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Rumor has it that French people are skinnier and healthier than anyone in the world. But they eat so much meat and cheese – how can this be? I had a hunch that this was a myth, so I went to PCRM to get to the bottom of it. Here is what PCRM’s Dr. Susan Levin had to say:

“You hit the nail on the head with the word ‘myth,’ because they [the French] are in fact not doing much better [than the rest of us]. Like a lot of traditionally healthier countries, France’s diet has become very high in fat, especially animal fat, over the recent decades.”

So why do the French have a lower rate of heart disease than, say, Britain, even though the French consume as much fat as their British neighbors? The answer is twofold. First, the French classify heart disease differently than other countries, so they underestimate their rates of heart disease by as much as about 20%. The French also started increasing their consumption of animal products more recently than other countries; thus, the consequences are not yet reflected in their statistics. So, there you have it - increased animal fat consumption in any culture is bad news, no matter how you present the statistics!
 
As for the skinny stereotype, Dr. Levin says that the truth is, on average, most countries around the world are thinner than America, and France is no exception. Most likely it has to do with portion control, and the fact that in general, the average French person eats fewer calories per day than the average American. That said, many historically svelte nations have been packing on the pounds in recent years – so if the French continue that trend, they’ll catch up with their American counterparts soon.
 
In the end, if you compare a kind American to the average French person who eats a meat and dairy-saturated diet, I don’t think there’s a question as to who is healthier.
 
What do you think? Are French people headed toward the same health crisis that we’re seeing in Britain and America, or are they waking up to the value of a more plant-based lifestyle?

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This may be a generalization, but I'd say no because they LOVE cheese, bread, and wine.  I feel I'm entitled to say 'yes' and 'no' because I'm a French American who is slender and looks overall pretty good, but my full blood French grandparent is overweight.

Well it is a generalisation, because you are one person, in one family and you mentioned one grandparent. That is like me saying all Australian's are chilled out and surf, because I am an Australian who lives beachside. However, I don't surf and am somewhat high strung. OR All American's are obese... All Asian's are smart... 

Uh, I said it was a generalization at the beginning of my post.  Actual studies have shown that French people are healthier or so they say...

My point is, to say that one country's healthier than another is an entire overgeneralization.

You actually said "This MAY be a generalisation". I just confirmed it was.

Yes smiley-smile.gif

Hello, 

I live in France and I think there are a lot of myths and generalizations. People have mentioned in this discussion that not everybody has the same habits, of course some americans are healthier than some french and otherwise. 

I do think, however, that the culture of cooking is bigger here, not only because french people like cooking but also because going to restaurants is quite expensive in comparison to America. And the same thing goes for portions, in France it's a small but good portion.

I don't feel like comparing any culture by saying who's better than the other, what is important is what Annie S., said: french people are far from understanding veganism. 

On the other side, if you take away all animal products, I think I can safely say that the variety is still really good and having lots of farmers markets helps. We also have the fortune to be influenced by many cuisines like the italian which can easily satisfy a vegan palate.

I don't think that french people have different calssifications when it comes to heart disease, they have an excellent healthcare system and it's something to be really proud. But I guess the cancer rate has to be more important due to smoking and likewise habits.

I really do appreciate both cultures but it doesn't hurt to agree that both have things to change and things to cling on to.

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  • Jul 28, 2011
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Hi everybody, I’m french, living in Brazil and far away from being vegan!

I agree with a lot of people here: I don’t think that French are healthier in their way of life because of the smoke and the drink. But they definitely have a largest diversification of what they eat and, above all they love it! Of course if your diet consists in : cheese, bread, pâté and saucisson, you’ll live as longer as a burger addict in the USA... However, if you have the famous habit of walking (that Parisian have), the culture of taste more than swallow, and I think, no guilt of eating, you’ll be healthier anyway.

Regarding the vegan way of life and the difficulties to find food adapted, I have no clue indeed...

Yes, I don't think you can generalize populations.

And I agree with @Katie Kingry. Perhaps we can go back to looking at the root of the French and their cooking traditions/habits. While their diets may include animal fats, dairy, cheese, etc, they also offer a lot more room for healthy experimentation in their heritage. Whereas, America does not have a solid basis or consistant, naturally-healthy foods in our tradition. Rather, our diets were based off of mulitple infulences from different populations and cultures: From European and Colonial influences...Spanish, German, Dutch, which has turned into an array of spin-offs to Tex-Mex, to Cajun, Midwestern Cusine, etc. Certainly, when you combine all these influences, our diets will range in varience. As a result, cooking methods, food preparation have turned into a melting pot, causing attentions to be divided among foods, rather than focusing on (say) more plant-based diets, for example.

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