Why French Women Don't Get Fat

In my 32 years of marriage,  I have attempted to expand my repertoire of recipes by tackling new culinary adventures.  Growing up in a family of "just add water," I had NO idea how to cook when my husband and I were married.    I started with making Bisquick biscuits and have worked my way through slowly from there.

One of my most astonishing surprises in learning to cook has been the richness of French cuisine with its dependence on heavy cream, loads of butter, bacon drippings, and the best bread on the planet.  Oo-la-la.  But when I had the opportunity to visit Paris many years ago, I was shocked by the slimness of French women.  How do they indulge daily in such calorie-laden food and get away with it?

I have found through the years that when you admire something in a person, watch what they do and how they live to discover what is their hidden source of strength.  Yes, French women are thin, and they eat amazing foods, but they do not snack at all, and they eat small portions SLOWLY, savoring every bite.  They do not eat just to fill, but instead they maximize the experience of eating well.  They eat only when they are hungry, and they make it worth eating.

A entire package of Oreos cannot take the place of indulging in a single Pain de Chocolate.

The phrase, "Man does not live by bread alone," appears in Deuteronomy 8.3 and as if to underline its significance, Jesus repeats it word for word (Matthew 4.4.). We use it to emphasize that there are more important things in life than eating.

But the truth in this phrase lies in the second half of the verse: "but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

No wonder our souls are so hungry.  We stuff ourselves with that which cannot satisfy, and don't understand why we are still empty inside.  And God's Word gathers dust on the the shelf.

Seven years ago, a young boy in my church challenged me and others to join him in reading through the Bible in a year.  One of my daughters encouraged me to do it with her, reading a little bit everyday by everyday.  In the process, God's Word has incrementally changed me.  And to savor the richness, I take a verse from my reading with me through my day by writing it down. (See link on the righthand side of this page for www.worddujour.blogspot.com)

Join me in reading the Bible through this year.  Four chapters a day, or if you prefer, a bite from each the Old and New Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs (I like the schedule found at www.oneyearbibleonline.com).  And like French cuisine, just a little everyday fills me with its richness and truth.  And changes my life.