How do French women do it? It’s a question I’ve been asked before by Brits who look enviously at slender Parisiennes and wonder how they negotiate all that glorious French food, wine and patisserie and yet stay so slim.
Well, the truth is, we’re not all eating croissants and pains au chocolat every day. I’ll let you into a secret: most French women I know skip breakfast and settle for a coffee or glass of juice.
They’re not quaffing rosé, wolfing frites or eating filet mignon smothered in creamy sauces all day either. Except, that is, when they’re on holiday.
Just like you Brits, we tend to kick back and indulge on our annual two or even three-week vacances. And after a summer of poolside aperitifs, a la carte menus on hotel terraces and, yes, an extra glass or two of something tasty from Bordeaux, many Frenchwomen have put on several kilos, too.
For more than ten years, I’ve been working as a dietician and nutritionist in the heart of Paris, and it’s quite common for me to see patients in July and then not see them again until September, when the city comes back from its holidays.
I’ve written diet books, appear regularly on TF1 – the biggest TV channel in France – and work with businesswomen, actresses and models who come to me, not only for help on physical and emotional wellbeing, but for weight-loss advice as well.
In the UK, come September, you have the concept of ‘Back to school’, but in France, we call it ‘La Rentrée’ – which literally translated means ‘The Return’.
Vanessa Bedjai-Haddad has been a nutritionist in Paris for more than ten years
La Rentree is a big deal here, signifying the resumption of normal working life after those wonderful weeks of freedom, and it often comes with a diet, known as a Régime Rentree.
The Régime isn’t just about losing weight. It’s also about a mental reset – trying not to let the stresses of busy family life and work derail our health in general and eating habits in particular.
When people are getting back into the swing of office life, it can be very easy to comfort eat, snack more or order takeaways because they’re too tired to cook.
For me, the Régime Rentrée is about making a plan so you don’t find yourself at home, exhausted after work, with nothing in the fridge – and then resort to a big plate of pasta with cheese, bread and wine. It’s about not letting yourself be swayed off course by the cold, the rain and the mental load.
Here’s another secret about French women. Staying active is one of the major ways that we compensate for our foodie culture. We like to eat, it’s sociable and fun. But many women stay slim and in shape – and make it look like they don’t eat anything – by exercising.
Lots of my patients dread returning to Paris after les vacances because being active in the city means going to indoor gyms, and it’s just not as nice as playing tennis or swimming on holiday. For French women, staying active is an absolute must.
On my Régime Rentrée, I recommend that patients aim to exercise at least three times a week – a mix of cardio, strength training and some form of movement that they enjoy, such as yoga or swimming. The important thing is that you do it regularly. But beware – it’s not a failsafe approach. You still have to be careful with portion size!
I’m not in favour of very restrictive diets because they often seem like just another stressful chore. Instead, I encourage my patients to see the Régime Rentrée as a reset, where we try to get into healthy habits that not only help us lose the summer pounds, but are easy to maintain through Christmas and beyond.
That means a diet that is as unprocessed as possible. One of the ways that Parisian women stay slim is by avoiding processed junk food.
Research shows that Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) – those that contain lots of ingredients, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours – are associated with being overweight. In France, 28 per cent of our energy intake comes from UPFs, whereas that figure is 40 per cent in the UK. So, if you want to lose those extra kilos, cutting out UPFs is a step in the right direction.
But it’s as much about what you include as what you avoid. That means healthy, fresh ingredients, and vegetables with every meal. In fact, both lunch and dinner should be vegetable-heavy so you’re getting enough water, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Protein from fish, meat and eggs is important – but you don’t need sources like this at every meal because you can also get protein from quinoa and pulses.
Remember, a plant-based diet is easier to digest as it’s lower in saturated fatty acids and a study in the Journal of Nutrition found that replacing saturated and trans-fats with unsaturated fats, can help prevent age-related weight gain.
In fact, you could lose up to a stone in just 28 days by following my plan below. Of course, how much weight loss you achieve all depends on where you’re starting from. If you have more than 20 kilos to lose, you could drop as much as a stone in a month.
On carbs, I recommend three to four tablespoons per meal – but choose those that are a bit more interesting from a nutritional point of view, such as brown rice, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, and pulses rather than pasta. Swap butter and cream for oils rich in omega-3 – olive oil is perfect for everyday use, while walnut and rapeseed oils also provide valuable omega-3s – which are good for cardiovascular health, and more digestible, too. And season your food with herbs – they add flavour while providing antioxidants, vitamins and phytochemicals that support overall health.
I’m not against snacks or desserts completely, but they need to be chosen carefully. No one can eat crème brulée every day and not suffer the consequences. Opt for fruit and yogurt instead. You could add some compote or seeds, almonds or hazelnuts, which make a good snack. A handful of nuts and seeds is packed with good fats and could be paired with one or two squares of dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa minimum) for magnesium and antioxidants.
In between meals, you must drink water. As well as being good for all-round health, this fills you up and will stop you snacking.
Aim for 6-8 glasses of water daily. Coffee and tea do count, but it’s best to balance them with herbal teas and plain water. A good tip I give to my patients is to start meals with a glass of water and to drink mostly between meals rather than during, to avoid diluting digestive enzymes.
Should you have breakfast? I don’t think it’s obligatory, but if you’re hungry in the mornings, you should eat. A protein-based meal like an omelette will be more satisfying. If you don’t have a good option for lunch at work, you should have a heartier breakfast – wholemeal bread, avocado, salmon, eggs, yoghurt, ham. Just don’t reach for the sugary cereals or pastries.
If you are going to skip breakfast, make sure you have a healthy snack on hand – some almonds, fruit, a couple of squares of dark chocolate – so you’re not tempted by the biscuits or cakes in the office kitchen.
Yes it’s September, and the days are getting shorter and darker, but a Régime Rentrée can help you negotiate the gloom and emerge plus svelte than you were before! Here’s how…
Recipes for a typical Régime Rentrée day
Savoury quinoa bowl with mushrooms, spinach and eggs
For 2 people
- 8 mushrooms
- Olive oil
- 150g spinach
- 2 eggs
- 200g cooked quinoa
- Salt and pepper
Cut the mushrooms into strips, then cook in olive oil until they take on a nice colour. Wash, dry and chop the spinach, before adding it to the pan with a little more olive oil if necessary.
Put the hot quinoa in a bowl, top with the spinach and mushrooms and a fried egg. Season and serve immediately.
Chia pudding, almond milk and raspberry coulis
For 2 people
- 300ml almond milk
- 25g chia seeds
- 2 tbsps agave syrup
For the raspberry coulis:
- 250g raspberries
- Juice of 1 lemon
Mix the almond milk with the chia seeds and agave syrup. Pour into bowls and leave in the fridge overnight. Gently rinse the raspberries, then blend with the lemon juice to a smooth sauce. Serve the chia pudding with the raspberry coulis.
Sole fillets with olives
For 4 people
- 4 sole fillets of 100g each
- 200g pitted black olives
- Fresh basil leaves
For the tomato sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 20g shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 300g chopped tinned tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200C.
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and sweat the chopped shallots for a few minutes, without colouring.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, bouquet garni and chopped garlic.
Cook for 30 minutes over a medium heat, until the water has completely evaporated.
Place the sole fillets in a baking dish.
Cover with the tomato sauce and the olives.
Bake for about ten minutes, until the flesh of the fillets easily comes apart with a fork.
Sprinkle over the fresh basil leaves and serve.
Spelt casserole with a trio of peppers
For 4 people
- 300g of spelt
- Fresh basil leaves
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 white onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- Salt
- 1ltr chicken stock
- 100ml white wine
- 20g grated parmesan
- 10 pitted black olives
Soak the spelt for 10 minutes in a bowl of water. Meanwhile, wash, dry and chop the basil leaves, peel the peppers and onion, then cut them into long, thin strips. Peel and chop the garlic clove.
In a saucepan, heat the chicken stock until simmering and put to one side.
In a casserole, sweat the onion and peppers in half of the olive oil with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Stir regularly. Add the spelt and mix. Add the garlic and basil.
Stir and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with white wine and let it reduce by half. Add the stock a little at a time, waiting until the liquid has been absorbed before adding more.
When the spelt is cooked, remove the casserole from the heat and sprinkle over the grated parmesan. Stir slowly, adding the remaining olive oil, olives and chopped basil.
