A French Lunch — A Nutrition Lesson for the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand
For a complex mix of anthropological, historical, and geopolitical reasons, English-speaking countries and their former colonies have not fared as well as France—or many of its past and present cultural spheres—when it comes to population health.
Obesity rates (%):
USA – 42.64
New Zealand – 32.99
Mexico – 32.22
Australia – 32.05
Ireland – 30.70
Canada – 28.16
UK – 26.94
France – 10.18
Among high-income nations, only Japan has a lower rate (7.63).
Why is France the leanest country in Europe, with over 60 high-income nations recording higher obesity rates?
The answer lies, at least in part, in a deeply embedded culture of food. In France, food is not incidental—it is central. There is care in preparation, respect for ingredients, attention to presentation, moderation in portion size, and, importantly, the social ritual of eating together.
Our lunch today offered a simple illustration.
Three adolescents were spending their school holidays at their grandparents’ home; two of us joined them. The meal unfolded in the traditional French rhythm—unhurried, structured, and varied.
- Oysters, freshly harvested from the nearby bay
- Two salads: grated carrot and beetroot, both delicate and vibrant
- Chicken in a mild curry with a light cream sauce
- A mash of broccoli and potato
- Several varieties of cheese
- Dessert: fresh strawberries with Chantilly cream
There was no frying, minimal use of oil, and an abundance of fresh vegetables. Wine, often part of dinner, was absent at this midday meal—another example of moderation.
Before this trip, I placed a continuous glucose monitoring sensor on my skin. It tracks post-meal glucose excursions alongside activity and stress—both relevant, as stress hormones can elevate blood sugar.
After this meal, my glucose peaked at 120 mg/dL, entirely within the normal range.
This is revealing.
It is not merely what is eaten, but how it is prepared, structured, and consumed. The French model—fresh ingredients, minimal processing, balanced courses, slower eating, and social context—appears to mitigate excessive glycemic spikes and, over time, the trajectory toward overweight and metabolic disease.
PS: I do not have Diabetes.
By contrast, the industrialization of food—so characteristic of the United States and widely exported to countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand and the petroleum rich countries of the gulf—has been a central driver of the global obesity epidemic. Interesting to observe, in the context of politics, Iranians are leaner than the Arabs of the region.
When I am in Miami, I get very little chance to walk whereas in France, I walk with glee to do my errands, to my cafe, to the supermarche!
France offers not perfection, but a compelling alternative: a way of eating that is cultural, deliberate, and, above all, human.
Vive la France.
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