The famous ‘French Paradox’ (a phenomenon in which the French remain relatively healthy, despite their affinity for seemingly indulgent foods, like cheese and bread) has been a somewhat elusive research topic, but scientists are eager to dig deeper. To learn more about how the French eat, researchers used national survey data from more than 2,600 adults to categorize French diets into the most common eating patterns. The most prevalent diet (representing nearly one quarter of the population) was the “small eater diet,” filled with a variety of different foods, but in small portions. Other commonalities among the French diets include an affinity for seafood (70% reported eating it in the past week), bread (94% for all breads, 35% for whole grain), vegetables (99%), fruit (85%), full fat traditional cheeses (89%), and alcohol (68%, typically wine). The French also reported eating fried food and sodas relatively infrequently, at only 29% and 32%, respectively.
British Journal of Nutrition. 2016 May 18;116(2):300-315 (Gazan R et al.)