The weight question is easy to answer, like the Italians the french love and demand high quality cuisine. This means they indulge in quality rather than quantity - savouring moderate quantities of flavourful foods rather than gorging on huge meals of processed or unhealthy foods. As delicious foods are readily available they also feel less inclined to binge when out to dinner. The French also have a much more balanced approach to exercise being much more physically active in daily life rather than moving very little all week and then going to the gym for two hours on the weekend and thinking that is sufficient.
As for living longer the secret there is down to their high consumption of red wine. Not only does this help the French feel more cheerful and relaxed in their old age but it actually slows down the ageing process in their bodies.
And now for the science (feel free to skip straight to the recipe for chocolate mousse)! The red pigment in the skin of red grapes contains a potent antioxidant called resveratrol. Resveratrol slows the ageing process by lengthening/restoring our telomeres. These are like candle wicks attached to the ends of our chromosomes which are shortened/burn quicker through exposure to toxins, oxidation and stress amongst other things. The shorter our telomeres get the faster our cells age. Antioxidants can slow the shortening of our telomeres and even lengthen them which resveratrol is particularly good at, hence the life extending effects of red wine. If you don't like red wine or like me rarely drink alcohol then fear not, resveratrol is also available as a supplement so it's not an excuse to drink a bottle or red every night!
Another food the french enjoy that has anti-aging benefits is cocoa which also has antioxidant properties. Obviously when mixed with milk, fats and loads of sugar it isn't so good for you but the french tend to enjoy small amounts of low sugar dark chocolate as an occasional treat. Look for chocolate with only cocoa, cocoa butter and sugar as the ingredients and 60 per cent cocoa minimum.
Here's a recipe taken from one of my Montignac Method books for a rich dark chocolate mousse. Using dark chocolate and not adding extra sugar makes it much lower in sugar than a lot of chocolate desserts. Enjoy with a glass of red wine for maximum anti-aging!
Serves 3 to 4
Melt 7oz 60 per cent min. cocoa dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (I like to use lindt dark chocolate for this)
Make a cup of strong coffee (regular or decaf) and stir a quarter of the cup of coffee into the melted chocolate with 1.5 tbsp rum. Stir through with a spatula til smooth.
Remove from the heat and stir in the finely grated peel of half an orange (optional).
Cool the mixture to finger dipping temperature by standing in a tray of water.
Separate 4 eggs and beat the whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks
Lightly whisk the yolks and slowly stir into the warm, but not hot, chocolate until smooth.
Using a spatula carefully fold in the egg whites until sufficiently homogeneous but without removing too much air.
Pour into bowls, ramekins or martini glasses and refrigerate for at least 5 hrs before serving.
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