I love good food. I wonder who doesn’t? I love trying all
different types and enjoying long evenings over a delicious meal with friends.
Indeed this is one of the reasons I love France so much. Many foreigners
associate France with its high quality cuisine and most French people value
their food. I often wonder how the French have managed to get food so right and
how many Brits have got it so wrong.
I am lucky enough to have been brought up by a mother who
believes in healthy, wholesome food. I therefore feel I have received a decent
food and health education. When abroad, however, I am constantly reminded of
the UK’s lack of a proper food culture and indeed our lack of education in this
regard. And it’s true. It is difficult to answer the question “What do people
eat in Britain?” since every family has their own way of doing things and there
is no common way of going about cooking. Okay, there are a few traditional
dishes: a typical English breakfast, shepherd’s pie, yorkshire pudding and a
Sunday roast... But really there are very few in comparison to our continental
counterparts. What is more, not only are we lacking in a respectable number of
traditional dishes, but as a nation we are eating far too much of the wrong
food. It recently became official that the UK is now the second most obese
nation after the US. NHS
data shows that a third of children in England are either overweight or obese
by the time they leave first school. Clearly this is unacceptable
on several counts, not least because it is going to cost the NHS billions of
pounds. Obesity rates in France, on the other hand, are amongst the lowest in
the OECD. Whereas one in four people in the UK is obese, only one in ten is
obese in France. So why don’t we eat more like the French?
Let’s take a look at some characteristics of the French way
of eating. One, they take their time over eating. The average time spent at the
dinner table in France is over 2 hours per day. It is often a time for
discussion with family, a time to relax and savour the good food on the table.
Two, most French people cook their meals from scratch. The concept of a ‘ready
meal’ is almost a dirty word in France. Most French people are aware that the
best tasting food comes from fresh, natural and, where possible, local
ingredients. Three, restaurant menus contain a small range of dishes and they
change regularly. Rather than having a huge menu with ingredients from all
seasons coming from far and wide, French chefs create a daily or weekly menu
that takes into account which vegetables, meat or fish are in season and are
best that morning at the market. Four, independent, specialist shops and
restaurants are valued and protected as part of French culture. Although giant
supermarket chains and fast food outlets are most definitely present in France,
they do not outnumber the slow food cafes and restaurants that counteract this
potentially potent movement. Five, French meals consist of smaller portions,
but more courses. The French feel the need for balance and moderation, where
each meal provides protein, vegetables and a small amount of carbohydrate. Six,
school dinners are of a much higher quality than those in the UK. School
canteens also endorse balance and moderation and offer French children at least
three courses of quality nourishment. Children and staff sit down together and
eat a proper meal. Seven, you do not often see French people snacking in
between their meals. If you walk down a busy street in Britain, you will always
see people munching on crisps, chocolate bars, cereal bars... You do not see
this in France. It is actually difficult to buy snack foods there. Newsagents and
service stations are not bursting with sugary snacks full of empty calories. Instead,
people eat three decent meals a day and their health is much better for it.
Here I have highlighted seven points where the French differ
from and better the British, and I’m sure I could name more.
Yes, some of the characteristics
I have cited come down to culture, and yes, the French are lucky to have a
Mediterranean climate that provides them with wonderful-tasting vegetables,
fruit and cheese. But surely that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn from their
healthier food choices and habits? There are clear and simple steps that we,
the people, and the government could take to significantly boost the
anti-obesity movement. Although people are arguably more aware of the need to
partake in regular exercise than they were a decade ago, this must not
overshadow the fact that what we put into our bodies is the most important
factor. Allowing children to eat sugary, fatty, processed foods on a daily
basis is irresponsible at best and criminal at worst. And yet our government
will not act, most likely because of pressure from the junk food industry and
because of economic concerns. I distinctly remember at the start of the current
coalition government’s power, the health minister received a report from a
senior NHS doctor outlining a set of measures that should be taken to counteract
the obesity movement, such as removing sweets and chocolate from supermarket
tills, banning fast food outlets near schools and improving catering in
hospitals. The minister concluded that such measures should not be introduced
because it would be “bad for business.” Once again we come back to the sad fact
that politicians make choices more often based on money and economics than on people’s
health and quality of life.
Legislative measures on food
production have worked in other countries and they could work in ours, along with
a powerful health campaign. In France all marketing of foods high in fat, sugar
and salt is banned unless they are taxed and marketed with a health warning. In
French schools food and drink is controlled and children are given taste
lessons. In France ready meals lack the added sugars, preservatives and
additives that have existed in ours for years. France is managing to maintain
standards despite the fast food rush and the result is a healthier country with
a smaller health bill. Come on Britain, it’s time to learn from our friends
across the Channel.
