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What’s up with the French Paradox?  They eat rich and fatty foods, drink loads of wine and have a lower incidence of heart disease than we do in the United States.  What’s their secret?

Ellyn Satter, author of Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, says that one of the things that sets the French apart from us is that they have a better attitude about food.  They associate food with pleasure, family and friends, and take the time to enjoy it.  Rare are the French who eat on the run, wrappers littering the car.  Instead, they eat long and leisurely meals, which allow their bodies to feel when they are full.  They set aside time for their meals and eat a variety of foods.

I can’t remember where I read this, but when Americans were asked the first word that comes to mind when they hear the word “Chocolate”, the majority of people said:  “Guilt”.  How sad - instead of saying “yum, delicious, decadent, celebration or special”, Americans have been trained to feel guilty about eating pleasurable foods.  Instead, most of us tend to think of food as a source of nutrition, rather than a source of tradition, culture and pleasure.

Satter has developed an eating competence model and says that it is based on Trust.  “Trust in our love of food and good eating; trust in following our inclinations to eat the food we like in amounts that are satisfying; trust that taking time to enjoy eating is time well-spent; trust that taking pleasure in eating supports being healthy; trust that behaving in such a self-respecting way is legitimate.”

She says that today’s conventional food management advice is based on control:  counting calories, evaluating quantities and watching our weight.  It isn’t based on whether we find foods appealing or not or how we feel after each meal.  As any of us with children know, control doesn’t usually work!  It is too regimented and doesn’t rely on us feeling what is right for our own bodies.

Ellyn comments on what she considers to be “Normal Eating”:

• Going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied
• Being able to choose food you like and not stopping because you think you “should”
• Leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow
• Trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating (too much or too little)
• Takes up some of your time and attention but keeps its place as only one important area of your life.
• Normal eating is flexible and varies in response to your hunger, schedule, proximity to food and to your feelings.