When did eating become such an all-or-nothing proposition? It seems that Americans are either gorging on gigantic portions of unhealthy, highly processed foods and getting fatter all the time, or they’re starving themselves on the latest hyper-restrictive diet that no one could stay on for more than a few weeks without feeling miserable and deprived.
Whatever happened to just enjoying good food, in moderation, without guilt?
If we buy into the common-sense wisdom found in books like the bestseller French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, it’s clear that the way to be thin and still have some joy with our meals is to adopt a more traditional, and worldly, way of dining. Moderate portions, fresh whole foods, relaxing and lingering with family and friends at the table — it’s what they do not just in France, but throughout the Mediterranean, Latin America and Asia. These are places where obesity rates have historically been low (at least until the global spread of fast food and sedentary lifestyles boosted obesity everywhere). It’s where the “gym workout” was a bicycle ride to work or school, or where eating a low-fat diet meant Mom stretching the meat by stuffing cabbage or grape leaves.
This reminds us that it is possible to eat what you love without feeling guilty, deprived or going on any restrictive regimen. Here’s how:
1. Start with soup.
This Japanese tradition is one of the best weight-loss strategies. That’s because eating soup, particularly the broth-based vegetable kind, before your entrée fills you up so you eat less during the meal, explains Barbara Rolls, Guthrie professor of nutrition at Penn State University in University Park, and author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan (HarperCollins, 2005). A two-year French study of 2,188 men and 2,849 women found that those who ate soup five to six times a week were more likely to have BMIs below 23 (considered lean), compared with infrequent- or non-eaters whose BMIs tended to be in the 27 range.
2. Make lunch your main meal.
Although they do this throughout Europe, a good explanation for eating your big meal at midday comes from ayurveda, India’s 5,000-year-old approach to wellness. “According to ayurveda, we’re actually designed to eat the larger meal at lunch because our digestive ‘fire,’ called agni, is strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., so we digest more efficiently,” explains Jennifer Workman, a Boulder, Colorado-based ayurveda specialist, registered dietitian and author of Stop Your Cravings (Free Press, 2001). “I’ve seen people in my practice lose 5 to 10 pounds just by doing this.”
3. Think quality, not quantity.
The French snub processed “diet foods” not found in nature, opting instead for high-quality meats, fish, produce, dairy, even desserts. When food is fresh and flavorful, you can be satisfied with smaller portions. This is the opposite of the American approach, which is to fill up on bland diet foods, then gorge on sweets later. “The French set the standard for small portions with their haute cuisine,” says David Katz, MD, author of The Way to Eat (Source Books, 2002). “If we consider that part of eating is to induce pleasure, if you can get there with quality of choice, you get there in fewer calories.”
4. Mix up the flavors.
In ayurveda, including the six basic tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent — is the key to a satisfying meal that won’t leave you craving junk food later.
Not sure where to start? This will cover all the flavor bases: Try salmon with yogurt dill sauce along with some sautéed kale topped with mango chutney, a sweet potato sprinkled with sea salt and a little clarified butter, and finish with a cup of chai and a small piece of dark chocolate.
5. Go for color.
The Japanese have a saying: “Not dressing up the meal with color is like going out without clothes.” Not only does color make food more attractive, but consciously seeking out colorful foods is a great way to bulk up your meals without a lot of calories. A Cornell University study of 6,500 adults in rural China found that while the Chinese ate about 30 percent more than the average American male, they weighed about 25 percent less, largely because they ate a lot of plant-based foods. The Japanese aim for five colors at each meal: red, blue-green, yellow, white and black, including things like red peppers, squash, broccoli, onions, black beans or black olives. “We’re variety seekers, so instead of seeking a variety of, say, cookies, get the variety from these low-energy-dense foods,” Rolls says.
Enjoy Yourself
Drizzle on the healthy oils. Healthy fats like olive oil, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and canola oil, a staple of Okinawans, make vegetables tastier, so you’re likely to eat more of them. According to data from the Catalan Nutrition Survey done in Spain, people who ate the most olive oil also consumed more vegetables than those who consumed the least olive oil. And, as we know, eating a diet rich in produce is key to maintaining a healthy weight. In a study of more than 74,000 female nurses conducted over 12 years, Northwestern and Harvard University researchers discovered that those who added the most fruits and vegetables to their diets lowered their risk for major weight gain by 28 percent.
When you’re eating, just eat.
No other culture multitasks meals the way Americans do with our TV dinners, fast-food drive-throughs and grab-’n-go food that’s designed to fit into a car cup holder and be eaten with one hand. In Japan, it’s considered rude to eat while walking. And you’ll never catch the French gulping coffee in the car. “In France, there are no car cup holders because you don’t drink coffee while driving,” explains Will Clower, PhD, author of The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss (Three Rivers Press, 2003). “Eating and drinking aren’t errands. It’s not what you do on the way to something else.” Good advice. When you’re distracted by work, traffic or the TV, you’re apt to overeat without even realizing it, notes Dean Ornish, MD, author of Eat More, Weigh Less (Perennial Books, 2001). “If you really pay attention to what you’re eating, you enjoy it more fully and don’t need as much food.”
Enjoy regular meals.
One reason French women don’t get fat is because French women eat three meals a day. You may think skipping meals cuts calories, but all it does is evoke a primal “fear of hunger response” that causes overeating later, explains Dr. Katz. “Throughout most of our history, we had too little to eat. So when you go for long periods without eating, you stir up all that native programming, which says eat like crazy when you can, because all too often you can’t.” Start with breakfast. Studies show that breakfast-eaters are slimmer than skippers.
Stop eating before you’re full.
The Okinawans, whose average BMI is 21.5 for those who eat a traditional diet, call this hara hachi bu, or eating till you’re 80 percent full. Of course, we’re not suggesting that you leave the table hungry. But eating until the buttons pop stretches the stomach by about 20 percent each time you do it, so you inevitably need more food to feel satisfied, explains Bradley Willcox, MD, co-author of The Okinawa Diet Plan (Random House, 2004). He says that putting your fork down “when you feel that first twinge of fullness” gives your brain a chance to realize that you are full before you overdo it.
Chow down only when you’re hungry.
Americans eat for all sorts of reasons besides hunger, especially from boredom, loneliness, stress or fear, a foreign concept in other cultures. “You can’t make food the solution to every issue in your life and expect to be thin,” says Dr. Katz. “If you eat from boredom, find a hobby. If you eat to relieve stress, learn meditation or yoga.”
Dine with others.
Eating with family or friends vs. alone in your car, at your desk or on the couch is part and parcel of traditional cultures. Not only does camaraderie make the meal more enjoyable, it’s slimming. “Eating with others restrains your own behavior,” notes Dr. Katz. “You eat more slowly, which increases the likelihood that you’ll register when you’re full before you’ve eaten more than you should.”
Have a glass of wine.
A staple of French and Mediterranean tables, wine adds joie to the meal, and because it contains potent antioxidants, is at least partly responsible for why these cultures traditionally have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality despite their higher-fat diets. And while some studies show that we tend to eat more when we imbibe, a Finnish study actually found that male drinkers were leaner than abstainers.
Get moving.
People in Asian countries, France and the Mediterranean tend to be slim because they’re more active. Not that they spend hours at the gym; they simply walk a lot. It can work for Americans too. A study of 200,000 Americans at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, found that city dwellers were six pounds lighter than their suburban counterparts, largely because, instead of driving, they walked more. “You’re not working out,” says Dr. Clower. “You’re just moving.”
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