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The American paradox
Are our “healthy” foods really good for us?
By Culinate staff
December 18, 2008
So you’ve probably heard of the so-called French paradox, in which those indulgent Gauls cram Brie and Bordeaux down their gullets and yet stay slim and trim. (Whether or not the French paradox actually exists, plenty of Americans believe in it.) Now comes its neatly inverted corollary, the American paradox: Why do Americans put such a premium on eating well and yet continue to get fatter? As the New York Times reported, the problem may be due in part to the “health halo,” or our willingness to consume large quantities of foods labeled as “healthy” that really aren’t. Superfoods, anyone?
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1. by Matthew Amster-Burton on Dec 18, 2008 at 1:51 PM PST
The French Paradox is unequivocally real, though it’s probably not true that it’s due to red wine.
The healthiest corner of France is the southwest: foie gras country. It has among the highest rates of saturated fat consumption in the world, and among the lowest rates of heart disease. That this is so is established fact; why it is so is very much up for debate.
My personal opinion is that dietary advice is literally toxic. People who receive a lot of it get sick. Not a testable proposition, probably, but I still do my best to steer clear of nutritional propaganda and steer toward the duck fat.
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