French Women and the Secret of Yogurt

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

French women have many secrets. They have secrets related to beauty, particularly skin care, secrets related to fashion and style, and, as we all know by now, secrets related to weight loss and health. A big proponent of how French women stay so slim is a magical white cream that can be found in just about every grocery store and market. No, it’s not a thigh firming cream (although I’m sure they use that too!) – it’s a simple food staple that the French know and love – yogurt.

According to Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, ALL French women eat yogurt. Whether they eat it for breakfast, lunch, or a late afternoon le goûter, yogurt is consumed by French women in mass quantities. I recently saw a statistic that said the French eat nearly 50 pounds of yogurt annually per person. That is, on average, about 2.2 ounces of yogurt per day, or about 3- 5 oz yogurts per week. Wow, now that’s a lot of yogurt!

But how does yogurt help French women stay slim and healthy? Well, no one really knows if French women are slim because of yogurt itself, but yogurt does have slimming qualities. The high amount of protein in yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, keeps people feeling fuller longer. As a result, they may consume fewer calories throughout the day. Furthermore, the probiotics in yogurt promote a healthy digestive system and may actually boost our immune system.

So, with all of the health benefits of yogurt, it should come as no surprise that Mireille Guiliano featured this magical dish as the first recipe in her new book, The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. Her yogurt creation, or Magical Breakfast Cream as she calls it, is a combination of regular yogurt, finely ground grains and nuts of your choice, plus a few surprises.

Although Mireille prefers to make her own yogurt, with just milk and cultures, I haven’t built up enough courage to try making my own. However, I was adventurous enough to try my own version of Mireille’s Magical Breakfast Cream. Here’s what you’ll need:

Bistro Chic Magical Breakfast Creame (adapted from Mireielle Guiliano’s version!)

1. 1 serving of plain Greek yogurt (I used Dannon at 5.3 oz.)
2. 2 tbs orange juice
3. 2 tbs finely ground walnuts
4. 2 tbs finely ground oats
5. 1/4 fresh blueberries

Scoop the yogurt into a separate bowl and give it a good stir. Next, stir in the next 3 ingredients, one at a time. Finally, add the blueberries and stir. Voila!

This is so yummy and delicious, you will think you’re eating dessert!

Ciao!