French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure [Mass Market Paperback]

This is definitely a non-diet book! It is enjoyable to read, and the recipes look good. It's a book about life more than diet. It does, of course, talk quite a bit about proper attitudes toward food, but most of the changes Guiliano recommends are more than just to eating habits, and would involve real lifestyle makeovers for some people, such as preparing all of the food served in your house from scratch, never purchasing convenience foods, and being sure to make each meal a significant and satisfying event. I really like the concepts in this book, and my lifestyle will allow me to make many of the changes without disruption, especially since I already do make most foods from scratch-I have the time! However, I know at least one of my friends would not find abandoning the warehouse grocery stores in favour of daily trips (on foot) to local markets with her 3 children under 4 years of age in tow worth the effort. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a bit of a foodie already, but I think some of the suggestions will be difficult to implement for families such as those with 2 working parents, 3 kids in hockey, and a volunteer commitment or two (Guiliano's mother had a nanny, a luxury few North American families experience). Guiliano shows that the French Paradox is not based on lucky DNA. It is, however, based on culture, and we are, after all, in Canada, not France, and there are not fresh food markets in walking distance of each of us, and many have little time for a satisfying lunch experience with friends and champagne. The North American lifestyle-and sometimes the weather-does not support the concepts in this book. For example, in France it is apparently common, when visiting a friend in the hospital, to bring a bottle of champagne, because doctors recognize that "joie de vivre" is essential to the well-being of the patient, and "joie," of course, is linked to champagne. In Canada, alcohol is not quite as socially accepted- I'd be fired if I came back to the office with champagne on my breath! Obviously, our two cultures have different traditions, so it will not be as easy to make these modifications as the editor wishes you to believe-even the ones that don't involve champagne. I am not saying it can't be done, it's just a warning that while some of these changes will be easily made, others will be quite difficult and some will mean an either/or choice, and not simply an adjustment to your way of thinking about food. Definitely worth a try, though!

As author Mireille Guiliano, executive of the company Champagne Veuve Clicquot (for those who don't know, one of the better Champagnes in the world), states, it is of course true that there are some French women who do get overweight. However, there are some common sense ideas that she learned as a child, and observed in seeing the general differences between her time in America and her time in France.

Guiliano works through her ideas on menu, diet, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle with anecdotal and personal experience rather than scientific studies; thus, some may disagree with her conclusions. Guiliano does not put out this book in any way to insult the American lifestyle -- on the contrary, Guiliano has had a love affair with the English language (French being her first language) and American culture since her school days.

One of the first stories Guiliano recounts is her school year spent in America, during what in this country would be known as high school. A prestigious award, she was excited to learn all about American culture; what she also learned about was chocolate chip cookies and brownies, and ended up returning home after a year abroad by at least 15 pounds heavier.

Guiliano reiterates some of the common aspects of French living that Americans have already recognised -- the benefits of red wine on cholesterol, for example, but haven't adapted their general eating habits to reflect good health. Indeed, some have used the use of red wine as an invitation to eat more!

Guiliano's recommendations are in many ways common sense. It makes sense to eat a variety of different kinds of food, and always (as French people who shop in small, street-side farmer's market kinds of shops will know) always pick the fruits and vegetables that are in season. Eating a variety of foods does not mean to 'pig out' -- one should eat a lot of different things, but eat in moderation. This means that one should eat with care and deliberation; one should savour food, which, if the food is well prepared and fresh, should be a real delight. Eating more slowly (something that our 'fast food' culture has almost linguistically removed as a possibility) generally means eating less, as the body will feel more full before large amounts of food are consumed.

Guiliano has a four-phase plan: the wake up call; the recasting phase; the stabilisation phase; and finally, 'the rest of your life'. This is not a dietary 'boot camp', but rather is a gentle, general shift in patterns that allow one to increase some indulgences (in moderation, of course), along with some changes in overall ideas about food.

Guiliano includes recipes, discussions of seasonings that will enhance the culinary experience, ideas for drinking (it should be no surprise that most of us do not drink enough water, and too much by way of soft-drinks), bread and chocolate, and more. The recipes included under the chocolate heading (Chocolate Rice Pudding; Chocolate-Espresso Faux Souffles; Mousse au Chocolat; and Tartine au Cacao) are truly wonderful (I've made two, and am thus guessing on the other two), and show that chocolate is certainly not off limits!

Guiliano's style is fun and witty, and her advice accessible and achievable. It is a diet not just for women, and is a lifestyle that many could easily and happily adapt to.

Bon appetit!

It's an enjoyable read. It introduces a new way of thinking about food. Food is not your enemy but something to be enjoyed. It introduces the European womens approach to food and weight control. A must read to women who don't enjoy sweating at the gym everyday. Simple recipes. I highly recommend this book.