France Immortality

France Immortality

~Blog post #4~

April 15,2015

By Megan Rediger

            Surprisingly, health implications do not seem to be a problem in France. With a high-saturated and high-cholesterol diet, people would think that heart attacks would be a problem. In the United States, many people die of coronary heart disease- it is the leading cause of death. However, France seems to be immune to this. Researchers call this the “French paradox.” It is the research of how low the death rates are in France due to coronary heart disease. France consumes cheese, fat, milk, and other fatty substances every day. They are known for their food, yet no damage is done to their bodies. Yes, they do have healthy foods, such as whole-wheat crepes, but they are well known for the fatty, high calorie dishes. They like to use a ton of butter and cream, so this is why the low amount of coronary heart disease in this country is peculiar. The food made there is almost equivalent to the intake of carbohydrates and cholesterol in the United States, yet we are the ones dying. Maybe since our food is processed is the reason behind America having coronary heart disease. France makes everything natural- you will barely find processed food anywhere near there. I eat so much processed food every day without even noticing it, so maybe we should change our diet similar to France’s diet. We would still be able to eat heavy foods, but not die of a heart attack! In the book, Like Water For Chocolate, food is important to the culture of Tita and her town. I believe this is true because food can impact people’s lives. They can either prolong your life or take it away. It is all up to you and how you choose to eat. I think that our society needs to change the way our diets are and move it to something similar to France. The health in France is completely different than the way we live our lifestyles in the USA.

Ferrières, Jean. "The French Paradox: Lessons for Other Countries." Heart. Copyright 2004 by Heart, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

Healthy French Recipes: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/healthy_french_recipes?slide=15#leaderboardad