By: Karolina Starczak

Sep 13, 2009

It’s time to chuck the leek soup and stop imitating French eating habits in hopes of a fitter figure. Unless, of course, you want to deprive your body of essential nutrients. A new study published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition, found that most French adults do not meet the requirements of several key nutrients with their current eating habits. I guess a diet that allows white bread, wine, and chocolate was bound to have a catch.

The study looked at seven-day food records from 1171 French adults ages 20 to 75 years old. Turns out that 78 percent of the participants did not meet major nutrient recommendations! That’s a lot of nutrient gaps if you ask me, especially since consuming adequate nutrients is associated with chronic disease prevention.

So what exactly was missing from the French diet? Get ready it’s a long list: vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, iron, and vitamin E were lacking from the diet, especially in women. While cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium levels were found to be too high. Definitely sounds like a recipe for disaster more than a trim waistline.

To avoid skimping on important nutrients remember to vary your diet. In fact, that was the biggest issue among the French food records—not nearly enough variety. Since different foods have different vitamins and minerals, it can be very easy to miss getting everything you need by eating the same things over and over. If you find yourself falling victim to what I like to call “broken record munchies”, spice things up with the following tips:

1. Dust off your recipe book. We all have our favorite recipe books and websites, so why not flip through and find a couple of new quick and easy dishes. Go for the recipes that have ingredients you’ve never tried before to truly vary your meals.
2. Make each night an ethnic night. Whether you’re eating out, grabbing a frozen dinner, or throwing together your own meal, try a different ethnic dish each night to switch things up. Different cultures have different staple foods to help expand your food selection.
3. Stop by a few food festivals. Not only are they a blast, but there is no better way to sample a variety of foods and find new favorites. Don’t forget to grab a few menus from your favorite stands.

How do you find new food ideas to keep your diet from going stale?

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