August
2007
Food
Affair — The French Approach to Healthy Eating and Enjoyment
By
Kindy R. Peaslee, RD
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 9 No. 8 P. 44
The women may or may not get fat, but one
thing seems clear: the French have a love-love relationship
with food. Attendees of a recent educational forum got a taste
of the country’s culinary culture, especially in its schools—a
taste that may shed light on how to improve the health of American
children.
Spring had definitely sprung in France. Wide-open
French-style windows let in the springtime sun, balmy breezes,
the sounds of chirping birds, and the fragrant smell of lilac.
Espresso coffee and delicious French pastries were served on
a chateau terrace at umbrella café tables overlooking
rose gardens and gurgling stone fountains. Shouldn’t all
continuing education experiences be held in this kind of setting?
A group of 16 chefs, educators, dietitians,
and nutritionists recently came together in France’s Loire
Valley for the 2007 International Exchange Forum on Children,
Obesity, Food Choice, and the Environment. The forum aimed to
examine the ways in which the French feed their children, explore
what school food should consist of, and learn how we can create
an environment in our own communities that supports children’s
health and their ability to learn.
We all wondered whether the French approach
to school food makes a difference in keeping obesity and related
health issues in check among school-aged children. As healthy
eating advocates, our exploration was not about copying the
French; rather, it was about examining the differences in our
country’s approaches and discovering how we may learn
from each other.
French Paradox
in the School Cafeteria?
Joie de vivre is a French expression for the “joy of living,”
translated as a state of healthy balance of mind and body, along
with the pleasure and appreciation for the seasons and things
both great and small. Herve This, the acclaimed French culinary
expert, translates joie de vivre into what he claims is the
one small detail that gives his culinary art its meaning: love.
He shared his eating philosophy in a recent interview in Ode
magazine (November 2006) called “The Taste of Love.”
This wrote a book for elementary school students, not yet published
in English, to get teachers and children thinking as tastefully
as possible. He believes that without love in the kitchen, even
the most ingenious culinary creation loses its meaning.
Recent books, such as French Women
Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, have
built on the joy of eating concept by observing the way French
men and women enjoy delicious, rich food and have less coronary
heart disease, lower rates of obesity, and longer lives than
Americans. “Guess what? French children don’t get
fat either. And it’s not because they’re drinking
red wine with their school lunch,” says Shanny Peer, a
forum attendee and director of policy programs at the French-American
Foundation in New York City. Peer cites Greg Critser’s
book Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest
People in the World for a brief historical perspective
on the French response to concerns about childhood obesity dating
back to the 1930s, when French child health educators began
urging mothers to adopt the healthy norms that prevail today.
Leslie Lytle, PhD, RD, from the University of
Minnesota School of Public Health, expanded on the French paradox
discussion by presenting current community and family environment
research in France and America. Lytle showed studies done by
the International Obesity Task Force on the prevalence of childhood
overweight and obesity in France. Obesity statistics are increasing
slowly, with approximately 4% of French children aged 7 to 11
currently classified as obese and another 18% as overweight.
As dietitians, we know that obesity rates among children are
up by 60% in the United States, yet France has experienced one
of the smallest increases among other countries in the prevalence
of childhood obesity at only 28%.1
Food Manufacturers
in France
Our group visited a French Hypermart and met Barbara Bidan from
the Fleury-Michon Group, a leading French meal solutions food
company. According to Bidan, the Fleury-Michon brand wants to
be known as the brand of pleasure and balance while promoting
taste and health. Linda McDonald, MS, RD, publisher of the newsletter
Supermarket Savvy and a forum participant, found European supermarkets
fascinating. McDonald had a chance to speak with Bidan to try
to make sense of the European food labels. According to McDonald,
“Presently, the European Union (EU) does not require nutrition
labeling on food products unless they make a nutrition claim.
Some prepackaged foods also provide information about Guideline
Daily Amounts (GDAs), which are similar to our percent Daily
Values.”
McDonald was impressed with the array of fresh
produce, fish, seafood, meats, and dairy products in the Hypermart
we toured. “The yogurt aisle was huge and carried the
most unique product that I saw: Danone Essensis,” she
says. “The tag line for Essensis, which contains omega-6
fats, antioxidants, vitamin E, and probiotics, is ‘nourish
your skin from the inside.’
“Food manufacturers advertising their
products in France are now required to add a health message
such as, ‘For your health, do regular physical exercise,’”
she explains. “The requirement is part of the second phase
in the French government’s long-term scheme to promote
healthier eating through the Programme National Nutrition Santé
(PNNS).” McDonald says that to make a nutrition claim,
a food must contain 15% or more of the GDA.
The French have taken a unique approach to nutrition
policy and intervention that involves the food industry. “French
food guidelines (PNNS) have identified nine nutrition objectives
that include specific recommendations to up the consumption
of fruits and vegetables, encourage whole grains, and reduce
the consumption of sugary, fatty, and salty foods,” she
says. McDonald points out that to do this, the food companies
and supermarkets are being encouraged to prepare and sign charters
outlining the changes they are willing to make to reach the
PNNS goals and the marketing they will do to educate consumers.
Only when this is agreed on are they allowed to use the PNNS
logo on their foods and in their marketing.
Notes From France:
A School Lunch We’d All Enjoy
Jean Saunders, the school wellness director for the Healthy
Schools Campaign in Chicago, ran a daily blog from France of
her observations and musings during the forum. (Visit the Healthy
Schools Campaign blog here
to read more detailed blog entries by Saunders, Peer, and Amanda
Archibald, RD.)
Peer blogs that the French education system
places a priority on school lunch and its role in the school
day. All school-aged children in France participate in the school
lunch program, regardless of their family’s economic status.
Most elementary schools devote nearly 11/2 hours to lunch and
recess, which includes 30 to 40 minutes for the children to
eat a leisurely lunch.
Peer summarizes her observations, noting that
French children drink only water with their meals instead of
the flavored milk offered in many American school cafeterias.
School meals are typically prepared in well-equipped kitchens
by trained chefs who use mostly fresh produce and many other
fresh ingredients (locally procured when possible) to prepare
real food from scratch. French schools spend more money per
child—nearly three times as much—to pay for higher-quality
meals, with costs shared by parents and local governments.
French school chefs prepare a wide variety of
foods, including appetizers such as radicchio or fresh beets,
mache, or asparagus with vinaigrette, and they view expanding
children’s palettes as an important part of their job.
France banned vending machines from schools three years ago,
and Peer notes that we saw no evidence of “competitive
foods” in the schools we visited.
Saunders continues in her blog by describing
the following “mouthwatering” school lunch meal
that we all ate at the secondary school College Milcendeau in
Challans:
• salad of butter lettuce with smoked
duck;
• tomato and fresh mozzarella salad;
• smoked salmon with asparagus and crème
fraîche;
• roasted chicken with roasted root vegetables
and roasted potatoes;
• apples with sabyon;
• fresh strawberries;
• goat cheese;
• French bread; and
• water.
Saunders further explains how the butter lettuce
was grown by a local farmer, the strawberries most likely in
the south of France, and the chicken (also grown locally) roasted
whole. “This wonderful meal was not served in plastic
airlinelike containers but on real plates with real cutlery
and glassware. And the plates were warmed in a plate warmer!”
says Saunders. “Needless to say, the food we ate was absolutely
delicious!” Students regularly provide input on the school
food program, and some changes were made after one student said,
“Today, the food is not smiley enough; it’s not
reaching out to us.” Saunders says, “If my son had
a meal like I ate yesterday, I would no longer pack his lunch;
he would eat a school lunch every day!”
Taste Education
for Children
Deborah Madison, author, chef, and founder of Greens, the famous
vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco (www.deborahmadison.com),
provided an inspiring chef perspective and philosophy during
a session on how to give children the opportunity to experience
food with all their senses. She believes that when parents are
good eaters, their children will also become good eaters. Madison
teaches that we must show how food is part of culture and history—in
other words, “taste education.” Children don’t
need to be told it is a healthy meal; it just is a healthy meal.
Madison says, “This is bigger than just the food itself.
We need to start over from the beginning, in the garden where
it all began anyway…”
Marblehead Community Charter Public School (MCCPS;
www.marbleheadcharter.com)
is an example of a school in Massachusetts that is “living”
taste education. Tom Commeret, school principal and a forum
presenter, believes “it takes a community to raise healthy
kids.” Commeret and his staff of teachers see the 230
students at MCCPS as partners, testers, and advisors. He says
the students love to complete surveys that ask for their thoughts
on the taste, texture, and appeal of the school meals prepared
by their chef, who is also director of the nutrition program.
“Recognizing that children learn best in the context of
community, our mission is to create partnerships among community
members that assist our students in reaching their highest intellectual,
social, emotional, and physical potential,” Commeret says.
As an educator, he sees his role as a motivator to educate children
to try alternative offerings and choose foods based on knowledge,
taste, and health.
Nurturing and Respect:
Ingredients in a Healthy Food Culture
Archibald, founder of Field to Plate and host of the 2007 International
Exchange Forum, builds on the taste education concept by talking
about the notion of respect toward food and dining in the French
culture. “Respect is observed by taking time to eat and
enjoy eating, separate from any other activity,” blogs
Archibald. She continues by pointing out how the French also
associate food (and wine) with pleasure. “Indeed, during
a wine tasting, the wine steward actually asked us what we associated
with a bottle of wine,” explains Archibald. “While
many adjectives and ideas were suggested, none of us suggested
‘pleasure.’”
Archibald recalls how the idea that school lunch
should be eaten in a room devoid of visual inspiration was foreign
to our French counterparts. She describes how the school dining
room was attractively decorated and furnished. Children sat
on chairs that could be adjusted to their age and height. The
ceilings were fitted with acoustic tiles to reduce noise. Walls
and other surfaces were decorated with attractive artwork. Napkins
reflected children’s artwork. Support staff engaged in
encouraging children to try new foods. Their role was to nurture
children during the meal.
“Time after time, we witnessed this intersection
of respect for food, respect for each other, the pleasure of
the food we were eating, and the pleasure of the company of
those with whom we shared the meal,” says Archibald. “When
we respect the producer, the environments that we eat in, and
the people with whom we eat, we will surely begin to associate
food, food choice, and dining with the equal respect and pleasure
that it deserves.” This is precisely the philosophy and
principles her food education company, Field to Plate, is built
on—”experiential learning”—in essence,
to move food learning experiences from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Field to Plate’s
International Exchange Forums
“People don’t have a palate anymore,” says
Archibald. “How do you get someone to eat a ripe peach
when they have a high fructose corn syrup palate? It’s
the choice of eating a ‘bland’ carrot or a ‘sensational’
packaged food item. The food industry has convinced people they
don’t have time to eat and driven them to purchase convenience
food.”
Archibald believes dietitians have a huge role
to play to help change people’s palates. Her vision in
creating the exchange forums is to bring together food professionals,
educators, and health professionals to create an intimate cultural
and gastronomical experience for participants. Kelly Streit,
MS, RD, operation manager for Field to Plate, has been to France
twice and agrees the forums are a special time. Streit, who
runs her own nutrition practice in Oregon, says, “I have
observed how the international experience enriches the participants’
work and personal lives by the knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion
that is shared together as a group throughout the week.”
(The next Field to Plate International Exchange Forum on Honoring
the Age of Dignity will be held October 28 to November 3 in
Provence, France. Field to Plate has a full slate of continuing
education programs coming up for dietitans in 2007 to 2008.
Look for the 2008 International Forum to possibly be held in
Rome.)
A vivid memory I have from this trip is the
image of a small family kitchen garden at nearly every house
in the French countryside. Perhaps this is my takeaway message
from the forum—noticing the connection in America between
childhood obesity and a lack of family gardens.
Of course, it is easy to want to package one
week in France and “Americanize” it. We start dreaming
of national policy change and better research showing positive
health outcomes for our children, but the reality is that none
of us—in France or the United States—knows the perfect
way to address childhood obesity.
Although we may still have kids in our schools
staring at uneaten peas, there is hope for moving forward in
taste education and school lunch, according to Kate Adamick,
JD, president of New York City-based Food Systems Solutions
and a session speaker. Adamick reminds us that kids love real
food and they love to learn with food. With this in mind, let’s
unite with her vision for school children to smell real food
cooking in their school cafeteria and enthusiastically ask,
“Hey, what’s for lunch?”
After my French adventure, as an RD, I now find
it impossible to speak of the science of nutrition without the
notion of culinary “love” mixed with pleasure in
eating. It has been said you can’t visit France in the
spring without falling in love. Well, hopefully, all of us at
the exchange forum brought home a little more love to the kitchens
of our homes and schools.
And as the French say when all is said and done
and the experience speaks for itself—voila!
— Kindy R. Peaslee, RD, is the founder
of Kindy Creek Promotions, an upstate New York-based marketing
firm specializing in the promotion of natural and organic food
and beverage products. She can be reached at kindy@kindycreek.com.
Look for her recipe Web site for parents:
www.healthy-kid-recipes.com.
Reference
1. Parizkova J, Hills A. Childhood
Obesity: Prevention and Treatment.
Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press; 2000.
Eating at Domaine de Beauvois Chateau
in Luynes, France
Menu Samplings
• Cream of cauliflower, confit of duck with herbs and
oyster mushrooms
• Supreme of farmhouse chicken stuffed
with mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil
• Thin apple tart with warm Saint Maure
cheese and fine spices
• Marbre of rabbit with asparagus and
sage
• Tournedos of salmon baked with bacon,
chive butter
• Orange crème brulée on
Breton shortbread, exotic fruit coulis, and Bailey’s ice
cream
School Lunch Goals at Vertou School
in Ville de Vertou, France
• Respect the rhythm of children, their needs, and their
autonomy
Actions: Staff training to
accompany the children, creating a fun environment around mealtime
• Making sure to put in place hygiene
and dietary requirements
Actions: Staff training to
food and environment hygiene
• Put in place a nutritional education
approach
Actions: Recruiting a dietitian
to put in place nutrition activities in schools
• Developing the family participation
Actions: Meetings, open parent
day, and newsletters
• Creating an attractive tariff to accommodate
most people (people in financial difficulties)
Actions: Use of family quotient,
funding by taxation to cover part of the total cost of the meals
French Web Resources
• Articles by Herve This (go to the Science
and Cuisine section) - www.pierre-gagnaire.com
• Chateau
de la Verie in Challans, France
• Domaine
de Beauvois in Luynes, France
• France’s
National Nutritional Education Program
• The
French Childhood Obesity Program
• Ministry of Health: All About Health
Policy and Programme National Nutrition Santé (PNNS)
— www.sante.gouv.fr
• Ministry of Education: Children’s
Food/Nutrition —www.education.gouv.fr
• National Institute for Health Prevention
and Education: PNNS Tools — www.manger-bouger.fr
Other Web Resources
• Family
Cook Productions
• Field to Plate, for updates on future
continuing education programs and forums for food and health
professionals — www.fieldtoplate.com
• Healthy
Schools Campaign Blog
• The Rodale
Institute’s Kid’s Regen
• Spatulatta
— Cooking for Kids
• Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture,
a nonprofit farm, educational center, and restaurant in Westchester
County, N.Y. — www.stonebarnscenter.org
• Supermarket
Savvy
Book Resources
• Fat Land: How Americans
Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg
Critser (Houghton Miffilin, 2003)
• French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret
of Eating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano (Knoph,
2004)
