Lose weight, fat loss and weight loss is not part of a French woman’s vocabulary, because they have been following the same lifestyle for centuries and use common sense.

The key is small portion sizes because they still eat various unprocessed meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables and breads.

It’s important for your body to vary your food selections for each meal because different foods contain different minerals and vitamins that are important for a well rounded diet.

Your main source of protein for each meal should not be larger than a one third of a pound and should be eaten with a nice salad and vegetable.

Most local diners at a French restaurant will order and share one dessert for the whole table, this is quite traditional. So yes, you can have cheese cake, but just a very small piece. If you are going to have a lot of this you are going to struggle to lose weight. The key is having the smallest portion size possible.

Some of the breads in France are great! What would we do without croissants? Consider that croissants in France are about one ounce in size. Having a one ounce croissant with a meal would be fine!

What would a French diet be without cheese? Yes, you can eat real cheese. But you can’t eat processed cheese and be within the boundaries of a French diet. The French would call you names and make disparaging remarks about you if you were eating processed cheese. Eating a small portion of real cheese actually helps you feel full so you don’t crave snacking later.

Red wine cannot be excluded from a French diet, in addition to being enjoyable its also healthy for you because it works to curb free radicals in your body and is full of antioxidants, but only 1 to 2 glasses a day.

When eating, French women are very choosy, they like large portions of fresh fruit and vegetables; these are high in nutritional value and low in calories.

The French women have always eaten a fraction of the portions at their meals that most people in the US consume. When you consider the large portions we are served at restaurants in the US, it’s no wonder we have a habit of consuming a lot more food.

Can you remember when last you savored a meal? French women are in the habit of eating slowly and enjoying the food; they do not sit in front of the TV and wolf down the food.

French women drink more water throughout the day. This is good for you and also helps to keep your metabolic rate in high gear to burn calories.

French women forgive themselves more easliy should they eat too much at a meal. There will be times that you just don’t want to count calories, but the secret is to eat less at the next meal you eat, copying they will help us with our weight and fat loss efforts.

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Breakfast really is the most important meal in your whole day and this is the one meal most people commonly skip. This may be why people are cranky in the morning. It’s one of those meals that you really don’t want to skip. I know a lot of people are rushing out the door in the morning to get to work, school, or where ever so it is hard to grab breakfast. Do you notice how tired you get during the day? It’s because you’re not eating breakfast.

Have an egg sandwich. You can easily make one at home just like the ones you find at fast food restaurants like McDonald’s. Grab an English muffin, toast it, and slap on some egg and low fat ham. How easy is that? Eggs are great for breakfast.

Have some juice for breakfast. This is a great pick-me-up in the morning without the caffeine. Make sure your juice is 100% juice.

Try some old fashioned toast. You can still eat toast and be healthy. Just don’t load it up with too much butter or jelly.

Hearty oatmeal. Oatmeal is a great energy booster to get you going in the morning. Add some fresh fruit to jazz it up.

A fresh bowl of fruit. It’s easy to put together and it’s good for you.

Now for the foods you should avoid in the morning.

Donuts, avoid them. They’re loaded with fat and sugar that will keep you down in the morning and add to your midsection.

Avoid cereals loaded with sugar. Best to stick with cereals that are low in sugar but if you need your cereal to be sweet, add fresh fruit like berries or a banana for a healthy, sweet breakfast.

Stay away from fried foods. This includes bacon, sausage, fried eggs, and French toast. These foods just weigh you down and also add the fat pounds.

Don’t drink too much coffee. A cup or two a day is ideal. I can’t go without my coffee either but studies have shown a cup of coffee a day to be healthy for you.

If you’ve always skipped breakfast in the morning, you’ll find a different you when you add it to your busy day. Really, it’s worth taking the time out to have some fruit or even a protein shake to start your day on the right foot. Your body will thank you.

Eating a healthy diet is good for you obviously but did you know a healthy diet also keeps your immune system healthy? There are specific foods that are important to keeping our immune systems working like it should. These foods even help the immune system fight off illness when we do get sick. Here’s a list of foods to keep you immune system in tip top shape.

* Citrus fruits – Most people know that Vitamin C is most important when it comes to our bodily defenses so it’s important to get your daily requirement every day. Citrus foods are the most common in having a plentiful amount of Vitamin C. Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are just a few of the fruits that are wonderful for our immune system.

* Vegetables - Vegetables also have a lot of essentials for our immune system. They include Beta Carotene and Vitamin E. Did you know though that eating raw vegetables gives you more nutrients than it does cooking them? You wouldn’t think you could lose essential nutrients when you cook food but you do. If raw doesn’t work for you, just steam them ever so lightly to keep those nutrients intact. The best vegetables to eat for you immune system are the dark green and orange ones like spinach and carrots.

* Seeds and Nuts – They’re tasty and have plenty of nutrients too. Almonds and sunflower seeds have an abundant amount of Vitamin E and throw in some Brazil nuts for a serving of selenium. Nuts also have the all important omega-3 fatty acids that help your white blood cells. This will help speed up the healing process.

* Water – I know water isn’t food but it is a very important beverage that’s really important to keeping our immune systems healthy. Water cleans our body of impurities so our immune system can concentrate on its real job, getting rid of those bugs! Drink at least 8 glasses a day.

* Herbs – You’ll find there are a few herbs that are also great for our immune systems. They include garlic, goldenseal and olive leaf extract. Use garlic to season your foods or take in a pill form like the golden seal. All of these are great.

A healthy immune system is crucial to maintaining a healthy body so it’s important that you take good care of it. Include these foods in your daily diet so you can keep your immune system running at 100%.

As I previously mentioned, organic foods have become very popular recently. Organic foods are seen as healthier and more socially responsible. Some people are even willing to pay more to get organic foods but is it worth it?

Since organic products don’t contain the harmful chemicals that can be bad for our health, yes it’s worth it but it’s not the only reason people buy organic. There are people who look to buy organic because it’s produced locally. This is a boost on local economy which also reduces the use of fossil fuels to deliver the products. Not all producers of organic foods share these ideas though.

Some Problems with Organic

Because of the increased popularity of organic products, they’re harder to find locally. A lot of organically produced products are now mass produced which uses some ingredients that may not be available locally in mass amounts. An example is a company that produces organic milk, which I love. It can be hard to find organic milk suppliers locally so powdered organic milk may be used from far away locations to keep the ingredients pure.

How Much More Does Organic Cost?

Of course prices for organic will vary but you can see anywhere from 10% to twice as more for organic products. Companies that mass produce organic products will have a higher cost so as to keep the ingredients pure.

You can definitely save more money if you buy locally. Fruits and vegetables will be limited to what’s in season but the fresher product and lower cost is worth it to some. Going to farmers’ markets or to a local farmer will guarantee it’s locally grown or produced.

A lot of people assume organic products are all the same but they’re really not. If you want to determine if buying organic is worth the cost, know as much as you can about the product. Check out the product’s producers and read the labels. Look for local producers to find the best prices and the freshest products.

You’ll find it’s easier to buy organic foods today than it was just 10 years ago because of its popularity. The organic food business has definitely increased its revenue because of its growing demand. There are so many health foods now that are more popular because of organic food. You’ll also find your standard grocery store carrying organic foods.

The reason organic foods sell better now is because it’s healthier than its conventional counterparts. Organic foods are grown or produced without all the man-made chemicals like pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. Even organic meat is taken from livestock who eat an organic diet. Because of all that, you’d think all organic foods are healthy but that’s not always true.

These organic products that are truly organic are definitely safer than ones that are not. Organic meat has a lower risk of disease and you also don’t have to worry about eating products with pesticides.

Buying organic baby food is also a great way to go. Babies can be more susceptible to adverse effects from pesticides in nonorganic foods. When baby food is made, fruits, meats, and vegetables are condensed which makes higher concentrations of these chemicals. Organic baby food is definitely seen as safer.

Some nonorganic fruits and vegetables are safe because they don’t retain the pesticides as easily so you can just give them a thorough wash to make them just as healthy. These fruits and vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, onions, mangos, and pineapples. Buying the organic versions of apples, cherries, peaches, grapes, and celery are definitely a good idea. They tend to have higher levels of pesticides than other fruits or vegetables.

Organic foods that are processed actually contain organic and inorganic ingredients. Nutrients can also be lost during the processing of these foods so they lose their health value. If you want to find the healthiest organic product, look for the label that says “USDA Organic” and make sure to read the nutrition label on the product.

Organic seafood is one I don’t see very often and you’ll also find it doesn’t live up to its organic name if it’s labeled organic. Even though it’s labeled organic, it may still have all kinds of harmful chemicals. This is because the USDA doesn’t have standards for organic seafood. It’s quite legal for manufacturers to label seafood organic even though it really isn’t. They can do this as long as it doesn’t have the word “certified” labeled on it so watch out for these.

If you’re buying organic foods for health reasons, make sure you’re buying 100% organic. If it’s not 100%, you won’t be getting all the benefits you deserve from organic foods.