Discover how the French enjoy all kinds of food and still stay slim! From portion control to mindful eating habits, learn the secrets behind France’s balanced lifestyle. 🥐🍫🇫🇷
#FrenchLifestyle #HealthyEating #StaySlim #MindfulEating #FranceCulture #Wellness #Shorts
#FrenchLifestyle #HealthyEating #StaySlim #MindfulEating #FranceCulture #Wellness #Shorts
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00How do French people stay so thin while pretty much eating whatever they want?
00:04I'm French, I live in Paris, and on my last video on the topic,
00:07people tried to guess the secrets behind the French diet, and often got it completely wrong.
00:12So today I want to break down the biggest myth before showing you how I actually eat as a French
00:17person.
00:18Alright, one of the biggest stereotypes on why French people are so thin
00:21is this idea that red wine is somehow the secret.
00:25And this idea really blew up a long time ago thanks to this 60 minutes episode that aired before I
00:30was born
00:31and that talks about what is called the French paradox.
00:34And this is this idea that we supposedly eat unhealthy things like wine, cheese, and fat-eating foods,
00:40and yet stay slim and healthy.
00:42And what sounds crazy to me is that this TV show had massive consequences
00:46and apparently even contributed to a 40% increase in red wine sales in the US.
00:52So first of all, the idea that red wine is good for your health has been debunked in 2006,
00:57but I still receive so many comments about it, so I do feel the need to address it.
01:02First of all, I have never ever heard a French person say that they should drink more wine to stay
01:08thin.
01:08This is not a thing here.
01:10Red wine is part of our culture, but definitely not a health food,
01:14and absolutely not the secret to weight loss.
01:17And in France, wine is all about the experience.
01:20You usually drink it with food, often share a glass at dinner or with friends.
01:24Personally, I have never drank wine alone.
01:27It's something I always share with other people.
01:29And we're gonna talk about the French mindset around eating a bit later,
01:33because it's way closer to a real French diet secret than looking for the one thing that will solve it
01:38all.
01:39And that brings me to another big myth that has serious consequences, which is smoking.
01:43Everywhere online, people love to say that French people stay thin just because they smoke.
01:48But that's absolutely not true.
01:50I personally don't smoke, and I don't know a lot of people who do.
01:54And I've never seen a French person say that they're gonna skip a meal and just have a cigarette instead.
01:58That's just an overused trope you see in the movies, and not real life.
02:02And for the people who do smoke, smoking is often linked to coffee breaks.
02:06So smokers would often do it with friends, colleagues, maybe while having a drink,
02:11while drinking coffee after a meal, or while taking a break at work.
02:15There's even a French expression for the coffee and cigarette break, which is called café clope.
02:20And this mostly happens outside, so either at a café or in the street,
02:24because in France it is forbidden to smoke indoors.
02:26So that's why you see so many people smoking in the street in France.
02:30As a non-smoker, I would just, for example, take a coffee break inside and not have to go outside.
02:35Also, the smoking rates are slowly declining in France,
02:38and there's more and more places where you can't smoke in,
02:41which, as a non-smoker, I'm really happy about.
02:43Like, for example, now there's a lot of parks where you can't smoke in Paris,
02:47and my local park, which is so peaceful and so nice, is one of them, which is absolutely amazing.
02:52Also, obviously I'm not a doctor, so I'm not here to add to the debate
02:56on whether smokers are thinner than non-smokers or not.
02:59I'm just gonna say that it's a controversial topic,
03:01and that smoking is the main cause of preventable disease in many countries,
03:06including the US and France.
03:08Also, 6 out of 10 people who smoke in France say they want to quit.
03:12But anyways, I found French data on weight gain and smoking,
03:16and apparently 1 in 3 smokers doesn't gain weight after quitting.
03:20And for those who do gain weight,
03:21the average weight gain is between 2 and 4 kilos, which is 4 to 9 pounds.
03:26I don't think it's big enough to actually make a difference.
03:29Then, I receive a lot of comments from people who think French people just have good genes.
03:33Obviously, that's also a myth.
03:35Obesity rates are increasing in France, just like pretty much anywhere in the world.
03:39However, we're still towards the bottom of the list in terms of ranking,
03:43and we have very low rates compared to other countries.
03:46Also, I just want to say that I have personal experience with that.
03:50I feel I can't just eat anything I want anywhere.
03:52Like, for example, when I moved to the US, I did gain a little bit of weight,
03:56because the eating habits were very different from what I'm used to,
03:59and also I wanted to try all the delicious comfort food.
04:02And it's not just me, it seems to be quite a common experience.
04:05Also, some people seem to think that French people stay thin
04:09because we're constantly restricting ourselves,
04:11but that's really not the case.
04:13Of course, there are eating disorders in France, just like anywhere else in the world,
04:17but I feel that as a culture, we are not as much into extreme dieting than in other places.
04:23Instead, I feel we really have a culture of actually enjoying food,
04:27which we'll get into in the next section.
04:29Also, don't even look towards weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy.
04:33It's not as much of a thing here.
04:35Less than 1% of users take it for weight loss,
04:38and it's very strictly controlled and mostly prescribed to people who have diabetes.
04:43All right, so by now you probably get it.
04:45What I'm trying to tell you here is that there are no quick fixes.
04:48Like, there is no single thing that will make you effortlessly thin.
04:51And in reality, it's way more about how we actually eat.
04:55And that's exactly what I want to show you in this next section,
04:57obviously through my own experience,
04:59while getting into what I think are the real French diet secrets.
05:03And I'm really excited to get into it,
05:05because this is one of the biggest questions I actually receive on all my other videos on the topic.
05:10So here's the truth.
05:11One thing you need to know about France is that food is really about enjoyment.
05:16And I even found a study that says that 92% of French people find food enjoyable,
05:21instead of just considering it as fuel.
05:23And my personal opinion is that when you really take time to appreciate your food,
05:28you develop a more balanced and mindful way of eating,
05:30and also a better relationship with food.
05:33Also in France, there is a deep appreciation for good products and how they're made.
05:38Like, it's not just about what we eat, but also where it comes from.
05:41And that's where this French concept of terroir comes in,
05:44which means that certain foods come from specific regions and are made using traditional methods.
05:50And one way you can really see that is by taking a trip to the Champagne region.
05:55And that's exactly what we did with my friend Stella.
05:57We started our little Champagne expedition with visiting Pomerit,
06:01which is a Champagne house that was created in the 19th century,
06:04and has these incredibly beautiful underground cellars.
06:07Then we went to check out a smaller independent Champagne grower in the countryside,
06:11and there we learned how Champagne is made,
06:13we shared a delicious meal with our group,
06:16and of course we got to try their Champagne.
06:18This next one we visited is family-owned,
06:20and it was so special since the grandfather of the owners dug the cellars by himself in the 50s.
06:26And to be honest, I could have never found all of these cool things on my own,
06:30and this is why I booked the experience on Klook.
06:33Klook is a long-term partner of the channel,
06:35and I really love working with them,
06:36since they have the best experience both in France and around the world.
06:40They also have amazing deals on hotels and activities,
06:44so if you're traveling, you should absolutely try them.
06:47So go ahead and click the link in the description below,
06:49and use my code LUCILLEYTKLUG for a discount.
06:53Alright, so this is not just my personal opinion.
06:56The French way of eating is literally recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
07:02So meals in France, they follow a structure.
07:05We all sit down, there's many courses, we take our time,
07:08and obviously it's all about sharing food with others.
07:11Usually these meals are pretty big, and the food is heavier than what I would eat at home,
07:16but what I eat during the special meals is exactly like in my food videos.
07:20So I really go into these meals with the idea of enjoying the food and the company,
07:24and not with a goal of being thin or looking a certain way,
07:27because this would totally kill my enjoyment of the meal.
07:30Also, I don't like to think of some foods as being good and others being bad,
07:34so I never restrict myself, and instead I apply common sense,
07:37like I eat foods that make me feel good, and I just stop eating when I feel full.
07:41Obviously, I couldn't eat those special meals every single day,
07:44and I would say that there's a big difference between the special French meals
07:48and the meals we eat on the daily.
07:50I think this is why I get so many questions on the topic,
07:53so I'm really excited to finally share this with you.
07:56Also, side note, this is obviously my own perspective.
07:59There are a lot of people in France, all with different tastes and habits,
08:02and I'm not saying that every single person in France eats like me.
08:06Alright, so this is what my breakfast usually looks like.
08:08I usually wake up between 7 and 8 a.m.,
08:11and I start my day by drinking a giant latte that I make at home with whole milk.
08:16And here, I know a lot of people will say that this is considered a bad food,
08:20but remember, we talked about not demonizing any food.
08:23And I really like the taste of whole milk.
08:26The milk you can find in France is really good.
08:28This one is a bit special because it's les frais,
08:30so it's fresher than the other milks, and you can't keep it for too long.
08:34Then the other thing I have pretty much every single day is bread,
08:37and here I'm lucky, where I live, there's a thousand bakeries around,
08:41so it's always fun for me to go out and go pick up bread.
08:43The one I picked today is a sourdough rye bread,
08:46and when I got it, it was really hot.
08:47It was straight from the oven.
08:49Then I always put salty butter on top of my bread,
08:51and that's it.
08:52That's pretty much my breakfast every single day of the week.
08:55I'll eat as many slices of bread as it takes to not be hungry anymore,
08:58and on the weekends, I'm gonna have a larger breakfast,
09:01and maybe even go out for brunch.
09:03So for lunch, I usually eat something quick, at least for French standards.
09:07They tend to take between 30 minutes to an hour to eat.
09:10Often during the week, most people will share a meal with their colleagues,
09:13but since I'm self-employed,
09:15I try to go eat lunch with a friend at least a few times a month,
09:18and today I met with my friend Camille,
09:20and we went to a crêperie, which is what you call a crepe restaurant in France.
09:23By the way, this one is an absolute gem,
09:26and is linked on my map with around 200 of my favorite places for food in Paris.
09:31So here we had galettes, which are savory crepes that are made with buckwheat flour.
09:36Mine had some apples, some raclette cheese,
09:38and some lardons, which are little pieces of ham.
09:41And all that is served with a side salad.
09:43This was absolutely delicious, and it kept me full all afternoon.
09:47And right now it's 4 p.m., and it's time for my favorite French meal, which is goûter.
09:51A goûter is what we call our mid-afternoon snack.
09:54It's usually something that's mostly for kids,
09:57but as an adult, I have to say that I absolutely love goûter.
10:00It's the perfect occasion to take a break during the workday,
10:03and usually I often grab tea and a fruit, maybe some bread,
10:06and maybe once a week I'll pick up a treat, like a pastry.
10:09So this is what I did today, and I picked up a pain au chocolat aux amandes
10:12from one of my favorite bakeries called Léonie,
10:15and it's basically a chocolate croissant with almond cream in it.
10:19It's so delicious, and it's definitely a treat.
10:22So here what I want to share with you is that most of the time,
10:25I follow the same structure when I eat every single day,
10:28but I feel that while it's good to have a structure,
10:31because I know exactly when I'm gonna eat and what type of food I'm gonna eat,
10:34it's also great to not be too rigid and, you know, break the routine from time to time.
10:39Also, I really want to stress the fact that all the meals balance each other out over the course of
10:43a week.
10:44Like, I'm not eating exactly the same way every single day.
10:47All right, so after this big goûter, I'm actually craving veggies for dinner,
10:51and usually I go to the restaurant or to dinner parties at friends' places a few times a week,
10:56but most of the time I actually just cook at home with my boyfriend Bobby.
11:00We usually get our veggies from a co-op that sells products directly from small producers.
11:05We just eat whatever veggies is in season, and we try to cook it in a way that we like.
11:10I feel it makes it so easy to eat veggies, and also I feel cooking doesn't really feel like a
11:14chore,
11:15it's like more something we do together.
11:17So tonight, as you can see, we're doing leeks, and I usually make them in such a simple way.
11:22I just remove the parts I don't want to eat, slice them in half, wash them really well,
11:27and then roast them in the oven with a bunch of olive oil and seasoning.
11:32And with that, I make some homemade puree, which are basically boiled mashed potatoes
11:36that are then mixed with olive oil and garlic.
11:39And seriously, this is one of my go-to meals.
11:41I'm not even a good cook, this is so simple and really delicious.
11:45I feel we eat that at least once a week, especially now that leeks are in season.
11:49And for dessert, I'm gonna make baked apples, which are exactly that.
11:52They're sliced apples, topped with cinnamon, a tiny bit of salty butter,
11:57and then you just throw them in the oven.
11:59Think of that as like an apple pie without the pie crust.
12:02So anyways, as you can probably see, the real French diet secret is pretty straightforward.
12:06It's all about eating good food, not too much of it, and in a way that feels good for you.
12:11Anyways, this is the final result of my cooking.
12:13So now I'm gonna go grab Bobby, we're gonna enjoy dinner.
12:16And if you enjoyed this video, you should absolutely check out the ones on screen right now.
12:20I'll see you there.
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