Kimberly Garrison | Here's the real 'French paradox': Less is more

IT PROBABLY shouldn't surprise me that the so-called "French paradox" just won't go away. People want to believe that eating cheese, red wine and dark chocolate keeps heart disease and obesity rates lower in France, despite its rich cuisine.

I was reminded of this over the weekend when I spoke at an American Heart Association function, where an audience member enthusiastically confided that she took a daily dose of wine and chocolate to keep her ticker in good health.

The "French paradox" got started back in 1991 with a segment on "60 Minutes" about research on red wine's connection to France's healthier populace. There've been plenty of challenges to that research since then, but somehow the myth prevails.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think the French paradox is a bunch of baloney. I have been to France, and the reason the French have a lower rate of heart disease than Americans do is simple: They eat less.

I was surprised when at a typical French restaurant, my salad was dressed with Dijon mustard.

What? No French dressing?

The waiter gave me a puzzled look, then advised me that "French dressing" was strictly an American invention.

At breakfast, the tiny serving of yogurt I received was appalling - about half the size of our standard yogurt. And I had never seen croissants that small in my life. In fact, all the serving sizes were tiny by American standards.

Another thing I noticed was that the French don't eat constantly, as we Americans do. I didn't see French women walking along the Champs-Elysées stuffing soft pretzels into their mouths and slurping water ice.

I did, however, see women walking their dogs - boy, do they have lots of dogs! There weren't many children in the restaurants, but there was always a pooch reclining under the table.

The French took great pleasure in dining and took their time at meals. They never seemed to rush the way we Americans do. There also seemed to be more people walking on the streets, and there were lots of bicycles, too. Perhaps we could begin a "French revolution" in cycling and walking here.

So I'm not buying it.

There is no magic keeping the French slim. They simply don't overindulge the way we do. In fact, I'd estimate they eat 40 to 50 percent fewer calories than we do. Period.

It is clear to me that the French paradox is an excellent marketing device to sell more French wine and cheese, and the French mystique.

After all, we Americans are always looking for some magic solution when the answer is as simple as a piece of pie. A small piece.

National Public Radio reported in January that the rate of obesity in France has doubled in recent years, to 12 percent. Of course, this is nowhere near the rate here, where 65 percent of the population is either overweight or obese.

The reason the French have less heart disease is likely due to their lower rates of obesity, and that's because they consume far fewer calories than we do.

So don't believe the hype that drinking lots of red wine and indulging in rich foods is good for your health - or the health of the French.

If you are trying to increase your anti-oxidants, try eating grapes. And remember the lesson I learned from the French: Less is more. *

Kimberly Garrison is a certified personal trainer and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia (www.1on1ultimatefitness.com).

E-mail her at

kimberly@1on1ultimatefitness.com. Her column appears each Thursday in Yo! Chat with her on her Daily News weblog, the Girlfriends' Locker Room, at www.girlfriendslockerroom.com. Her new podcast, "Philly Fitness and Health," is available for download every Thursday at www.philly.com.