Mindful Eating: The French Paradox

Birgit Humpert & Laura Salinas

When you think of France......

What we will do today:

1. What is the French Paradox?

2. What is the difference between the American and the French approach to eating?

2. What is Mindful Eating (the French way)?

3. What do you take away?

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The French Paradox

Obesity rates

France US

overweight 24.2 33.3

obese 12.7 35.9

Explaining the French Paradox

•Red wine?

•More fruits and vegetables?

•Less processed food? or

•Attitudes toward food

•Food culture

• 50 flavors

• 60 % of Americans

• 10 flavors

• 70 % of French

Feeling hungry - feeling satisfied

J'ai faim. = I have hunger. = I'm hungry.

Je n'ai plus faim. = I have no more hunger. / I'm full.

- Stop eating before you are full.- Eat slowly.- Take time to enjoy the meal.

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Guilt, Calories

Celebration, Pleasure

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An exercise in mindful eating

Convivalité

means feasting, socializing while eating- having fun while eating- learning to eat (for children)- eating the same food

Shared social habits around food

image: leguardian

Less Snacking

50% of Americans snack 3 x per day98% of Americans snack every day

50% of French never snack

Snack food ads in France come with a warning:

"For your health avoid snacking in between meals."

Summary

• Choose quality not quantity

• Eat slow, stop when you are no longer hungry

• Enjoy your food

• Try to eat with other people

• Eat at the table

• Limit snacking (to unprocessed plant food)

Be a little more French!

Resources:http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mindful-eating/200903/mindful-eating-the-french-paradox

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1768013/

http://www.nutrition.org/asn-blog/2013/01/the-french-paradox-was-it-really-the-wine/

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors/pcs/nutrition/services/healtheweightforwomen/special_topics/intelihealth0405.aspx

Rozin, P., Remick A.K., Fishler c. (2011) Broad Themes of differences between French and Americans in Attitudes to food and other life domains: personal versus communal values, quantity versus quality, and comforts versus joys. Front Psychol. 2011; 2: 177. Published online 2011 July 26. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00177 PMCID: PMC3145256

Rozin, P., Fischler, C., Shields, C., Masson, E. (2006) Attitudes towards large numbers of choices in the food domain: A cross-cultural study of five countries in Europe and the USA. Appetite 46, 304-308. Retrieved from https://sites.sas.upenn.edu/rozin/files/choicefoodxcultappetite2006.pdf

P. Rozin, C. Fischler, S. Imada, A. Sarubin, and A. Wrzesniewski, “Attitudes to Food and the Role of Food in Life in the U.S.A., Japan, Flemish Belgium and France: Possible Implications for the Diet–Health Debate,” Appetite33 (1999): 163-180

http://faculty.som.yale.edu/amywrzesniewski/documents/Attitudestofoodandtheroleoffood.pdf

Karen Le Billon (2012). French Kids Eat Everything. William Morrow