Do French Hens Drink Red Wine?
Question: are the three French hens healthier because they are French or drink red wine? More than 30 years ago, the term “French Paradox” hit the United States, and red wine consumption soared. To this day, people often tell me that they drink red wine because the French are healthier, “don’t get fat,” or any number of “health” reasons. However, is red wine the fountain of health, or is there something else?
Here are some facts about how the “French” eat in general:
They often eat smaller portions of everything overall.
They usually select high-quality food as opposed to processed foods.
They shop for fresh food more often.
Snacking between meals is rare.
Meals are for eating, not a side note while working, watching TV, standing, or driving.
Fast food is not as typical throughout France compared to the US. Of course, it is found in the big cities, but not as commonplace throughout the country.
Yes, they do consume red wine.
They also have high smoking rates. Among adults in France it is 34.6% compared to 25.1% in the US.
Here is what people don’t think about:
France has several types of cuisine that vary throughout the country. The cuisine in the north is very different from the south along the Mediterranean Sea. France is one of the 22 Mediterranean countries when referring to the Mediterranean style diet.
Think about the cuisine in the US: we have southern food, southwest food, and various seafood choices depending on what part of the coast you choose (blue crab in Maryland vs. lobster in Maine vs. salmon in Seattle), so it is silly to equate French food as one type of style. It would be like someone visiting Chicago and extrapolating that we all eat deep-dish stuffed pizza. Wrong, I’ve never eaten a pizza like that outside of downtown Chicago.
The leading causes of death in France: many types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), diabetes, and Alzheimer’s and dementia. The US has the same leading causes of death. While the rates are lower in France than in the US, the same diseases kill them.
The French do experience an increase in overweight and obesity rates. In 2021 the percentage of adults with obesity in France is about 21.6% compared to the US rate of 36.2%. So, the US is still ahead in this category. That rate means 2 in 10 French persons have obesity and almost 4 in 10 US persons have obesity. This is NOT counting those in the overweight category.
We cannot take one part of a culture’s diet, add that to our lifestyle and think it provides the same overall benefit. Well, we can, but it usually doesn’t work that way.
Americans are often extrapolating the “good” parts of the particulate diet:
Soy from Japan
Olive oil from the “Mediterranean diet.”
Red wine in the French diet
What is often lost is the overall lifestyle within these cultures and how long they live the lifestyle (their whole life compared to starting at 50 years old).
Consuming red wine does not equal a French lifestyle. There is a big difference between drinking red wine, savoring high-quality food in small portions, and ensuring fresh food instead of consuming red wine as you plow through a meal in less than five minutes that could feed a family of four.
