RECORDED DURING THE RENAISSANCE in the 1500s, French Cuisine was born. Since those days, French people enjoy healthy, lengthy lives, and they eat the kind of meals that evolved people eat. XXI century scientists agreed that their sensible recipes and health-enhancing cooking practices are responsible for such overwhelming health benefits.
This article was written to discern if the French Mediterranean Diet is what French people buy in book format or if it is their lifestyle.
To consume nutrients that Mother Nature offers, French people buy locally grown and seasonal foods. It means that French people do not eat foods or meals that come wrapped up in plastic. With the exception of Northern France where cattle is raised, French people eat leaner meats such as fish and poultry. These are six examples of their meals:
1.- halibut provençal is a fish meal from southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and well-regarded for flavors created by garlic, shallots, fennel, olives, and ~not surprisingly~ Herbs de Provence.
2.- bouillabaisse is a fish soup from Marseilles. Its success is a combination of ingredients with never-absent Herbs de Provence.
3.- coq au vin is 'Rooster In Wine.' Originally from the region of Burgundy, but chicken may be used. It is cooked with Burgundy wine, but acceptable to cook it with a regional red wine.
4.- sole meunière is fish cooked in butter sauce with flour, lemon juice, and served with vegetables. This recipe is yet another healthful winner.
5.- tuna nicoise is a colorful, savory, and healthful entrée originated in the city of Nice on the Côte d'Azur. Their recipe calls for several vegetables which are gently steamed to preserve nutrients.
6.- roulades de poisson aux épinards is baked fish. It lends itself to an elegant presentation because the fish is rolled before baking. Spinach plays important role and makes the recipe even healthier.
• Some French Cooking Practices •
» Ingredients used are as fresh as possible, and they are minimally processed.
» Vegetables are not boiled in water but steamed to avoid destroying nutrients.
They use Beef Broth to steam vegetables instead of water.
• Some French Habits •
» They have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a small meal between lunch and dinner if desired.
» Meals are cooked shortly before meal-time, and eaten soon after cooking.
» They do not start eating until the person that cooked the meal ~or served it~ is sitting at the table.
» Lunch and Dinner consist of five or six bites. Often, Lunch and Dinner are both followed by cheese
and crunchy bread accompanied by a matching-to-the-cheese white wine.
» They quietly have a meal with mostly red wine, and rushing through a meal is inconceivable.
» Most every day, they eat raw nuts and/or fiber-rich snacks.
» They do not go to sleep at night with food in their stomach.
» They dedicate one day a month to eat only apples.
• French Lifestyle •
» They spread Extra Virgin Olive Oil on their crunchy bread [usually baguettes] and sprinkle
herbs which ~quite often~ they themselves grow.
» They use Light Olive Oil [the less costly] with foods to be lightly-fried. Butter, margarine,
or fat are never used for frying. The most commonly used oil is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
» They eat sauces and foods regarded as fattening ~such as their delicious croissants and
pastries~ but they do so in moderation.
» They may drink water during a meal, but 6 to 8 ounces of wine to enhance the taste of a
flavorful meal ~other than breakfast~ vastly remains part of the French lifestyle.
• What Not To Do •
» French people neither run nor exercise obsessively. They know that such activities wear
out joints and fill their bodies with Free Radicals known to accelerate the Aging Process.
» French people do not often eat red meat except northern regions.
» French people do not drink wine by itself on an empty stomach.
» French people do not often drink sodas, or do not drink them at all.
» French people neither eat fast food nor heavily processed meats like Salami & Pepperoni.
