DIET IS THE SECRET

You’ve hear about the French and that the French have a diet that would put weight on any American, but their thin. The men and women of all ages in France are all thin. When we first looked at their diet we thought that the red wine they drank was the answer. These people eat out as much as we do, they don’t even know what low cal means. So how do they do it? Well first they walk more. City people don’t use cars that much, They walk everywhere. Also bike riding is more popular, you see gasoline has always been expensive in Europe and the people have learned to conserve. Conserving on food is something that France has done since World War II when food was scarce. So today their meal portions are smaller than ours and combine this with the increased amount of walking the French do and it’s much easier for them to control their weight. Now how does that help you? Well there are studies going on today that are discovering that our meal portions maybe double of what we need. So how much food do you need? First of all I think we all know that Americans eat too much and that we are a nation of overweight people. Studies have also been done in the far east. Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to see why those people have much less Cancer than North Americans. They found that the people there are very healthy. They don’t have the weight problems we do and there more physically fit. So are we the only country that is habitually overindulging? Well no, Canadians and the English are just starting to change with this new generation of young people. A lot of the Central European and Eastern European countries had the same problems. Some of the problems in this country and in europe after World War II were the same. Too many poor people who couldn't afford quality food. Cheap food has too many carbs and a high fat content and those people eating low cost food will put on more weight. So what’s the answer? Besides the quantity of food consumed also the quality of the food makes a difference. In France for instance, yes they eat smaller meals but they also eat better then we do. In fact most of Western Europe eats better than we do. And I don’t mean more. I mean a better quality of food. Food is made with fresh ingredients and made from scratch everyday because refrigeration is still a new concept in most parts of rural Europe. By new I mean in the last twenty years. After World War II Europe was pretty much in ruins and yes the big cities did rebuild pretty quick. By the early 50′s tourism was once again a major industry. But the rural parts of the different countries took much longer to recover. So farming communities didn’t have electricity for many years. Europe is really only two generations away from the depression of the 40's. It’s this new generation today that doesn’t remember the War or the recovery. So what does this have to do with you? In Europe people have learned the proper way to eat and watching their diet is the way to control your health. We lost that way of thinking in this country. Then I slip off my regular way of eating, maybe on a vacation or business trip, I think back to the way my grandparents ate, the way we ate in the 50's. No snacks, no soft drinks, just real food. Three meals a day at the family table.