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The Fat Fallacy

Dr. Will Clower
Pub. Date: April 2003
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

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The French Paradox has made the headlines for several years. How can the French live on buttery croissants, cheeses, heavy creams, wine, and still be thin and and with less instances of heart disease than Americans?

At first, the explanation was the wine. A few years ago, Americans rushed to buy red wine, under the impression it would make us as healthy as the French. Newer research has shown that it's not as simple as a glass of red wine with dinner.

The French approach their meals differently than us. Sure, they eat plenty of fat and carb rich meals, but they eat smaller portions than we do. They also carry a different attitude to their dinner tables. Meals are to be savored, enjoyed, and appreciated. While we are reaching for handfuls of sugar free chocolate flavored candies and dreading stepping on the scales, the French are slowly and carefully enjoying pieces of real chocolate, while retaining movie-star bodies. Why can they do it, and we can't? Several books have been written on the subject, and we've read the most notable yet - The Fat Fallacy by Dr. Will Clower.

Dr. Will Clower is a neurophysiologist and neuroscience historian at the University of Pittsburgh. He obtained his Ph.D. in neuroscience and spent two years working at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in Lyon, France. He took his wife, two children, and his mother with him. With the exception of his young daughter, they all lost weight - without even trying. How could this be? They had eaten as the French do, enjoying pastries, butter, creams, and all of the foods Americans avoid out of fear of gaining weight. Upon their return to America, Clower began his research to determine just how the French lifestyle leads to thinness.

France has a mere 11% obesity rate - the lowest in the European countries. Despite our national obsession with dieting, Americans are just getting fatter. We count every carb, every calorie, search out low fat or nonfat foods that are highly processed and chemical laden, in hopes that these foods will help us lose weight. The French don't do any of this. They eat real food, not highly processed foods. They don't make low fat versions of every food, and they do enjoy their carbs.

Clower tells us that the French eat smaller portions than we do, and they take their time to enjoy every bite. By eating slowly, and consuming moderate amounts of fat, their bodies have a chance to become full and satisfied on smaller portions. "Enjoyment and satisfaction have more to do with the amount of time you spend on the meal than the raw poundage of food you eat."

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