Last weekend my wife and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by having our first weekend alone since Matea was born. It was a welcome break for us to get some R&R and spend time together just like it was when it was just the two of us.

My parents were glad to take her for the weekend so we hopped a quick flight to Sept Isles, Quebec to spend the weekend.

It certainly isn’t France but it’s pretty obvious that the French Canadians still have a heavy influence from what is known as the “French Paradox”.

The French Paradox refers to the observation that the French culture suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. It’s common in French restaurants for them to give you butter to put on your pizza crust or mayo for your french fries!

Combined with the high rate of smokers and lack of structured exercise they are the envy of health nuts everywhere as they seem to be able to have their cake and eat it too…

I don’t remember seeing an overweight women the entire weekend!

So after many relaxing dinners and maybe too much wine it got me thinking that maybe HOW we eat is just as important as WHAT we eat?

Here is what I think the French are doing right for health and longevity when it looks like everything they are doing is wrong…

Red Wine and Resveratrol

The French like their wine, and not just after dinner. Morning, afternoon and night they sip on vino flooding their bodies with life extending resveratrol, heart healthy flavonoids and cancer fighting polyphenols. Plus, research continues to suggest that moderate drinkers are less likely to suffer heart attacks than non-drinker or heavy drinkers.

Chew your Chow

Despite the many fast food drive thru’s I seen around Sept Isles, I didn’t see many cars lined up to these windows during the day. That’s because the French don’t snack in between meals and when they do eat they take the time to chew their chow. They don’t do “dashboard dining”, they savour their food by the bite, not the mouthful.

Petite Portions

The key to the petite french are their petite portions. It’s not necessarily what you eat but how much you eat. You will still encounter larger than normal portions at the many “Americanized” restaurant chains but even then they don’t feel obligated to eat everything piled on their plate just because it’s there, they eat until they are satisfied not until their belt is busting.

Fresh First

Wether it’s farmer’s markets or fishing markets, the French knows fresh. We should all know where our food comes from and eat local whenever possible. This coastal town is known for their fresh seafood. A lot of the restaurants are located right on the water front where the catch of the day is only feet away. The lunch special was a Crab and Smoked Salmon Clubhouse Sandwich…Perfect.

Food and Family

It’s obvious just walking around the local supermarkets that the French prefer quality over quantity when it comes to what they put in their mouth. They aren’t filling their carts with TV dinners because they eat REAL food and don’t eat in front of the TV. They celebrate food by cooking and eating with family and friends. What a concept!

Walk don’t Wait

The French would rather walk, than wait for an elevator or the metro. They aren’t known to be gym rats but they do take the gym outdoors by walking and biking a lot. The first thing I noticed on our way to the hotel was the well designed recreational paths and running tracks all around the city that was paved, well painted and flooded with runners and bikers. We also took advantage of the many boardwalks and parkways and made an effort to hoof it, to see the city and burn off some of that good French cuisine.

So maybe the French Paradox is not such a secret after all…

Perhaps we can learn something from the healthy habits of the French culture by not focusing on single nutrients in our diet like proteins, carbs or fats but instead focusing on the COOKING, the EATING and the ENJOYING of fresh food with family and friends…

Now that’s speaking my language!

What do YOU think? Do you think this is French fact or fiction?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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