How to eat lowfat in France?
#93393 - 07/27/04 04:53 AM
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Zaftig1
Reged: 03/12/03
Posts: 92
Loc: USA
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My husband is talking about travelling to France next summer, I have not travelled long distance since I began eating for IBS a few years ago.
I know that French food tends to be very high fat. Is there a way to eat safely while there? Any suggestions? The LAST thing I need to happen is to get an IBS attack from their food while high in the Pyrenees or the Alps (we plan to go as fans to watch next summer's Your De France.)
-------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind".
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I live in Belgium, about 30 minutes from the French border, and you would be surprised at how low fat foods have taken over in Europe (except maybe Germany). France especially has a lot of fresh, lowfat foods, even in the restaurants. You just need to be extra careful and bring a good french-english dictionary.
-------------------- *Karyn* IBS D
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Thanks so much! I assumed lowfat was just in the US!
-------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind".
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Hi. I am French, and I can tell you that it is very easy to eat low-fat in France. It is true that the cuisine has gotten a rep of being high in fat (and we do use a lot of olive oil, for example, a good fat). The reason French people are generally not fat is because we emphasize quality, not quantity. We are satisfied with less because it tastes better. As someone else commented, many of America's culture has traveled to Europe (unfortunately). There are many low-fat items in all grocery stores. When going out to eat, use common sense: anything fried is a no no, u must choose steamed (but this, I am sure you already know--do bring an eng/french dict. as suggested). When you go to a boulangerie (bakery) make sure to get the fresh baked baguette, and not the croissant (although it would be a shame not to indulge in this food while you are there, at least once in a while). Do not worry about not getting enough exercise, as you will walk so much, you'll probably lose weight! Of course, frequent the outdoor markets where you can buy fresh fruits and veggies. Enjoy...it's my favorite place in the world. I hope you have a nice time.
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Oh my, best bread in the world! And it got me off to a safe start. I also ate at Japanese and Thai restaurants a lot. Pizza was available in many cafes, and it was easy to get a veggie version with no cheese, and they were quite delicious plus very low fat. See if you can stay somewhere near a little outdoor market, so you can do mini-shopping each day for safe foods to eat. That's what worked really well for me in Paris.
- H
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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