Eating France Style

I feel like someone should have told me this a LONG TIME AGO.......

1. Eat, but not all day long – Three meals a day, and an after school snack is all you need.

Perrrf - I love after school snacks!

2. Eat real foods and generous portions – Don’t go overboard, but since you are constantly snacking, a meal can be a real MEAL.

I have been told I eat like a squirrel....now I can stop that and sit and eat like a LION. Again, love this!

3. Choose water – drinks are filled with hidden calories, still or sparkling water is the drink of choice for the French, with an occasional glass of wine.

Wine - mmmm? How about coffee, does that count as water? Didn't think so - bahhh!

4. Sit down – You eat at the table, eating is it’s own activity and is not shared with your other daily errands.

THIS IS THE HARDEST THING FOR ME....never eating while sitting, always on the run (literally!). Gonna work on this - QUICK!

5. Eat lighter at night – Improving sleep may be a great reason to make lunch your main meal and keep your dinner light.

Done and done...this is for SURE something that I agree with and have been doing it for years.

6. When the kitchen closes, it’s CLOSED – pretty self explanatory, no midnight snacks allowed.

Wait a second, even for dark chocolate over 80% !?!

7. Know your limit, then stop – pay attention to when your body is actually hungry or full.

Again, this is something that I STILL struggle with since some days I can eat TONES and other days....just a little bit of food will FILL ME UP! Ugh - I am pretty sure HOT temperatures don't help in the eating department.....frigging Dhaka....so hot~!

8. Taste your food, guess the ingredients – this one is fun; discussing your food increases your awareness of it and builds your overall knowledge. Kids will become invested in food facts.

THIS IS FABULOUS idea...because I don't even remember WHAT ingredients I use when I cook - can you believe it? Bah - HAHAHAH!

9. Get cooking! Food interest is greatly complemented by the hands on cooking experience, this will increase appreciation for food and cooking and helps build good lifestyle habits.

Done and done.....two out of TEN ain't bad, right?

10. Eating well is not a sin; it’s a pleasure – indulge, enjoy – food should be fun, not a guilt trip.

Errrr, okay! Fine. Gonna work on that one too!

Some good tips to keep in mind for those trying to instill healthy habits in our kids, and a good reminder to all of us on simple ways to improve eating attitudes.

Yeah - yeah...easy for YOU to say (person who wrote this is CLEARLY FRENCH!)

haha!