We’re Figuring Out What the French Have Always Known

Within the last decade, United States citizens have been turning their heads towards their diets to solve their weight problems by cutting out the processed and refined foods and replacing them with healthier alternatives. Even more recently, the keto diet has made waves by putting sugary foods on the chopping block and emphasizing a low-carb approach to eating.

What many keto dieters in the States don't know is that they’re late to the party: France has adopted the low-carb style of eating for years and is much healthier than many other developed countries in a number of areas.

What is the French diet?

Usually, French cuisine focuses on smaller portions of higher-quality food. Carbohydrate servings tend to be on the smaller side, and while not entirely in accordance with modern keto diets, it is still lower than the carb servings of other Western countries.

Sugary and processed foods are scarce within the eating habits of French people, allowing the French to eat real and fresh foods over the unhealthy junk food which is so abundant in the United States.

Breakfast is typically a smaller meal consisting of cereal or yogurt. Lunch and dinner are usually small portions of meat and vegetables with a starchy side, served over several courses. Some researchers believe that the habit of eating over several courses help keep portion sizes small and keeps the French people feeling more full, whereas their American counterparts eat larger amounts more quickly on a single dish.

Overall, the diet, while not wholly keto in the sense that many Americans follow, is still much lower in carbs than the Standard American Diet.

Low-carb and The French Paradox

The low-carb eating of the French has been sparking interest in researchers for many years. The high-cholesterol, high-fat, low-carb diet led many to believe that the French would be the least healthy. However, the opposite is true. This effect was outlined in a research project in 2004 dubbed “The French Paradox.”¹

The study shows that the French have one of the lowest rates of coronary heart disease among developed countries, despite eating a majority of foods that are usually dubbed unhealthy. The low rate of heart disease opened the floodgates for research into the low-carb diet and the health benefits of cutting out sugar and junk foods.

Another aspect of the eating habits of the French is the low obesity rate. Despite having access to the abundance of junk food that many countries have, the low-carb diet has allowed the French people to maintain their small waistlines.

The findings are still being unraveled (and further supported) today, but one thing is for certain: the low-carb lifestyle of the French drastically helped lower the rate of heart disease, obesity, and cholesterol, despite commonly-held beliefs to the contrary.

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD.

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.

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Gage S

Gage is a National Guard MP and Corrections Officer that loves to write in his free time. He writes about a variety of topics within the fitness and dieting world. If you want to hear a good story, talk to Gage!

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