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The French diet
The French don't take eating lightly. To them, meals are considered a celebration and a time to socialize with friends or family. The diet mainly consists of three meals in a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A typical French diet includes staples like bread, butter, meat, cheese, shallots, truffle, turnip, celeriac, and red wine.
As mentioned earlier, the french diet consists of breakfast (le petit déjeuner), lunch (le déjeuner), and dinner (le dîner). People in France spend the most time in the world eating meals. They take an average of about two and a half hours to eat. Meal-time is a social activity in France; most people eat at gatherings with friends and family.
Snacking is not huge in the French diet. The only form of snacking might involve an aperitif (alcoholic drink) or an afternoon tea. Studies show that only about 15% of the French population snack throughout the day. France has the longest life expectancy and a low rate of obesity compared to other western countries, despite the fact that their culture revolves around food.
The foods that make up the French diet may vary among different regions of the country. The only foods common in every region are meats, cheese, vegetables, fish, and fresh fruits. French people consider socializing during a meal as important as the meal.
French people value fresh food a lot. That makes it a must to prepare meals with a lot of care and fresh ingredients. Different regions may use different ingredients for special meals. A basic traditional French meal must have wine, bread, and cheese. Breakfast is the least important of the three meals.
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal of the day at around 8:00 am. It is the least important meal of the day for the French people. Many people in France normally skip breakfast.
Typical food for breakfast in France is croissants taken with butter and jam.
Lunch
Unlike other countries in the west like the US, lunch is the most important meal of the day for the French. Businesses close down for hours during the day to accommodate lunchtime.
Lunch in France happens at around 1:00 pm. The traditional French gastronomic meal follows a specific order of courses. It starts with aperitif, followed by a starter, then the main course, then cheese, dessert, and digestive. During special celebrations like Christmas, the French may include celebratory foods like oysters, foie gras (goose liver), and caviar.
QUESTION
According to the USDA, there is no difference between a “portion” and a “serving.”
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Dinner
The French take more time eating the last meal of the day since it's the largest and most formal of the three meals. Dinner is eaten around 8:00 pm and might go on for up to two hours. That's because it also involves socializing with family and friends while slow-eating.
The French dinner is made up of three courses:
- Aperitif. This involves an alcoholic drink taken before the main meal.
- Hors d'oeuvres. This course includes vegetables, soup, or eggs.
- The Principal plate. This is the main course of the meal containing foods like meat, crepe, and pasta.
The French will usually serve some dessert or cheese after eating the main course. Their dessert may consist of chocolate mousse, tarts, and profiteroles. The typical French diet is made of many sweet foods.
The traditional French dinner has quite tasty foods like:
- Soup a' l'oignon
- Beef bourguignon
- Nicoise salad
- Ratatouille
- Basque-style chicken
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Differences between French and American eating
Some of the most obvious differences between how people eat in the US and France include:
- People in the US have a snacking culture, while the French do not promote snacking.
- Americans love fast foods and eat as fast as possible. The French eat slow and get into conversations with friends or family.
- People take huge food portion sizes in the US, unlike France, where they prefer to eat smaller portions.
- French people pay more attention to the taste of food than people in the US.