Last week, I made a dish of confit rabbit, coated in breadcrumbs and then deep fried.
A couple of people made comments about the inherent unhealthiness of the meal.
True, this was a meal of rabbit cooked in goose fat and then deep fried. It had its fair share of calories, but it tasted unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before – gamey, crisp and meltingly soft with undertones of garlic and bay and a sharp saltiness that proved irresistible. It wasn’t in the slightest bit healthy.
Phil’s comment stood out:
“That sounds super nice! Although in theory it doesn’t sound super healthy – it’s all natural food with no crap added. Just remember the Gascon Paradox in France…”
The Gascon paradox, you say?
The Gascon, or French paradox is a medical conundrum. It undermines nearly everything we currently understand about the relationship between food and health.
It poses a very simple question – why, when the French diet is so high in saturated fat, are levels of heart disease and obesity amongst French people relatively low?
It’s a truly perplexing issue. Flick through Larousse Gastronomique, or indeed any half decent French cookbook and you’ll find recipe after recipe built on a the building blocks of butter, cheese, meat, cream – saturated fats in all their delicious and glorious forms. Surely it can’t be healthy to eat like this?
Current medical advice from the UK’s National Health Service advises that consumption of saturated fats should be limited to prevent heart attacks, stroke and narrowed arteries. Their list of foods to avoid reads like a French chef’s shopping list in parts.
The link between a diet high in saturated fat and serious disease and premature death is well-known and well-understood. Saturated fat is bad. Fact.
This leads us back to the paradox. How do the French get away with eating a diet packed full of the stuff that we’re being told to avoid at all costs?
I don’t think there is an answer, but there are plenty of theories.
The most likely explanation is that the French have never really taken to heavily processed foods in the same way that their Anglo and American cousins have. A normal, run of the mill French supermarket is a temple to locally grown, seasonal fresh produce. Vegetables are piled high, the fish counter groans under the weight of lobster and mussels, the meat counter has good quality meat. Ready meals are conspicuously absent.
The French love to eat. They take their time over their food, in its planning, preparation and consumption. Meals are an important part of the French day, to be savoured and enjoyed. Show me a French person who isn’t passionate about food. A microwaved chilli con carne from Asda simply wouldn’t cut it.
This obsession with food translates into meals that are cooked without a great deal of processed ingredients. The French know how to cook and they use their knowledge to cook meals from scratch without the need for processed ‘assistance’.
Another theory positions red wine as a major factor.
The French don’t have a culture of binge drinking. Instead, there’s a healthy and sensible respect for alcohol, which tends to manifest itself in drinking red wine in moderation. Medical evidence is mixed, with some studies identifying compounds in red wine that serve a protective function, whilst others focus on the devastating effects of over consumption. The jury is still out, and there’s certainly little evidence that a glass of red wine a day keeps the heart surgeon away, but some studies show that moderate intake of the right type of alcohol could have a preventative and protective effect.
Olive oil might be another angle. Yes, the French consume a lot of fat and oil, but what if a large proportion of that fat is the ‘right’ type of fat, as found in olive oil? Does that have a positive impact on overall health and cancel out some of the ‘wrong’ types of fat found in things like meat and dairy produce?
Other factors could be the low incidence of snacking between meals, lower sugar intake, far higher consumption of fish, more regular meal structures, smaller portions and simply taking meals more slowly and enjoying them more.
Nobody has the answer, but the clear theme seems to be one of moderation.
I think Phil nailed it in his original comment – “all natural food, with no crap added”.
It’s a good mantra for any cook.
Eat good, fresh food in moderation, drink a little, enjoy your long life.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Too many people focus on the "unhealthy aspect" of food.
As you say, if its not contaminated, with "crap" and eaten in moderation, whats the issue?
Having lived in France and a regular visitor, not only do they eat very little processed food, they don't snack like we do.
Meals are an event or a time to talk and enjoy the food, as it has taken time to be prepared and will certainly have been picked over and only the best ingredients chosen.
Plus, portion size is very different, quality over quantity.
Don't forget, the French still spend more of their income on food than any other nation.
My mouth is watering at the thought of your rabbit recipie. Once veggie niece has left this week it will certainly be on the menu here, thanks.
As for the red wine theory, again its taken in moderation. Though this is the bit i may personally struggle with. What is too much wine!??
Great blogging again and looking forward to trying out the many recipies
Mike
@mjb39
Thanks for the comment. The point about the proportion of income that the French spend on food is a good one. I think too often us Brits settle for second best because it's cheap.
It's simple, saturated fats are not as bad as they were thought to be. And there are a lot of other factors… Science is the best tool we have to know the world, but we're still far from knowing everything about nutrition.
Miriam, thanks for the comment. I'm not sure that's true. Saturated fats are clearly bad, it's how they form part of an overall balanced diet that's important and not fully understood. My conclusion is that the French diet is probably just better balanced than most others.
We've been sold a bill of goods about saturated fats. They are not the big bad boogyman we've been told they are. Our bodies need saturated fat (maybe not in the proportions consumed in America) for energy, hormone production and other important biological functions.
http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Importance-of-Sat…
…and that's it, isn't it? "Maybe not in the proportions consumed in America."
Actually no, it's starting to look like that "isn't it". First, they were never able to definitively show that saturated fat contributes to heart disease, but the hypothesis that it did became part of the health vernacular. Second, numerous studies have now been conducted that have found no relationship. There is a growing body of researchers and academics who now dispute that saturated fat and heart disease are related. This article summarizes many of the relevant studies and also critiques the original studies that led to the belief that saturated fats are bad:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116724
Here's another, briefer article about some of the latest findings:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=…
There is also a scientific journalist (ie researchers and writes about science issues) by the name of Gary Taubes who has written numerous articles about this, along with several books. If you google him you're sure to get a lot of hits. Numerous videos of him on YouTube as well.
Best wishes
My 'isn't it' point was about the amount of saturated fat consumed these days.
I'll accept that there's an academic school of thought that argues that saturated fats are not universally bad, and that's probably fair enough, but I think that, in the amounts they tend to be consumed in, the likely knock on harm in terms of obesity and other health problems is going to be very bad indeed.
My view is that this is entirely about moderation and balance.
Great post and discussion point. As you said, they eat food high in saturated fat, they know it, and therefore they eat moderately.
Here in N. America, people buy a bag of "Low Fat" cookies that are loaded with salt and sugar to replace the lost flavour, and then eat the whole thing and wonder why they're gaining weight on their low fat diet. Hmmm…
Isn't it half fat so that you can eat twice as much?
I agree whole-heartedly with Mike. Small portions plus lengthy meals minus the snacks means that the French can get away with their butter and cream obsessions. Here in the U.S. folks are downing 32 oz. of soda (who cares if its diet!) or triple lattes everyday plus eating gigantic portions at meal time in 30 minutes or less (usually while sitting in the car). I see a major difference. Thanks for the post!
I love this and we shall see. Processed foods have made an exit as of late. So far my weight is the same – but the taste sure has improved!
Actually, there are many types of saturated fats, and other cultures – like the French – are mainly eating the naturally correct one. The saturated fat contained within natural foods is high in medium-chain fatty acids, unlike most saturated fats in the Western diet which are long-chain acids. The shorter carbon chain means the body moves the medium-chain fatty acid more swiftly through the blood stream into the liver where it is converted into short term energy use, instead of being converted into fat stored throughout the body. A few foods are also high in lauric acid, also a medium-chain fatty acid, which is converted into a monoglyceride compound in the body which exhibits antiviral and antimicrobial properties. This means it helps the body fight against common diseases to serious lipid-coated viruses. Also, most French foods are not pasteurized. Pasteurized foods are seen as enemies on a microbial level and the body develops an immune system response, lowering its ability to absorb nutrients and storing fat and other unhealthy items throughout the body in return. These are just a few reasons why we might be eating high fat foods in a similar manner, like butter, but the French are eating the better type and are thus healthier for it.
Found exactly the same paradox when I moved to Italy from the UK. These people eats tons of pasta and then have a main meal of meat or fish and vegetables or potatoes. How come they are so slim and healthy?? Found the answer 6 months later. They don'tsnack and exercise a lot outdoors. You constantly see people runnin, walking or cycling, But mainly, they care a hell of a lot bout the quality of what they eat and they never ever eat reay made food. All home coked to the highest santards.
Excellent reflective post. And I think the answer is simple. No guilt and everything in moderation…as you said. Savoring a meal means you eat it slower too, there for not as much as you feel satiated at the right time. Small portions of everything.
I think part of the difference is also a higher level of physical activity in France. (Of course, it's the French telling me they're more active, I'm not in a position to judge for myself.)
Mike's got a good point – it's processed food…and we have forgotten how to just enjoy eating real food!! And Fearless Kitchen, the physical activity is definitely a huge part in this. We don't even always have sidewalks for people to walk – they have to get in their cars to drive across some four lane street.
Here's a fact: My cholesterol has for years remained in the 190 to 200. 4 months ago, I stopped drinking red wine completely because I developed a slight occasional arythmia. Had the heart check out, everything was fine, no disease. An interesting thing happened. When I had my cholesterol checked 2 weeks ago, it was at 250 for the very first time over 200. The ONLY thing that changed in my diet was the elimination of wine (and all alcohol for that matter). My doctor said that a particular level of one of the parts of the screening was indicative of eating too much carbs from pasta and bread. I didn't argue with him, but he didn't know that I don't consume much pasta and usually only 2 slices of bread per day. I eat plenty of salads and fresh vegetables. I did tell him that I had stopped wine completely and he kind of scoffed at the idea that it had anything to do with. When I stopped the wine , I told myself that my next cholesterol screening would shoot up. I'm not a doctor, but that's exactly what happened. It's a simple fact. I have started my glass of red with dinner again, not changing my diet, we'll see what the screening shows next time.
The fact that the indication I was eating too much pasta and bread (which wasn't true), raised that particular part of my cholesterol may indicate that wine consumption may suppress that part of the cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk for disease.
Another thing to note, the French (as I am by birth) tend to eat smaller portions. One complaint that I alway remember hearing years ago here in the US about French restaurants was that the portions were too small. Well, it's true, French people eat smaller portions and meal periods are as much a time to socialize as it is to eat, thereby we eat slower and less. We eat more fresh vegetables and fruits and although there are wonderful pastry shops everywhere, we don't consume them daily. The year I spent in France years ago had very few desserts to finish meals. It was usually a salad with a slice of cheese, and followed by an orange or an apple. And we never snacked after dinner. I think a good reason for that is that we would site down to dinner around 7:00 pm and finish by 8:30. The only lite snack is between lunch and dinner, which makes sense. Breakfasts, even to this day are very lite.
…how did I ever survive months without my glass of wine?!?
I agree with Brie. As far as I understand it, and I am by no means an expert, there is actually not any decent evidence to suggest a strong link between saturated fat and chronic illness. By that I mean, well carried out, statistically sound research. It is a case of different types of fat and the way in which the are consumed.
It's an interesting debate and not one that gets much coverage in the media.
Gary Taubes wrote an article in The New York Times several years ago (which he developed further in his book The Diet Delusion) that's worth a read: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-i…
And Hannah Sutter argues along the same lines, but in a more accessible way, here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1247216…
The arguments appear quite seductive, although it should be pointed out that Sutter has a diet program she's selling on the back of this.
There's an article by jeffrey Steingarten in 'The Man Who Ate Everything' about just this debate
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