The French paradox is the observation that French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. The term French paradox was coined by Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University in France.
It is my pleasure to introduce Sally Asher as a guest blogger. Sally is a health scientist, weight
loss coach and Francophile who been featured in several radio shows, blogs and
magazines. She wrote "LOSING IT IN FRANCE: Les Secrets of the French Diet" to
share her story and help others discover the secret to living the good life
while losing weight naturally.
Sally resides is Melbourne, Australia with her husband and two children.
Part One
As a
devoted Francophile, I’m delighted to share my expat tale of living the sweet
life in Paris for four years. I
always had romantic visions of Paris, even from a young age, and when I finally
landed in the city of light, it didn’t disappoint.
There
is something magical about Paris that defies description. Ambience, charm, chicness, history,
colour, architecture, fashion - the list goes on. Paris is a complete feast of beauty. People fall in love with this city for
their own personal reasons.
For
me, it was love at first bite.
Nothing gets my heart racing like my love of French food. What I found most enticing is the
ability of the French to elevate food and wine to an art form – and pamper
themselves by indulging selectively, yet still ensure they look spectacular in
a Chanel suit. The French
seem to break every rule of modern diets and remain effortlessly slim.
For someone
who had struggled with their weight and tried every diet known to mankind over
several years, when I moved to Paris, I was determined to get to the bottom of
what experts call the “French Paradox”.
Like the French, I wanted to be able to eat what I love without guilt
and maintain a desirable weight minus the blood, sweat and tears.
While
living with a French family in Paris, my dream came true and I finally changed
my relationship with food. Eat
became about pleasure and satisfaction, rather than guilt and deprivation.
When I fell in love with a Frenchman and
we lived with his traditional French family for six months, I started to
observe how thin French people eat every day and I imitated them. I noticed that the French only eat when
they’re hungry and stop when they’re satisfied. They also eat mindfully and thoroughly taste their food,
like a sommelier tastes fine wine. So I quit dieting and started to do the
same. I lost 25lbs over three
months and have kept it off for over ten years now.
You
can read about my story in more depth in my book “Losing It in France – Les
Secrets of the French Diet”. But
now I’d like to tell you a bit about living and working in Paris.
Please come back tomorrow for the conclusion
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