France Is quite famous for its food especially pastries, bread and a nice wine.
French cuisine has been declared a “world intangible heritage” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) too.
But we often wonder why after consuming such processed foods or fast foods, they stay slim and maintained.
That is a wonderful question, but has a very simple answer too if you closely observe their lifestyle and not only their tempting food.
There are a plenty of amazing and healthy lifestyle habits they abide and hence stay fit, and eat what they enjoy to the fullest.
Here are some of the things French people do and stay fit:
- Eat for pleasure.
They eat their food with happiness, and not with guilt or any other negative feeling. They sit down and eat for pleasure, using all of their senses.
When you feel positive emotions, more digestive juices and enzymes are produced to digest the food properly. Hence they utilize the best outcomes by engulfing the food with positive emotions.
BENEFITS of eating with positive emotions:
- This leads to better absorption and utilization of nutrients.
- This also leads to better clearance of waste from the body.
- Your metabolic rate is also highly influenced by your feelings and thoughts.
- Positive feelings boost fat burn and help improve metabolism.
- The body doesn’t store extra energy as fat for future crisis but keeps the energy mode high with continuous supply of energy.
- They Pay attention to presentation, preparation & entertaining themselves.
- No Rush To finish Meal : Eating Slow
French people eat slow, they get longer lunch break as compare to many countries in the world. They also put their fork down in between bites. They do drink some wine in between bites and then talk some more in between bites in order to slow down their chewing process. Scientifically said, chewing slow and as many times you can helps the food digest better.
Also, they eat without distractions like TV or any other gadgets which is another major contribution towards mindful eating.
- Buying fresh produce over packaged food.
They shop fresh foods from local markets, they not only love eating fresh local produce, but also shopping them. They take it as a part of their routines and enjoy buying and consuming fresh foods.
- French people still follow old traditional recipes for cooking.
78% of French people say they have recipes that they get from their parents or grandparents.
Cooking is a big part of French culture and they enjoy cooking for themselves and their oved ones. They have their own old favorite recipes, they learnt from their old ones and they still love to cook those recipes and appreciate them.
- Small Portion size.
French people pay a lot of attention to portion sizes. Unhealthy snacks are also sold in smaller servings, and which indirectly contributes a lot towards their lifestyle and physique.
- No snacking in between meals.
The French eat up to 3 meals a day with a 4th optional apero hour before dinner.
Snacking is virtually unheard of in France. It’s just not a commonplace. And due to their “No snacking” habit, they avoid binge eating which in turns helps manage their weight.
- More fresh fruits and vegetables in diet.
One in four French people eat the recommended 5 Daily Portions of fruits and vegetables according to the French National Nutrition and Health Programme.
And hence they add ample of fiber in their diet, ultimately leading to weight loss or at least management.
- Probiotics and Dairy.
In France parents don’t force kids to drink milk. Instead of Milk, French people consume more yogurt (Curd) and clean / unprocessed cheese.
- Walk, walk walk or cycle everywhere.
French women walk a lot and way more than a typical Indian woman does.
Walking helps to burn off calories and fat, keeps muscles toned, improves posture and keeps your mind engaged, too.
The French lifestyle is pretty active.
It’s easy to sneak in your daily exercise by walking the streets or commuting using the city’s easily accessible bike-share system.
- They Make “Feeling Good” Their 1st Priority.
Another thing that might help French women to stay slim is that French women know they don’t have to suffer to be beautiful.
Also, French women love to dress up everyday. They make themselves feel important, and worthy.
- In French diet, Quality comes before quantity.
French people prefer Non toxic / non fortified food : Because freshness and quality are relevant features, you see less refined and fortified foods.
These types of foods are becoming very unpopular.
France even bans GMO crops.
Iron and synthetic vitamins added to foods increase insulin resistance and oxidation. They can cause diabetes if their intake is excessive.
- French people Eat a variety of foods.
Most French people maintain a balanced healthy diet, eating foods from the 5 food groups (vegetables, fruit, grains, protein and dairy), fulfilling one’s all nutritional needs.
- Less stress.
Walking regularly, enjoying food and taking time to socialize, all these healthy habits help regulate the cortisol levels.
- Don’t skip meal.
Skipping meals is one of the most underrated things people miss on while they are thriving for weight loss. Skipping meals equally harms as overeating and hinders the process.
Try to practice these very easy, and logical habits in your day to day lives, and you will be able to see results.