French Women are Thinner

I just came back from spending two weeks in France. The first stop was Paris then to Nice and the French Riviera. The general view of the lack of overweight women in France is true. While I was there I allowed myself to indulge in all the tasty treats that the French had to offer and I realized that I did not gain an ounce while I was there.

To be fair, my French diet was accompanied by intensive sightseeing which consisted about 2-4 hours of walking per day. Therefore that entire baguette I ate for lunch did not make a dent in my weight. I did notice some great habits that the French have that you can incorporate into your diet that will help with weight loss.

They do spend hours eating- When they sit down to a two hour lunch or dinner, they do not eat more food than normal, they just take longer to eat it. Taking it slow and allowing yourself to eat slowly, keeps you full longer.

There is no snacking between meals- Very rarely do the French eat between meals. Another beauty of the long dinner is that here is no time to snack in between. There are also several flavor components to each meal, that virtually every craving is satisfied.

They do not stack their sandwiches- We come from a super size culture, where more is is better. In France the bread is phenomenal, from the traditional baguette to crusty grainy breads or great olive fugasse. When you make a sandwich though there is a thin layer of eats or eggs or tuna, but the bread remains the main factor. The best meals we had were assembled by ingredients we found in markets and ate at home.

There are several flavors in every dish- A great example off this is a Nicoise Salad. It is indigenous to the south of France but can be found everywhere in France. It is typically a large salad filled with vegetables, tuna in olive oil, olives and hard boiled eggs. The textures and flavors in this one meal is very satisfying and filled with fiber and protein.

Try these tips in making your next sandwich at home, they offer bursts of flavors and fewer calories:

• Choose a great crusty graining bread and pull out inside, unless you are using sliced bread.

• Choose your protein, salami, tuna, chicken or even a hard boiled egg. Add only one thin layer of any of the proteins.

• Dress your sandwich with tapenade, grilled peppers or marinated eggplant.

• Add the egg white of a hard boiled egg to any sandwich, trust me I TRIED IT.

The secret is to experiment with powerful flavors rather than quantity. It will be more pleasurable and much more satisfying. Take it slow and savor every bite. VIVA LA FRANCE!

5 Fattening Food Myths

Having a family member or friend as a nutritionist does not make one immune to making bad food choices or holding on to silly ideas about food. In the past ten years there has been a rise in the general knowledge and interest in health and nutrition, usually in terms of weight loss. With this rise of information, also comes confusion with conflicting information. From the latest diet guru to studies done by corporations (who want you to choose their food product) or just word of mouth. Needless to say, misinformation continues despite our vast resources of information.

People also have very personal relationships with food. Most have food fears and even strange food associations, all which affect their food choices. My friends and family, even though I am constantly annoying them with information or my latest food obsession, still have some very goofy ideas about food. Here is what I heard this week:

COTTAGE CHEESE- a friend of mine associated this dairy food with its synonym with “cottage cheese thighs”. She knows the two are not related nor does one lead to another, but she still has a strange anxiety about eating it. DON’T WORRY! Although there is no real relief for cellulite, cottage cheese certainly does not cause it. With 16 grams of protein per serving, and low in fat, it is a great choice for a quick snack.

STEAK AND EGGS are fattening. This credit goes to my mother. She used to drink vinegar in her teens to keep her weight down and is from the era of high carb, low meat mentality. She still avoids eggs and red meat like the plague. Lean red meats provide a low fat, high protein, b-vitamin, iron rich juicy meal that should be enjoyed at all costs. Eggs are my all time favorite complete protein food; I eat them everyday- mostly egg whites with 1-2 yolks.

CEREAL WILL MAKE ME FAT-my best friend blurted this out to me. She explained that for one week she had cereal for breakfast and noticed her pants were a bit tight. I told her that if she is eating a high fiber, low sugar cereal, there is no reason why she should gain weight, quite the contrary. High fiber cereals are in my weight loss arsenal of sweeping your system clean. The tight pants feeling was probably bloat from the fiber (which subsides in a few hours) not weight gain.

FRUIT FOR BREAKFAST-“you would be so proud of me”, a coworker told me today” I had fruit for breakfast” First of all, after 8 hours of overnight fasting, the first thing that you put in your mouth should not be something sugary unless it is accompanied by low fat or protein.

Plus you will be starved after two hours of the fruit breakfast. Boost your metabolism and keep hunger at bay with that lovely fruit with cereal or cottage cheese.

Milk IS BAD FOR YOU-“My high school health teacher told me that after childhood no one should drink milk” WHAT!! I got this piece of information by a fellow nutritionist. Low fat milk products are an excellent source of protein and calcium. Studies show that low fat dairy has been shown to aid in weight loss.

My advice is to start over again, put aside bad advice, wives tales and outdated sources. Change your emotional relationship with food and lower your anxiety with food fears. My advice is to use common sense, if it sounds strange, it is. Relax and enjoy your food!

Fiorella

Top Ten Food Combos

There are so many differing views on food combining; it is hard to navigate through all the information. Many books have been written on the topic- remember the Susanne Sommers book? It has essentially been discarded as a weight loss tool. There are some ways, however to enhance food's positive effects by eating some of them together. Various enzymes, vitamins in the foods and chemical reactions in your digestive system can enhance or reduce the nutritional content of the food.

I have compiled the top ten food combos to get the most out of each food choice:

1) MILK AND COOKIES- any time you do have a sugary snack or dessert, start off the treat with 1% milk, the protein and fat in the milk will slow down the digestion of the sugar and it’s really yummy.

2) YOGURT AND BRAN- combining these two superfoods will give you an extra strength bowel sweep. Try it twice a week or at least when you are having a dire pooping problem.

3) LEMON AND GREEN TEA- a squeeze of lemon in your green tea will enhance the antioxidant power of the tea. Drink up!

4) PROTEIN AND SPICE- combine any animal protein with hot peppers or hot sauce and give your metabolism a fiery boost.

5) ORANGES AND STEAK? - Yes, that’s right; actually any iron filled protein can be enhanced with citrus fruits and vitamin c from the fruit. It allows the iron to absorb more readily in your body.

6) FAT and FIBER- with anything fatty I eat, I add a fiber component. Studies show that fiber can also eliminate small fat from your digestive system before it is absorbed.

7) CINNAMON AND COFFEE- coffee is something most people drink every day, adding cinnamon will enhance the antioxidant power of the brew. Cinnamon also has calming qualities and antimicrobial agents.

8) BALSAMIC VINEGAR- the acidity of this delicious dressing neutralizes the effects of carbohydrates and how they are digested. Have a salad before or after a carb- filled meal.

9) GRAPEFRUIT- studies show that eating a grapefruit with every meal produced an average of 3 lbs of weight loss. They fruit is also acidic and can neutralize carbs and keep insulin levels in check.

10) BANANAS AND CHIPS- the potassium in bananas will counteract salty foods. Drinking water and having a banana will eliminate water retention and bloating.

The list goes on- give these a try and I will keep you updated. It is important that in every meal to make the most of the calories that you consume, since there are ways to enhance the nutritional value in foods, it is worth taking the time to try some of these tips.

Fiorella