Unfortunately for their self-image, the French, like the citizens of virtually every other country, are fighting the battle of the bulge. They can no longer be considered immune to the rising tide of obesity that has been occurring in the U.S. of late, according to an article in the International New York Times.
For years the French have been held up to Americans as lean, healthy people who drink wine, smoke cigarettes, and eat cheese and paté with impunity. There's even been a recent diet book, French Women Don't Get Fat, purporting to explain why this is true. The statistics, however, tell another story.
Obesity in French adults is rising at a rate of about 6% per year, and 42% are currently considered overweight or obese, compared to over 65% of adult Americans. Of more concern is the fact that among French children the corresponding rate of increase in obesity is 17%. If current trends continue, obesity will be as prevalent in France as it is in the U.S. by 2020 (more than a third of American adults are considered obese).
Some of the same trends often cited as contributory to Americans' adiposity are also affecting the French, such as eating while watching TV, less home cooking, and fewer meals en famille. We shall have to see if Gallic ingenuity can stem the tide of increasing fatness, or if the French will have to acknowledge that they are no different from anyone else.
Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., is Director of Nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH.org, HealthFactsAndFears.com).
