Wednesday
13May2009
Pardon My French, But Your Plate Is Too Big (And So Is Your Ass)
6 Comments
Americans. So unrefined, so unsophisticated, so fat. We have this thing called -- how do you say? -- over indulgence? You know, from McDonald's to homemade dinners -- healthy or not, we just love to super-size. But not the French. Their favorite foods include cheese, pastries, wine, and other fattening fare but, despite that, only 7 percent of French adults are obese -- one-third the obesity rate here in the United States.How did the French get so damn lucky? It's not enough that they have the sexiest accents or live in the most romantic cities. No, they also get to enjoy some of the richest (and unprocessed) cuisine on earth and then they wash it down with champagne.
According to a new American-French study, researchers have discovered the simple reason that our French friends are so thin. They eat smaller portions! Researchers compared the size of restaurant meals and other kinds of food in Paris and Philadelphia. They found that the average portion in Paris weighed 277 grams while the average portion in Philadelphia was 25 percent more -- 346 grams.
The study also found some startling differences in specific kinds of restaurants. In U.S. Chinese restaurants, diners received up to 72 percent more food than they would received at a Chinese restaurant in France.
An American chocolate bar was 41 percent larger than a French chocolate bar. A U.S. soft drink was 50 percent larger, and a hot dog was 63 percent bigger. American yogurt was a whopping 82 percent larger than yogurt in Paris.
Overall, Americans are eating larger portions and more low-quality (processed) foods -- so if you really want to say au revoir to your big derriere (especially before the summer); take a lesson from the French and eat smaller portions!
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Reader Comments (6)
Calorie counting is what it boils down to. If you take in the right portions you can eat anything and stay slim. I've had success with a program that called "Build My Meals" - https://www.buildmymeals.com . I thought some of your readers might be interested in check it out.
What a great title for this article! Definitely an eye-catcher and brings up a great point that we all know by now-Americans, in general, eat WAY TOO MUCH. Portion control is definitely a key to success. Although we also do need to include a variety of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean protein in our diet, anything in excess is not good for us. Like another reader commented, it boils down to calories. If you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight and vise versa.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Harry Johnson Jr is the 1998 Body For Life Champion - You can learn more about losing weight and getting into great shape at his blog, www.harryjohnsonjr.com
Wow! 72 percent larger portions in chinese restaurants?? One of my favorite foods is chinese...I'm going to have to box the second half of the plate the next time I go. I actually work with Chef's Diet, and we're a program that focuses on maintaining a healthy dietary plan. We prepare foods daily, with fresh produce and meats and deliver them straight to your door. If anyone is interested, you can visit http://www.mychefsdiet.com to learn more. It could be a good replacement for the 72% :P.
I absolutely love the title of this article...it says it like it is. We need to stop eating when our bodies tell us they are full. We are in control of our bodies and what we put it them, do not let our bodies control us! fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds are the key to staying healthy and the more we add to our diet, the less junk we will want and in return we will look & feel fabulous!
Thanks for sharing, I love reading you should post more often...
Very nice title dude! 100% right!
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