The French Secret

Uh oh, let the backlash begin!

n the recent verbal salvos between the United States and France, perhaps it was inevitable that we would only find detente on the battlefields of the Diet Wars. I refer, of course, to the nationally bestselling book, “French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure,'’ penned by Mireille Guiliano.

How remarkable that less than two years after there was a bitter campaign to rename french fries “freedom fries,'’ we’re now clamoring for French-style freedom from flab. And the battle plan was so simple. All Guiliano had to do was hit us in the belly by focusing on eating for quality rather than quantity. Just start with her “Magical Leek Soup'’ for three days, she writes, and then you can usher in a wonderful new lifestyle that includes delicious bits of butter, cream, chocolate and wine.

The book’s smug tone force-feeds the notion that French women are far more sexy than Americans, informing us that among our differences are: “French women love fashion'’ and “French women love to laugh.'’ Oh, give me a très grand break. The only time I’ve heard of French women really guffawing is when they’re watching Jerry Lewis or listening to Americans trying to speak French.

Yes, there is something a little smug about those who are touting the French diet, and their belief in the superiority of the French manner of eating. But, then it works, doesn’t it? Even this reviewer, writing in the San Jose Mercury, has to admit that there is truth here.

Nevertheless, even Yank nutritionists and counselors heartily approve of Guiliano’s central message. “The good part of what she says is emphasizing the sensuality of food and liberating eating from `morality,’ ‘’ said Deb Burgard, a psychologist in Los Altos who specializes in weight and eating disorders. “She makes it clear that we deserve a lot more pleasure from what we eat and a lot higher quality.'’

Once again, the French diet is about moderation and pleasure. You eat well, but you don’t eat huge. You savor moderate quantities of excellent food.