We’ve heard this a million times.  The French don’t get fat.  Well, why not?  The typical person in French does not count carbs or fill up their pantry with all those low-fat snacks.  As a matter of fact, the often eat foods that would make an American who’s on a diet absolutely cringe.   They’ll eat things like buttery croissants, rich cheeses and fat laden pates.  And very few Frenchmen belong to a health club.

And get this, in France, only about 8% of the adults are overweight, while over 30% of American adults are obese.  And the French are three times less likely than Americans to actually get heart disease.  And most startling is that they actually live longer.  French men live an average of two years longer than American men and French women live an average of three years longer than American women.  So why are they healthier than us?

The typical American who’s on a diet tends to focus on what they can’t or shouldn’t eat.  It becomes an obsession.  You’re counting carbs, calories, fat, protein, glycemic indexes and all sorts of food points.  It’s an all-out obsession on what you can’t have.  And the French also don’t worry about fat.  On average, about 35 to 45% of their daily caloric intake comes from fat, both saturated and unsaturated fat.

Here’s some more differences.  They choose quality food over the quantity of food.  In other words, they make better food choices.  And they take more time to eat their meals.  It’s not uncommon for one of their meals to last well over an hour, whereas the typical American shovel their food in and goes on to the next thing.  It’s not as healthy.  Here’s another difference.  The French generally don’t meet while they’re watching the TV are driving the car.  They make a meal a special occasion, and they rarely snack.  And here’s one more difference.  Even though the French people don’t generally work out in gyms, they not sedentary.  They often ride bikes and go for long walks, while the average American and their recliner, flipping through the TV channels.  Is this you?  Contact Healthsource today.

Clower, Will. “The Fat fallacy: The French Diet Secrets To Permanent Weight Loss”