Orden+on+Nutrition

**Meals and Nutrition: US vs. France** 

The "French Paradox" is the observation of the French having a low rate of heart disease despite the large amounts of saturated fat that they consume. The French have less people with heart disease, obesity, and cardiovascular disease than the U.S., but why? (French Paradox). 

 Some Statistics:
 * || France || U.S. ||
 * Heart Disease Deaths: || 39.8 out of 100,000 people || 106.5 out of 100,000 people ||
 * Obesity: || 9.4% || 30.6% ||

(NationMaster.com).

A psychologist writes in the New York Times about her observations on the French eating lifestyle while visiting France:

"A recent trip to France confirmed for me my observations of why being overweight has become the norm in the United States. The French are thin because of their lifestyle differences, not because of some mystery ingredients in their food or drink. In France, quality is more important than quantity, and people live with less in all aspects of their lives.

Everywhere I went, I noticed that portion sizes were much smaller. For example, the sandwiches were half the size in the thickness of the bread and a third of the size in the amount of filling they had. These smaller sizes were satisfying and did not set up later cravings" (French Nutrition).  **Some American Meal Patterns:**   Chris Hart: Breakfast: none Lunch: bagel with cream cheese Snacks: power bars, candy Dinner: chicken, pasta, etc.   Dana Danziger: Breakfast: eggs and toast or cereal with milk Lunch: tuna fish sandwich Snacks: pretzels, apples, yogurt, bananas Dinner: chicken, turkey burgers, corn   Michael Fillare: Breakfast: none Lunch: bagel with cream cheese Snacks: cheese its, potato chips, candy Dinner: pizza, chicken with rice, or burger   Emma Kantrowitz: Breakfast: eggs with english muffin Lunch: cheese Snacks: ice cream, pita bread, hummus Dinner: salads, chicken, shrimp <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 3, 255);">

<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> French Meal Pattern:

The French eat 3 meals a day and rarely eat snacks.

<span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(54, 2, 2);"> Light Breakfast: <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> Baguette (French bread) or croissant with butter or jam, served with coffee or hot chocolate. <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(47, 4, 4);"> Lunch (largest meal): <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);">Sandwich, soup, salad, omelet, or a more formal lunch at a restaurant served with wine and coffee after meal <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(5, 0, 0);"> Dinner: <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> Served with wine <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(24, 2, 2);"> Appetizer: <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> Vary from cold dishes such as beef carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef), roquefort (a type of cheese) flan, and salmon mousse with capers to hot dishes like French onion soup, cheese souffle, and sole filet terrine <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(36, 5, 5);"> Main course: <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> Meat or fish, salad, rice or pasta <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(33, 3, 3);"> Cheese: <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);"> can be an entire course accompanied by fruits, nuts, and bread ... with more wine <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(42, 4, 4);"> Desserts <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(242, 24, 24);">: Creme brulee, chocolate mousse, apple tart, and coffee <span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 3, 255);">

Links:

[|France Health Stats]

[|US Health Stats]

[|EBSCO: The influence of culture and environment on food intake]

[|EBSCO: Why We're So FAT.]