Ok, so the recipe I just wrote has butter and whipping cream in it which of course have fat. But the French people who eat these kinds of recipes on a regular basis are quite thin. How is that? Well, I'll tell you. They enjoy their food, eating slowly while savoring every bite. They do not need huge quantities of food to be satisfied. The key is portion control. We can enjoy foods that have some fat in them and not fret the weight gain by limiting the amount we ingest.
1. Eat off a plate. (See how much you are eating! Grazing adds up!)
2. Use a lunch size plate instead of an enormous plate that you feel you must fill.
3. Fill half plate with vegetable, quarter with grain/starch and quarter with meat.
4. Read food labels to see how the company measures a serving size and then see how many calories are in the serving size and fat, etc.
5. Drink water or a glass of fat-free milk with meal. Have fruit for dessert! (This is very French. I often had fruit for dessert in Paris. Or small portions of sweet desserts.)
6. Some everyday comparisons to help you figure out your serving sizes:
-A teaspoon of margarine is the size of one dice.
-Three ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards.
-One cup of pasta is the size of a baseball (not a softball!).
-An ounce of cheese is one string cheese stick.
-One-half cup of fresh fruit is also the size of a baseball.
7. In restaurants, split a meal with someone or get a take-out box and bring part home for another meal. Share a dessert with all at the table.
8. Eat slowly. Put your fork down!!!
9. Enjoy your food!
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Heidi, when were you in Paris? you lucky duck. tell us about that, if you would.
ReplyDeleteThe 1st time I visited Paris was while I was a nanny for a French family for a summer. Then I served a mission in the Paris France Mission for 18 months. I lived in Paris, a few suburbs of Paris and then in Normandy.
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