Mireille Guiliano first visited the US as a teenaged exchange student. When she returned to France, her family was shocked (and she was humiliated) by what American sweets had done to her figure, so she turned to her family doctor for help. "Dr. Miracle" put her through the paces of a traditional French "cure," and his common-sense approach to maintenance has since guided her through a lifetime of extravagant dining. Now, in "French Women, Don't Get Fat she reveals how anyone can maintain healthy weight without depriving herself of life's most elemental pleasures. This is the wisdom generations of French mothers have passed on to their daughters, from force majeure responses like magic leek soup to everyday practices like portion control that still leads to contentment and the cumulative power of avoiding unnecessary convenieces like elevators. Guiliano's effervescent good humor makes it a brewze to stick with the program until it's become second nature. Her recipes give even the busiest and least-practiced cook the confidence to prepare simple, nutritious, and beautiful meals. And through her stories--about the challenges faced by her American friends, the pleasures of marketing and cooking in France, and her own youthful struggle with a dessert habit--the reader comes to understand the attitudes that allow French women to enjoy bread, chocolate, wine, and other foods that few American women consume without torments of guilt.

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Books > Health & Fitness > Diets - Weight Loss
Books > Health & Fitness > Healthy Living
Books > Health & Fitness > Weight Loss

The international skinny

If you need to lose weight, consider taking a trip—to another country. Two new entries in the ever-expanding category of diet books look at the cultural aspects of maintaining a healthy weight. Dieters often wonder, for example, why French women remain slim and sensual throughout their lives. French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure examines how you can experience joie de vivre without gaining an ounce. In thoroughly charming essays full of restraint but never deprivation, French-born, New-York based author Mireille Guiliano explains the art of appreciating excellent things in smaller portions and feeling full of gratitude. Growing up in Alsace, Guiliano would pick wild blueberries and savor homegrown foods while sharing meals with her family. Now the jet-setting CEO of Clicquot, the Champagne company, Guiliano and her compatriots rarely diet or obsess over food. Instead, they emphasize quality over quantity. She outlines their old-fashioned daily regimen of plenty of mineral water, a good night's sleep, fresh seasonal foods, moderate exercise, inspiring activity and love. Guiliano's elegant ideas will surely inspire women looking to live a simpler, slimmer life without feeling shortchanged.