The French Diet - A Little of Everything You Like

It’s no secret that France has a tres chic First Lady in ex-model and folky-guitar musician Carla Bruni.

But her personal trainer says Ms. Bruni, who is expecting her second child, eats anything she likes. “She likes good food, and loves beer. But she never overindulges,” said the trainer.

Bruni’s “a little bit of anything” approach to keeping her figure is very popular in France, where only 10 percent of women are overweight.

Their secret to eating well without gaining weight is explained in the books French Women Don’t Get Fat, and Chic And Slim: How Those French Women Eat all That Rich Food And Still Stay Slim. Basically, here’s how it works:

Eat full-fat foods, not “light” or low-fat versions. We know that diet soda can actually make you hungrier. The same goes for diet foods. Full-fat foods keep you fuller longer because they activate your brain’s “full” signal. One very chic and slim woman we know eats one teaspoon of peanut butter when she gets hungry between meals. Poof! Hunger pangs gone! And keep in mind, now doctors are saying natural saturated fats are not so bad for you after all!

Eat more foods from scratch. About 76 percent of French women eat homemade meals, which usually have a lot less salt, sugar and preservatives than pre-prepared, processed foods.

Use portion control. A University of Pennsylvania survey showed that in the U.S., restaurant portion sizes were 25 percent bigger than they were in France. They also found U.S. soft drinks were 52 percent bigger and a yogurt was 82 percent bigger. Of course, the more that’s in front of you, the more you’ll eat!

Take a long time to eat. Lucille Ball reportedly said about staying young: “live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.” A typical French woman takes two hours for lunch. That’s probably not realistic for us, but to feel fuller faster, try to make each meal last at least 30 minutes and chew very well.

Drink water. Many French women have a cleansing glass of warm water with lemon (of course you can use True Lemon!) every morning before breakfast.  Ms. Bruni’s trainer agrees, telling a newspaper: “I don't forbid anything. Everything is a question of balance. And you should drink a lot of water and, when you over-do it, take a day off food to detox.”

Voila! There you have it! Five French secrets to eating yummy food AND staying skinny!

BTW we’ve been trying to get information on Bruni’s other beauty regimen, said to be an orange-and-herb drink called “Biooster Grog.”We’d love to whip some up with True Orange! But no one seems ready to give up that particular French secret quite yet!