What do French women eat and why are they so thin?

France can safely be called a place where it is impossible not to try bread products, desserts, delicious but fatty second courses and not to drink a glass of wine at dinner. For tourists, this system of eating is considered the norm, because they are on vacation – they have no need to think about restrictions. But how do French women who live in the country of caloric food manage to stay slim and fragile?

If you think that the thinness of these women is nothing more than a stereotype, then hurry up and look at Letizia Casta, for example. Being a supermodel, representative of L’Oréal and Victoria’s Secret angel, the girl assures that she does not recognize diets and does not resort to plastic interventions. Another Frenchwoman, Vanessa Paradis, is often called “little angel”: the former lover of Johnny Depp can definitely boast of her miniaturization.

Not only representatives of modern France are distinguished by their figure. Let’s remember the movie actress, singer and photomodel of the XX century Brigitte Bardot. She was a sex symbol of the 50-60’s on a par with the American Marilyn Monroe. But note that with almost identical parameters – 168 cm/57 kg in Bardot and 166 cm/54 kg in Monroe – visually Brigitte with a 50-centimeter waist looked much more fragile than her colleague from the States.

So what rules do French women follow to remain the slimmest in the Western world?

Prioritize quality over quantity

In everyday life, you’re unlikely to meet a French woman who doesn’t want to choose the highest quality products for herself. If baguette, then freshly baked, vegetables and fruits – necessarily ripe and juicy, oil – only natural.

In French cafes and restaurants, tourists from Russia may be surprised by the size of portions: it is unusually small. This is also an advantage. When taking a heavier and calorie-dense food, which happens in institutions, French girls are simply content with small portions and enjoy not the quantity, but the exquisite taste. For them it is not difficult, because in their culture it is customary.

A sense of balance

French women are quite honest to themselves in terms of food. They realize that if every day they allow themselves to eat fatty or very sweet food, then the body will clearly not thank them for it. The girls recognize that many items on their national menu – for example, foie gras – are hard on the stomach, but they can still afford to eat them. It is only important not to do it all the time, and after a dense calorie-dense lunch or a festive dinner – wait it out, cleanse the body, eating natural products.

You can also learn from French women to drink hot water with lemon juice or natural yogurt without additives. In this way they take care of their intestines, cleansing it of toxins.

No snacking

A French woman listens to her hunger and will not let her stomach suffer without food. That is why unhealthy and jerky snacks on the go, she is very likely to prefer a full meal at home, in a cafe or restaurant. And when meeting with friends, on the contrary, she is more likely to choose tea or a cup of espresso during a pleasant conversation, rather than overload her body with food, if she is not hungry.

The motivation is in the inconvenience

In France, it is simply uncomfortable to have overweight problems. Seats in the Paris subway and elevators in houses are perceptibly narrow, most clothing stores only offer products for the slim, and French sizes are smaller than the rest. In addition, the French are straightforward and will not spare your feelings if you are noticeably overweight.

In a country with such an attitude to the figure, healthy foods are also promoted. For example, advertisements for convenience foods include a memo warning that snacking between main meals can make you overweight, or recommending exercise for at least half an hour a day. And the McDonald’s France website eagerly reminds users to eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.