The Parisian diet

The Parisian Diet, aka the French diet, is the latest diet to gain attention and momentum in the dietary world. Dr Jean-Michel Cohen, the man behind Parisian trend, says it’s based on three pillars – enjoyment, education and sustainability.

On the diet, you get to enjoy potatoes, bread and wine. However, the first tip is quality, not quantity… and smaller portions, with less snacking means fewer calories.

Parisian Diet recommendations;

1. Take time (20 mins to 2 hours) to eat your meals
2. Enjoy your food… savour each mouthful!
3. Reduce your portion sizes and don’t order too many ‘extras’ such as a side of soft drink, chips and bread.
4. Only eat three to five times/day
5. Don’t watch TV during meals
6. Stay physically active (at least 30 mins per day)
7. Eat fresh, local food
8. If you’re thirsty, drink water (not juice or soft drink)
9. Don’t over indulge too often, and eat more home-cooked meals

Parisian Foods include;

Natural yoghurt, eggs, low-fat cheese, cod, salmon, halibut, scallops, chicken, veal, beef, lamb, lean ham, Portobello mushrooms, artichokes, beets, parsnips, fennel, broccoli, cabbage, whole wheat bread, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, herbs and spices, chocolate, tea, coffee, wine, diet soft drink.

The Cons

It is not all that suitable for those with limited time, those who are diary intolerant, or athletes/pregnant women who require more calories than what the diet offers.Also, diet soft drinks are recommended, which is a HUGE no-no in my opinion (they increase appetite, mess with our bowel flora, and increase the risk of type-2 diabetes). Above all of this… it’s another ‘diet’ which I fear many people will only do transiently, giving them short term weight loss rather than long term health.

The Pros

I love the fact that mindful eating is encouraged, and it’s all about QUALITY not quantity. The French eat 3 meals a day with 20 mins allotted to each. I also think any ‘diet’ that recommends fresh, REAL, local and unprocessed foods has got to a good start.I can see the merit in this approach, and think that in Australia, we snack WAY too much. In France, people only eat THREE to FIVE times a day; in Australia however, we eat SEVEN to FOURTEEN times a day! Yikes!Being on a ‘diet’ generally signifies ‘restriction’ for people. Rather than putting yourself on a diet, simply adopt a few Parisian habits… Crowd out the unhealthy stuff with the healthy stuff, snack less, slow down, exercise often, and reduce your portion sizes.