You Are How You Eat

Today, I wanted to comment on something I caught from the New York Times a few days ago: You Are How You Eat. As some of my friends reading these posts know, I lived in Pau, France during my sophomore year in college. While I was there, I lived exclusively with a host family, opting to take on the full immersion experience. And that it was: I spoke more French, observed first hand family life and ate more delicious culinary delights. My host mother fixed some of the greatest dishes: quiche au saumon, la soupe aux tomates, et mon favori, boeuf bourguignon. Naturally, these meals usually were accompanied with a simple green salad, cheese, fruit, and/or yogurt depending on whether it was lunch or dinner. I ate wonderfully: three square meals a day that were rich in all the food groups.

Now Giuliano Hazan talks about Italy, but I think this applies just as well to France. He speaks of the importance of pasta in Italy and Americans’ misunderstanding of carbohydrates thanks to the media frenzied Atkins craze. Although this mentioning of carbohydrates is simply a cursory argument to his main point: you are how you eat—that is, how much time out of your day you take to enjoy the simple pleasure of eating. Still, I must address this common misconception with regards to carbs: Americans tend to eat simple carbs consisting of simple sugars and lots of “enriched” flour-based foods. These types of carbohydrates are found in store-bought slide breads (the really soft crappy kind), soft drinks, cereal, hamburger buns. In France (and Italy), the carbohydrates were tied up in more complex forms in bagettes and pâtes (often forms that come with fiber). Simple versus complex carbohydrates is pretty straightforward: the body can digest and absorb simple carbs faster than complex ones. The body spends very little energy digesting these simple carbs only to absorb them and get people fatter. Complex carbs require more processing time and energy for eventual uptake into cells, meaning slow absorption (allowing the body time to adjust or use them as needed).

The author’s point about how we eat is entirely valid as well–given Americans’ penchant for quick, on-the-go meals. Traditional family meals have been superseded by a fend for yourself strategy, and that is not necessarily bad but it does reinforce bad eating. Kids have no idea what is good food or bad food, as they will eat what tastes good. In France, my host mother instilled constantly the virtues of a tasty, well-balanced meal that consisted of freshly-baked, hearty breads and food straight from the store that day. Here: kids fix their own (often pre-cooked, pre-made) meals not having every learned this delicate balance that is our diet. It is unfortunate, and until these shortcomings are remedied, I fear the explosion of the overweight population will continue.