We eat like the French

[magme]

Hi,

We eat like the french in courses.. but I love to snack.. not anymore tho.. How do I manage this.. Our meals are not big... but as I say they are in courses.. Any suggestions?

D

[wosnes]

I'd say eat one serving of each course and don't worry about it.

You could also attempt to visualize if it would all fit on one plate. If it would all fit on a dinner plate, you're good to go.

[magme]

Thanks that is what I was thinking.. most times I assume all would fit on a plate.. Again Thanks

D

[CrazyCatLady]

I went out to dinner Friday night, and there were courses (sort of). The bread was brought to the table immediately, then appetizers, then the meal. I just tried to be reasonable and tried to guess how much would fill a plate.

I think this plan will work for many different eating styles! Welcome to the discussion board!

[reinhard]

magme,

For most people I'd advise putting it all in front of you at once, so you can see it. This reduces the scope for self-deception.

But if you're accustomed to eating in courses and want to continue doing so for gastronomic reasons, I'm sure you can adapt the system to your preferences. It just takes a little more attention. Look for the term "virtual plates" in the book (or here on the bulletin board).

Reinhard

[magme]

Thank you CrazyCatLady...

Reinhard, Thanks for the tip.. I put all my food together today and found it did not even fit on a full plate.. Funny.. My real down is snacking.. and some times sweets..

Thanks again.. I will check it out.

Debbie

P.S. Just put in a order for the book.. 2 weeks to come.. Amazon.de can get it in.

[wosnes]

I put all my food together today and found it did not even fit on a full plate

Do you mean it was less than a full plate -- or more?

[magme]

Oh sorry I meant.. Less.. yes Less..

[wosnes]

Magme, I think you're on to something by eating like the French. After reading Bright Angel's post last night, I thought about the eating habits of the French -- especially in terms of portion size

From an article in American Fitness in 2003

Healthy Eating Habits

Americans rarely hear about eating habits when told how to lose weight or help their hearts. However, the French know eating habits are critical to a successful diet and healthy relationship with food. You will never see the French wringing their hands over a meticulous accounting of the fats, carbohydrates and proteins in a meal. For them, eating is less an exercise in dietary calculus than a social event savored with friends and family. This philosophy extends the length of the meal and, by doing so, becomes a central factor in weight control. Simply put, eating too rapidly makes you eat too much. Since fullness signals to the brain are delayed by about 20 minutes, eating too quickly leads us to overeat before the brain learns the body is full. Slowing down, therefore, allows the brain to register the body's satiation signals before becoming stuffed with food.

In France, creating a relaxed atmosphere around the table begins by serving the food in courses. As the components of each course are served, everyone waits until everybody else has his or her food before eating. They also do not present the next course until everyone has finished the first.

The concept of "diet," then, is larger than the components on the plate because the French culinary affaire d'amour also embraces the manners of civilized eating. Smaller bites savor the accomplishment of the chef. The fork is put down as the food is enjoyed and one bite is completed before another is begun. All these habits free time to talk with others sharing the meal, extending its length even further and increasing the quality of the time spent together.

For Americans, a critical first step toward following the French example is turning the TV off and answering machine on. Don't eat in the car, hurriedly trying to finish your food before the light turns green. Removing such distractions elevates the priority of the meal and repositions our attention to the food and each other. This habit is as healthy for the waistline and heart as it is for the commitment to family and friends.

By taking the time to enjoy rich, high-quality foods, the French increase the pleasure of meals without the worry of weight gain or health problems. As Americans struggle to come to grips with a more effective approach to diet and weight control, we should look to other cultures, such as the French, whose centuries of cultural heritage have produced the most admired cuisine in the world--and one of the most successful diets.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... 82361/pg_1

In The Observer

When they get those enviable produits du terroirs home, French people, it seems, naturally exercise strict portion control. In their study of why the French remain so much slimmer than Americans, the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania came to the remarkable conclusion that it was because the French ate less. 'Based on observation in Paris and Philadelphia,' they wrote, 'we document that the French portion sizes are smaller in comparable restaurants, in the sizes of individual portions in supermarkets, individual portions specified in cookbooks, and in the prominence of "all-you-can-eat" restaurants in dining guides.'

The figures - both physically and statistically - back this up. Mean portion size in Philadelphia was about 25 per cent greater than in Paris. Philadelphia's Chinese restaurants served 72 per cent more than the Parisian ones. A supermarket soft drink in the US was 52 per cent larger, a hotdog 63 per cent larger, a carton of yoghurt 82 per cent larger.

'A croissant in Paris is one ounce,' notes Chris Rosenbloom, a professor of nutrition at Georgia State University, 'while in Pittsburgh it's two.' America is indeed the land of giant pastries. I remember being overwhelmed by the sheer girth of a muffin I once bought at a coffee shop in New York - but, like all of the dead-eyed cows in the joint - I worked my way through it under the wayward assumption that it constituted a 'portion' and therefore ought to be finished. 'If food is moderately palatable,' says Paul Rozin, one of the psychologists on the Pennsylvania study, 'people tend to consume what is put in front of them, and generally consume more when offered more food.' Interestingly, hamsters do much the same thing.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/foo ... 21,00.html

There's an entry on David Lebovitz's (an American in Paris) blog for The Olympic Seoul Chicken Recipe. It calls for 8 chicken thighs. He says it serves "4 Americans, or 8 French people."

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2 ... oul_c.html

When something like that is practiced day after day, it's going to make a difference.