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France is well known as a nation of food lovers, so even the French are susceptible to the obesity syndrome. However, there are many people, especially women, who have bucked the trend and remain to be slim. Some French woman can eat all manner of delicious foods, indulge in wine and yet still stay trim and beautiful. What's their secret?

It would appear the French Diet is very appealing as there are no restrictions on carbohydrates or fat and no calorie counting, just good quality food eaten in moderation. The key here is quality and not quantity.

Their diet contains all fresh whole foods and they avoid processed foods, junk or fast foods, and sugary drinks. The French are passionate about cooking, so when cooking for themselves or friends, they will go to great lengths to seek out the freshest produce and ingredients for their meal. This is typically done on foot by walking around the farmers' markets, boulangeries and fromageries, all the time burning calories and contributing even more to a healthy lifestyle.

It's important to point out that French portions are a fraction of the size of those in the United States. So, while a French woman would be happy to unhurriedly savour a small plate of delicious quality food, others would rather wolf down a double helping, which is very often inferior quality.

The French tend to eat consciously and slowly, making sure they savour each and every mouthful. The psychology is by stopping to enjoy your meal, you will feel satisfied faster and will not tend to over eat. If you relax while eating, your body will metabolise food more efficiently, whereas hurriedly eating your food will lead your body to secrete Cortisol, which is steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex as part of the body's response to stress.

French woman also drink plenty of water too. A good point to remember is, as well as prolonging your life and keeping your internal organs (liver, kidneys etc) clean and healthy, water will speed up your metabolism and aid weight loss.

The French Diet

With the French diet, you can eat unprocessed meat, fish, poultry, grains, bread, dairy products, vegetables and fruit. A varied diet is essential, as each food contains different vitamins and minerals necessary for long term health. The only conditions are on the size of the portions.

Other foods that are allowed include, croissants, pastries and baguettes. Did you know that a French croissant weighs in at just 1 ounce!

Real cheese is fine but processed cheese is definitely out. As you may be aware, the French regularly enjoy a glass of wine, especially at meal times. Red wine is packed with antioxidants and has recently been proven to be good for the heart. The French have a low incidence of heart disease and many cite red wine as the reason. However this should be restricted to 1 or 2 glasses a day.

Lastly, the French love fresh fruit and vegetables, and there are no restrictions on these. That's because they are low in calories and nutritionally dense. They also use heart healthy Olive Oil for cooking and dressings, rather than artery-clogging hydrogenated cooking oils.

So, it would appear that the "French Diet" isn't really a diet in the traditional sense, instead it's much more of a lifestyle. The only drawback in this hectic age in which we live, is finding the time to eat a meal slowly and in a relaxed state.