FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 18, 2012 at 3:30 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks Valentine – Yes I agree it is hard! Though I am slowly curbing my sugar addiction and find now that 2 squares of good quality dark chocolate savoured with a cup of herbal tea at night are more satisfying than large quantities of cheap Easter chocolate! But I am sure there will be moments and days where this is still a challenge for me 🙂
FROM Valentine Camus Apr 18, 2012 at 2:57 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks for your comment Alison (I’m sorry to answer late, I had not seen it). Now I understand what these ‘French secrets’ are. The balance tip makes sense, definitely. The second tip seems harder to apply. I admire you for trying to reduce chocolate, it’s not that easy! 😉
FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 11, 2012 at 7:38 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks Valentine – that’s a really interesting point about food guilt being felt by the modern French woman!
There are sadly many Australian women (and I don’t think we are the only ones in the world!) who go through a whole lot of mental anguish just because they have a piece of cake, rather than savouring and appreciating every mouthful as an occasional treat.
One point that is made in the book is that French woman aim for balance over a period of time (e.g. a week), so an indulgent Sunday lunch might mean a lighter Monday lunch and dinner.
Mireille also offers a key piece of advice about identifying your main ‘offenders’ (for me it is chocolate after dinner) and ensuring that when you do eat those foods you appreciate and enjoy it for the treat it is and over time, can be satisfied with less of it. For me, I’m currently attempting to get down to 2 squares a night!
FROM Valentine Camus Apr 11, 2012 at 4:24 PM - Edit - Reply
How interesting! Thre’s only one point on which I don’t agree with you: I think a lot of French women feel guilty for what they eat, especially nowadays. I didn’t know about the French paradox until I arrived in Melbourne. I’m very curious, what are the so-called French secrets for their sveltness in the book?
FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 6, 2012 at 4:14 PM - Edit - Reply
Merci, Bethany! What I particularly like about French Women Don’t Get Fat is that Mireille’s insights make good sense and are adaptable to our own countries of residence. And it’s interesting as well for me to challenge the ingrained notion that healthy eating has to equal deprivation.
I was wondering if you were going to mention the book French Women Don’t Get Fat- and then you did ! Such a great read and so true about French regimes. How I envy them their guiltless, balanced ways !
FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 18, 2012 at 3:30 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks Valentine – Yes I agree it is hard! Though I am slowly curbing my sugar addiction and find now that 2 squares of good quality dark chocolate savoured with a cup of herbal tea at night are more satisfying than large quantities of cheap Easter chocolate! But I am sure there will be moments and days where this is still a challenge for me 🙂
FROM Valentine Camus Apr 18, 2012 at 2:57 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks for your comment Alison (I’m sorry to answer late, I had not seen it). Now I understand what these ‘French secrets’ are. The balance tip makes sense, definitely. The second tip seems harder to apply. I admire you for trying to reduce chocolate, it’s not that easy! 😉
FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 11, 2012 at 7:38 PM - Edit - Reply
Thanks Valentine – that’s a really interesting point about food guilt being felt by the modern French woman!
There are sadly many Australian women (and I don’t think we are the only ones in the world!) who go through a whole lot of mental anguish just because they have a piece of cake, rather than savouring and appreciating every mouthful as an occasional treat.
One point that is made in the book is that French woman aim for balance over a period of time (e.g. a week), so an indulgent Sunday lunch might mean a lighter Monday lunch and dinner.
Mireille also offers a key piece of advice about identifying your main ‘offenders’ (for me it is chocolate after dinner) and ensuring that when you do eat those foods you appreciate and enjoy it for the treat it is and over time, can be satisfied with less of it. For me, I’m currently attempting to get down to 2 squares a night!
FROM Valentine Camus Apr 11, 2012 at 4:24 PM - Edit - Reply
How interesting! Thre’s only one point on which I don’t agree with you: I think a lot of French women feel guilty for what they eat, especially nowadays. I didn’t know about the French paradox until I arrived in Melbourne. I’m very curious, what are the so-called French secrets for their sveltness in the book?
FROM Alison Eastaway Apr 6, 2012 at 4:14 PM - Edit - Reply
Merci, Bethany! What I particularly like about French Women Don’t Get Fat is that Mireille’s insights make good sense and are adaptable to our own countries of residence. And it’s interesting as well for me to challenge the ingrained notion that healthy eating has to equal deprivation.
Bethany Untied Apr 5, 2012 at 3:06 PM - Edit - Reply
I was wondering if you were going to mention the book French Women Don’t Get Fat- and then you did ! Such a great read and so true about French regimes. How I envy them their guiltless, balanced ways !