Cardiologists and nutritionists hate the French. They don’t exercise, they smoke, they drink, they eat lots of fat, they party and always seem to have a great time, which means, they probably don’t even sleep enough and they have the lowest rates of heart disease in Europe and of course lower than in United States. It’s called the french paradox.
It seems like a big paradox for all of us.
Good looking, skinny athletic woman in her late fifties is sitting on Shanselise in coffee shop enjoying her 3-rd glass of Bordeaux, smoking her forth cigarette and eating fat cheese and grease covered pate. A month ago she got her blood test done and it shows that she is in perfect health. That really is not fair. So where is the difference between rest of us and French that makes their heart so healthy?
Some nutritionists say that there are a number of reasons for these surprising statistics. But they think the major factor is that their meals are moderate in calories, are rich in fruits and vegetables, always contain protein and also include some fat. They eat less processed grain foods which are simple carbohydrates and also limit their complex carbohydrates intake. By simply eating in moderation, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and having some protein at every meal, they keep their insulin levels in check.
There is a hormonal response that occurs every time you eat. Insulin level is responsible for these hormonal response. The French keep their hormonal response in balance. It means their insulin levels don’t raise too high, and don’t drop too low, which is causing hormonal imbalance. And that hormonal imbalance is believed to be the major risk factor for heart disease.
How do you know that you don’t create hormonal imbalance when you eat?
It is very simple to recognize. If you feel sleepy and tired after a meal, it means you created a hormonal imbalance in you body by high levels of insulin which is a result of eating too much simple carbohydrates in your meal. Also, if you feel hungry sooner than 4 hours after your meal.
What should you do to keep hormonal balance in your body?
Eat small portions. When you eat, eat always some lean protein, which is insulin neutral. Have vegetables and fruits with your meal, which are good source of low density carbohydrates. It is almost impossible to overeat on fruits and vegetables. With their low density on carbohydrates, they don’t increase your insulin levels too high. Now you can have some complex carbohydrates with your meal like brown rice or little bit of pasta, but put some olive oil on it. Insulin secretion is very sensitive to these carbohydrates, but fat in form of olive oil and other healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, slows down the process of getting these carbohydrates to your blood, which keeps insulin in control.
When you do all these and still feel tired after your meal, decrease the amount of complex carbohydrates in your meal. If you feel great and energized and you don’t get hungry for next 4 hours, remember that meal and write it down. That’s your perfect hormonal balance keeping meal. Everybody is different, so the amount of protein and carbohydrates will vary with different people. It will take little bit of experimenting for you to create you perfect meals, but keeping these simple principles in mind, it will keep you on right track, right next to French.