says Annie Jacquet-Bentley, a Parisian restaurant consultant currently based in Birchrunville, Pa. Her eating habits remain fiercely snack-free despite having lived in the snack-filled U.S. for more than 20 years.
Meals in France traditionally are regarded as experiences to be savored -- sanctimonious time-outs that a snack can otherwise spoil. "Even if the French don't have a lot of time, they will sit down and have a two- or three-course meal," Jacquet-Bentley says. "Food is a life pleasure, and it's meant to be enjoyed. For both lunch and dinner, people tend not to rush if they can help it."
Granted, snacking in French cities like Paris is gaining ground -- the Paris Metro, for example, recently installed vending machines in several stations. Still, many French find the practice distasteful. According to the European Snack Food Association, 81% of French consumers surveyed think that eating between meals can be a problem or is clearly unhealthy.
Snack-Attack Nation
On the other hand, in the U.S., snacking is a $30 billion industry that has increased 33% since 1988, according to the U.S. Snack Food Association, with high-fat, high-calorie options, such as pork rinds, cheese, and corn snacks, leading sales. It seems downright un-American not to snack. Still, according to a 1998 survey conducted by the Calorie Control Council in Atlanta, 43% of adult Americans blame snacking as the reason they can't maintain their desired weight.
"Snacking can be detrimental to weight loss because you're confronting food more often," says Karen Miller-Kovach, MS, RD, chief scientist at Weight Watchers International, in which case, it's often harder to stop eating once you've started. Snacking also can be fattening because it contributes to total calorie consumption. According to a 1993 study published in Appetite, which managed to find 273 obese French women, those in the study who snacked (60%) ate more at meals and between meals than those who didn't.
"The less often you eat, the fewer calories you consume," says David Levitsky, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., who has conducted numerous studies on snacking. According to Levitsky, when people are allowed snacks, they may eat as much at their next meal as if they didn't snack. All told, snackers tend to consume more total calories than nonsnackers, Levitsky says.
Taming the Snacking Tiger
On the other hand, snacking doesn't have to be all bad. It may even help you lose weight if you snack judiciously or have frequent, smaller meals throughout the day -- as long as they're nutritious. "Having a regular pattern of snacks can be an effective strategy to keep hunger at bay so you don't overeat at the next meal," Miller-Kovach says. However, snacking is a dieting strategy that works for some people and not for others. "If you're going to snack, you need to be a planner," Miller-Kovach says. She offers some tips to fit snacking into your diet without blowing your calorie budget:
* Be prepared: Don't let a snack attack take you by surprise. To resist calorie-laden vending machine fare, for example, have healthy, satisfying snack foods on hand, such as nonfat yogurt, fresh fruit (apples, oranges, or bananas), dried fruit (raisins), rice cakes, animal crackers, packets of unflavored instant oatmeal, and low-cal beverages (herbal tea, flavored seltzers, or diet hot chocolate). In general, foods rich in calcium, such as low-fat or nonfat yogurt; iron, such as lentil soup; or fiber, such as whole-grain crackers, are good snacking choices because they contain nutrients lacking in many American women's diets. If you have trouble stopping at one serving, buy single-serving containers, says Fran Grossman, MS, RD, a nutritionist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
* Get it write: Snacks have a way of working themselves into your day. To avoid snacking amnesia (did I eat that?), write down the snacks you eat in a food diary. Even better, try reverse journaling, suggests Miller-Kovach. Record the snacks you plan to consume, then check off each after you've eaten it. (You can use this weight loss strategy for meals, too.)
* Personalize your snacking choices: To make sure your snack hits the spot, "find your personal preference in terms of what satisfies you," Miller-Kovach says. For example, if you tend to like crunchy snacks, stock your desk drawer with an apple or a tiny box of animal crackers. If you crave creaminess, try fat-free or low-fat yogurt or low-fat vanilla or chocolate pudding. Seeking something salty? Opt for fat-free pretzels. Something sweet? Go for sorbet or a frozen yogurt pop.
If you'd rather do like the French and avoid snacking, eat more at meals and have something to drink -- water or a diet beverage -- should a snack attack hit. If that doesn't work, and the chocolate bar or corn chips still call your name, go ahead and press that vending machine button. But whatever you do, don't gobble guiltily. Instead, do like the French when it comes to eating in general: For maximum satisfaction, savor that snack very slowly.
Sandra Gordon, a health/nutrition writer in Weston, Conn., is the co-author of The 30 Secrets of the World's Healthiest Cuisines.
