France is a country known for its fine dining, fresh produce and the slim waistlines of the locals, but the reality is quite different. Half of French adults are overweight and one in six is obese and it's mostly to do with the fact the nation has been having a not-so-secret love affair with junk food for years.
This bar chart presents the opinion of French people on fast-food restaurants in a survey from 2019. It appears that 41 percent of the respondents stated liking fast-food restaurant but eating there rarely, while 16 percent ate at fast food restaurants regularly.
French people usually eat a smaller meal for dinner, such as a soup or salad with bread and a dessert (often a yoghurt or a slice of cheese). Considering French people famously don't snack, they must survive a long break between lunch and dinner. The solution is that lunch is the biggest meal of the day.
According to a study by CEO World Magazine, the United States and the United Kingdom are the most fast-food-obsessed countries in the world. France and Sweden ranked third and fourth spots, followed by Austria, Mexico, and South Korea.
In French culture, meals are kind of sacred. They're a time to sit down and share quality food with family or friends, to enjoy good conversation with the people you're eating with. And you can take the time to eat enough, so that you won't need to snack later.
It is rude to sit with one's legs spread apart unless in a relaxed context. Rather, sit straight with your legs crossed at the knee or knees together. Feet should not be placed on tables or chairs. If someone is invited to a restaurant or a business function, it is acceptable to arrive at the specific time.
They Eat Smaller Portions
And another secret to the French secret of slimness is portion control. French women don't deprive themselves of the good, rich food their country has to offer, they just eat small portions. If the food is high quality, well-prepared, and delicious, you don't need a lot of food to feel full.
Iceland was ranked as the BEST COUNTRY for food quality and diet diversification.
Torba, a group of islands in Vanuatu has decided to ban imported junk food to ensure sustained health and wellness of its citizens. The leaders here hope to make Torba the first ever fully organic province of the archipelago nation by 2020.
Austria eats the least junk food of the countries we surveyed, only giving in to temptation twice per month. Eating junk food three times a month was most common amongst our European neighbours, including Sweden, France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The French have always stuck to three meals a day and generally don't do food outside these set meals. Children usually have a small snack or goûter after school - a piece of fruit or a cake - but this is limited to a specific time, and adults generally don't snack.
1. Bread. When you imagine French food, the many different types of bread may come to mind. From baguettes to the various pain graines-céréales options which have a wide variety of grains mixed with different types of seeds.
Most French people eat bread every day. It's not just a cliché, bread in France is a staple and something most people care about. French people take bread very seriously. In some countries bakers add nutritional supplements to their bread, or they add gluten to make the bread rise better.
Lots of people around the world are completely bemused by the fact that French people want a McDo (as it's affectionately called here in France) at all. Many of us see gastronomy in France as something to be cherished and a visit to McDo is letting the side down and a slap in the face to the heritage of French cuisine.
Foods that are a staple of the French diet include full-fat cheese and yogurt, butter, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables (often grilled or sautéed), small portions of meat (more often fish or chicken than red meat), wine, and dark chocolate. Make meals a priority.
Carnivore Diet
“This is not a healthy or sustainable diet, and there are healthier ways to lose weight. Not only is the carnivore diet extremely high in saturated fat, which can put you at risk for increased cholesterol levels, it also leaves out a lot of foods that are really good for you,” Gorin adds.
1/ Okinawan diet – Japan
Widely considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Okinawan diet has numerous health benefits. So much so that Japan has the lowest obesity rates and second longest life expectancy of any developed country.
No country has embraced the movement toward commercialized, prepackaged food as much as the United States. Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries.
Chad has the lowest vegetable consumption per capita. Consumption of animal products in the EAT-Lancet diet. 249.8 Kg Per Capita. 257.0 Kg Per Capita.
As a result of their excellent healthcare (and better diet) the French are one of the healthiest countries on earth judging by life expectancy. France comes in at number nine, with an average age life expectancy of just over 81 and a half years.
Considering France is well-known for its gastronomy, it may come as a surprise to you that French people typically eat a very simple meal for breakfast. Usually more sweet than savory, le petit déjeuner, as the French say, is not a very big or important meal in France.
One unconventional and little-known secret of the French is that they take longer to eat their meals. Eating slower not only helps signal your hunger cues, which in turn helps you feel full faster, but also helps you be more mindful and appreciative of the food.