Thread: Why the French are better than the Americans.

I do believe there's a lot to this.




Western Style

Food of Mass Destruction: How Food May Harm Your Health

Most of the foods on this list are loaded with calories, salts, artificial flavors, sweeteners, factory-created fats, colorings, chemicals that alter texture, and preservatives. Also, these foods don’t ensure the necessary daily intake of vitamins and minerals.
And while occasional hamburger or can of Cola won't ruin your health, frequent consumption of the following foods may result in numerous health problems. If you care about your health you way wish to cut down the following:

1 French Fries

• High in calories, sodium and fats. The average portion of french fries (170 g) contains 30 g of fat, up to 1200 mg of sodium and 550 Calories
• Contributes to obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease.
• Cooked in ultra-hot oil which is high in trans fats.
• Trans fats increase bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin levels and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol, promoting heart attacks and stroke.
• High amounts of trans fats are not safe for pregnant women. Recent studies have demonstrated that high consumption of trans fats is associated with fetal loss and the risk of preeclampsia.
• High consumption of potatoes and french fries is associated with increased risk of diabetes.
• French fries contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin, which is formed in foods during high temperature processes such as frying, baking, roasting and extrusion.

2 Burgers

• Hamburgers, cheeseburger, etc. are source of unnecessary calories and fat and have no nutritional value, they lack vitamins, minerals and fiber. Depending on cooking methods and ingredients, a regular hamburger with condiments, vegetables and without mayonnaise has about 280 Calories (about 14% of the needed daily value) and more than 13 grams of fat (about 20% of the needed daily value).
• Frequent consumption of hamburgers is associated with weight gain and obesity in the United States.
• Eating lots of hamburgers is associated with abdominal obesity in women.
• Burgers have a lot of saturated and trans fats.
• Trans fats raise total cholesterol levels, bad LDL cholesterol, and significantly increase the risk for heart disease.
• Most hamburgers contain the flavour enhancer, MSG (monosodium glutamate) which causes among other headaches and allergic reactions.
• MSG is a chemical used to fatten up laboratory animals and evidence suggests it will ultimately make you fat when consumed.
• Most burgers contain more that 1000 mg of sodium (45% of recommended daily value) and can promote water retention and high blood pressure.

3 Soft Drinks

• An average 325 ml can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 Calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, artificial food colors and sulphites. There are no nutritionally beneficial components in soft drinks.
• Besides contributing to numerous health problems, soda often replaces healthy beverage choices.
• The average American drinks about 57 gallons of soft drinks each year.
• Consumption of a large number of soft drinks leads to the increased acid levels throughout the body. Most soft drinks contain citric, phosphoric and malic or tartaric acids. These acids are what give the drink the refreshing "bite" or "sting" and at the same time preserving the "quality" and sweetness of the drink. All soft drinks are very acidic, but dark colas such as Coke and Pepsi are much more acidic.
• Prolonged increased acid levels will cause erosion of the gastric lining, which is very painful and disrupts proper digestion.
• Soft drinks harm teeth, they are responsible for doubling or tripling the incidence of tooth decay. Sugar and acid in soft drinks easily dissolve tooth enamel.
• Soft drink consumption is a significant risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome, a combination of the symptoms such as high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
• Sugar-sweetened soft drinks contribute to increased risk of diabetes.
• Soft drinks have negative effects on bone mineral density and contribute to osteoporosis. Adolescents who frequently consume soft drinks are at increased risk of bone fractures than those who do not.
• Consumption of sugary drinks is associated with weight gain and obesity. In fact, the relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.
• Consumption of too many soft drinks puts you under increased risk for liver cirrhosis similar to what chronic alcoholics have.

4 Doughnuts

• Doughnuts have no nutritional value. Most are loaded with trans fats or damaged fats due to deep frying.
• High consumption of trans fat is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease.
• The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of trans fats you eat to less than 1% of your total daily calories. This means that if you need 2,000 calories a day, no more than 20 of those calories should come from trans fats. And that’s less than 2 grams of trans fats a day. Given the amount of naturally occurring trans fats you probably eat every day, this leaves virtually no room for industrially manufactured trans fats.

5 Hot dogs

• High contents of calories, fats and nitrates
• Hot dogs meat may contain mutagenic heterocyclic amines, some of which are proven carcinogens. These compounds are formed during the cooking of meat.
• To increase shelf life and preserve flavor, processed foods tend to contain trans fats.
• Trans fatty acids cause between 30,000 and 100,000 premature deaths a year from coronary heart disease.
• Frequent consumption of processed meats like hot dogs and sausages is associated with an increased risk of diabetes.
• High salt content will promote water retention.

6 Bacon

• Fat
• Fat
• And more fat! It's not really a meat.
• Fried bacon can drastically increase the level of cholesterol.
• It's also high in salt and full of both nitrites and nitrates.
• Recent US study has linked eating cured meat like bacon and hot dogs with increased risk of lung disease.
• Frequent consumption of red meat, especially bacon and hot dogs, may increase the risk of developing diabetes.

7 Chips

• Corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips have literally no nutritional benefits.
• Fried potato products such as french fries and chips may contain substantial amounts of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide.
• According to some studies, in foods like french fries and potato chips, acrylamide is present in the amount of about 300 times more than the "safe" limits recommended by WHO (World Health Organization). However, acrylamide content does not appear in the dietary nutritional information that goes with the packaging.
• Chips contain large amount of added trans fat. Even "reduced fat" brands can still have trans fat.
• Trans fats tend to increase blood cholesterol levels and are linked to heart disease.

8 Cakes and cookies

• Many cakes and cookies combine all three "whites" together: white sugar, flour, and fat.
• These foods frequently contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, texturizing and processing agents, and other additives.
• Cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, and bread are the major food sources of trans fat for American adults

Le froggy style.

Reasons and Explanations Of French Paradox


The phenomenon, known as "French paradox", is the relatively low rate of heart disease and obesity in France as compared with other Western countries. Despite the generally high intake of saturated fat in the French diet, only 7 percent of French adults are obese.
Neuroscientist Will Clower, who lived in France for two years and wrote The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss, has observed that when Americans go over there to live, they lose weight, and when the French come to the US to live, they gain weight.
French drink lots of wine, eat baguettes, croissants, butter, cream, fatty liver pate, pastry and cheese - a sure recipe for weight gain, isn't it? So why their rates of obesity and heart disease are much lower than the USA?
But although French don't deprive themselves and their life looks like an all-you-can-eat buffet, it is not all easy and effortless. I tried to find out what peculiar properties of French lifestyle lead to a lower rate of obesity, heart disease and even a longer life.
1 Red wine

Red wine is probably the most known French paradox contributor. Some scientists believe the French habit of moderate red wine drinking with a meal is the key to French paradox[4-7]. Antioxidants called flavonoids, natural chemical compounds found in red wine, may promote health benefits to the heart and blood vessels. Red grapes are one of the richest sources of flavonoids, which may make red wine more heart-healthy than white wine, beer, or other spirits. However, research indicates that red grape juice is markedly less potent than wine in conferring health benefits. It is suggested that something in the winemaking process changes the polyphenols' properties.


2 Slow eating
Joy is a wonderful anti-aging remedy, isn't it? French enjoy and savor their food. They tend to taste foods individually rather than piling a number of foods on the fork at once. When you slow down with smaller bites, you taste food more and are satisfied with less. It takes the brain about 15-20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness.
Americans have a different relationship with food that often excludes joy and pleasure and makes them eat more. It is quite common to observe how people gulp down hamburgers and fries while typing on their laptops, talking on their cell phones, reading the newspaper or watching TV. Unlike a majority of Americans, French are eating until they are sufficed, not stuffed.
From observations at McDonald's the French and American researchers[8] found that the average American customer spent 35% less time at the table. The French spent an average of 22.2 minutes eating and sitting at McDonald's, while Americans stayed only 14.4 minutes.
Read more anout health benefits of slow eating.
3 Small portion size

Partly, the French paradox can be explained by the fact that French portion sizes are notably smaller than American portions. If you like what you eat, it doesn't mean you have to eat a lot of it. Although the French diet is rich in butter, cream, pastry and cheese, the research demonstrates they consume fewer calories, resulting in decreased number of overweight and obese people.
For example, the standard size individual portion of yogurt in France is 125 grams; the standard size in America - 225 grams. A joint French-American team[8] of scientists from France’s CNRS (national scientific research institute) and the University of Pennsylvania set out to test their hypothesis that the French eat less and a smaller portions, compared with Americans. Researchers weighed portions at 11 similar restaurants in Paris and Philadelphia and found that:

• The average portion size in Paris was 25 percent smaller than in Philadelphia (277 grams versus 346 grams).
• Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia served dishes that were 72 percent larger than in Parisian Chinese food restaurants.
• A candy bar in Philadelphia was 41 percent larger than the same candy bar in Paris.
• A soft drink was 53 percent larger and a hot dog was 63 percent larger in Philadelphia than in France.

4 High intake of fruits and vegetables

The important constituent of the French paradox seems to be the diet rich in fruits and fresh vegetables carrying fibres and vitamins[9]. Epidemiologic studies show that high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease mortality.
5 Processed foods
Many processed foods are full of trans fats, saturated fats, sodium, sugar, and preservatives. The French eat much less processed food than Americans do. Perhaps French people are pickier than the Americans about their food. French like their food to be fresh, tasty and carefully prepared. Frozen sections in American grocery stores are much bigger than in France. The market for prepared food is not as large in France and TV dinners do not reside in French diet also.

6 Shopping traditions: quality over quantity

Surely, most French people do not go to the markets every day and lots of people actually buy their foodstuff in supermarkets. However, open-air markets are very popular in France, and it is customary for people to buy their produce there. It is common for French to buy cheese from the fromagerie, bread from the bakery, meat from the boucherie, and fruits and vegetables from the open-air market. It is more time-consuming and sometimes more expensive than at the grocery store, but the products are fresher and of better quality.
In the US open-air markets, butchers and bakeries are not common, and most Americans simply have no alternative to a grocery store.
7 Home-made food

French eating culture is fundamentally different than the American one. Most people have 3 meals a day, families eat together when they can, and food is important culturally. Regardless of their social background, the French cook more than the Americans. Home cooking provides a better control of food, and reduces preservatives, trans fat, sugar and salt consumption.
8 Self-discipline
The French are more weight aware and have a culture of caution after a period of excess. Eating more one day makes them be more careful the next. Thay would rather trade off with a few lighter meals, than dieting.
9 "No snacking" habit
The French tend to snack much less than Americans, instead, they try to eat more regularily. If they do snack, the French often choose fresh fruits between meals.
10 Beverages: water vs sodas

Beverage preferences also come into play. French drink a lot of bottled water instead of sodas. More and more different kind of waters are launched every year on French market.
According to the statistics[2], French consume on average 52 litres of soft drinks per person annually compared with 216 litres per person in the United States. On the other hand the intake of bottled water is very high in France (147 litres per person) and low in the US (46.8 litres per person)[3].
11 Walking - “naturally active”life
The French aren’t prone to rushing to the gym, however they are more physically active by simply walking a lot. Daily walking is part of French people lifestyle. Their streets are much more walker friendly than in the US and are full of pedestrians, because many people use cars only for longer travels. Driving to a nearby food store would be considered ridiculous. People, especially in cities, walk or use public transportation because a car would just get you stuck in traffic. They have to climb the long flights of metro stairs.
So the French paradox is more than just the protective nature of the red wine or lower intake of calories. Most probably it’s a culture of being physically active, savouring reasonable portions of healthy foods with the addition of small amounts of high-fat foods for flavour, and a philosophy of balance and moderation. And I'lI try to follow this philosophy to stay slender and healthy for as long as I can.

Food, Diet And Nutrition: Facts, Articles, Tools, Lists

Frogs legs and garlic are not fattening, and cycling to the local beret shop is good excercise, as is talking very rapidly in a silly accent.

You are all wrong.

Mélissa Theuriau is the reason that the French are better:

Bastard Moonraker. Just burnt my tongue when i left it hanging out in a mug of hot tea.

Originally Posted by helge

What is so special about her ?

I can only assume that you are gay.

Originally Posted by Moonraker

I can only assume that you are gay.

Not even a bit Bi-, but honestly she is no more than a 7/10 to me.

Difference in taste, I guess

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Originally Posted by helge

What is so special about her ?

I can only assume that you are gay.

or taking the piss.

Originally Posted by Dug

or taking the piss.

Not at all, but if you look at the following picture, where she apparently are blowing into some music instrument, she is so skinny, it sickens me :


Look how normal peoples' cheeks react when under some pneumatic pressure:

Them cheeks are 10'ers, wouldn't you agree ?

I've got an instrument she can blow.

The long post is spot on, I lived in Paris for 10 yrs.
Thai food, though different, will also keep you trim as will an energetic LBFM.

Originally Posted by helge

Originally Posted by Dug

or taking the piss.

Not at all, but if you look at the following picture, where she apparently are blowing into some music instrument, she is so skinny, it sickens me :


Look how normal peoples' cheeks react when under some pneumatic pressure:

Them cheeks are 10'ers, wouldn't you agree ?

She doesn't appear to be "blowing" the instrument in a Louis Armstrong / Dizzie Gillespie bebop, jazzy kind of way.
More sucking at it, indicating a classical training learned the pink flute / rusty trombone. Culture.

Originally Posted by English Noodles

Up-the-stick with her tits out, no thanks.

What a strange aversion.

Going back to the OP though it does amaze me that so many people don't seem to give a shit what they pollute their body with in terms of what they eat, not a dig at Americans as although they are the leaders in this field, my countryfolk are probably second. The reason for my amazement and i can only talk about the UK here is that it is so much cheaper to buy fresh veg, meat, fish, fruit etc. and cook your own food at home than it is to buy fast food shite (macdonalds, kfc, pizzas, kebabs etc.), or TV dinners from supermarkets, so basically a win-win situation, you save money (loads of it over a period of time) and are eating healthier, so why don't people do it then?? Cause they are fokin lazy, no other reason.

^^I don't find pregnant birds attractive, especially ones with such ugly knees and horrid marks on their bodies.

Originally Posted by English Noodles

^^I don't find pregnant birds attractive, especially ones with such ugly knees and horrid marks on their bodies.

Fair enough.

The pics were deleted- no boobs in the lounge (breasts, I mean- the lounge is full of boobs, of course...)?

Originally Posted by kmart

She doesn't appear to be "blowing" the instrument in a Louis Armstrong / Dizzie Gillespie bebop, jazzy kind of way. More sucking at it, indicating a classical training learned the pink flute / rusty trombone. Culture.

Thanks for the heads up there, mate
You learn all your life, they say

Originally Posted by FailSafe

The pics were deleted- no boobs in the lounge (breasts, I mean- the lounge is full of boobs, of course...)?

Wow. A post deleted !

One of the gangsta' posters now, am I ?
Finally

There is a saying in France. "Africa begins at the Pyrenees Mountains".

I say "Africa begins at the English Channel" Mixed race doesn't even begin to describe the French.

Mutts. arf arf. Royale with Cheese anyone?

Quick joke.

Why do the French only eat 1 egg for breakfast?
Because 1 egg is "un oeuf".






I'll get my coat...................

^ Hehe
Evil

^^ pisses over my 1 egg joke.
Bastard. Stealing my thunder like that.

Yours were good too.


'Doen noef'' if you know a good one with two eggs ?

Super- we lose the titty pics, but gain some outstanding (cough, cough) humor- great trade.