France is a global magnet for tourists. This country is one of those where art, architecture, fashion, and food perfectly come together. While French cuisine is often associated with buttery croissants, macarons, pain au chocolat, and rich cheeses, it turns out that there are plenty of healthy French dishes that are full of nutrients and minerals.
Still, if you, as a tourist, find it hard to get a taste of traditional French cuisine but also balance your diet and eat mindfully, here are 5 healthy French foods that prove you don’t have to sacrifice taste for health.
1. Ratatouille
There’s one must-follow rule if you're exploring healthy French cuisine: you can not leave without trying ratatouille. This signature dish perfectly reflects the traditional French taste. This dish has become an inspiration for artistic works, like an animated Pixar film named “Ratatouille.”
Because of its popularity, it’s hard to find a fancy French restaurant that doesn’t serve ratatouille. Yes, it’s true that people engaged in the French entertainment industry often skip exploring local casinos and prefer playing online and getting online free spins casino, thinking they can’t get a dish that combines traditions with flavors. But ratatouille proves otherwise and offers everything in one bite. Thus, trying this dish is a great idea if you’re looking for an energy boost in a convenient way.
Ratatouille is a combination of vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers, plus onion, garlic, and different herbs for flavor. It is a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can improve your blood pressure and cholesterol and even prevent cancer.
2. Salad Niçoise
Mention “salad,” and some people might immediately think of a boring plate full of greens and vegetables. But in France, authentic salads are likely to surprise you. In fact, French cuisine offers various healthy salads that are absolutely delicious, savory, and satisfying. Salad Niçoise is the most obvious example.
This salad is especially popular for tourists who would like to enjoy something authentically French but not too heavy. This classic dish originates from the southern region of Nice and consists of tuna, boiled eggs, green beans, olives, tomatoes, and anchovies. With all these ingredients, this dish provides a good amount of protein, fiber, and vitamins, not to mention its impressive taste. It is also full of omega-3 because of the tuna and nutrients like magnesium and folate.
3. Mussels
France has another level of culture and techniques when it comes to preparing seafood. There are so many traditional seafood dishes in French cuisine, including mussels, which are considered a delicacy.
French people prepare mussels in various ways based on the regions. However, the standard recipe requires them to be steamed in white wine and to add shallots with fresh herbs for the signature taste. In the end, you get a fascinating meal that contains protein, vitamin B12, and, most importantly, myelin sheath. Believe it or not, the myelin sheath protects your brain cells and nerves from damage and increases positive mood.
4. Soup Au Pistou
Soup au pistou would be a wise choice for a meal if you’re searching for a healthy soup full of vegetables. During the vegetable season, it is one of the main go-to soups for tourists and for the French people as well.
The vegetables in this soup may vary, but most of the time the soup contains green beans, zucchini, carrots, and leeks. The addition of the pesto sauce gives the soup an extra delicious flavor. Considering pesto is made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese, it provides healthy fats, vitamins, and fiber and enhances the soup flavor. Soup au Pistou can be beneficial for joint health as well.
5. Camembert
France is famous for the diversity of local cheeses. At high-class restaurants and cafes, it is usual to bring over a cheese plate and choose any kind of cheese you’d like to eat between your meals.
Camembert is one of the most popular cheese types in France and is very common outside France as well. If you’re trying to eat healthy, Camembert cheese would probably be your best choice, as it has fewer calories (80 calories per ounce) compared to other cheeses. It also contains protein, calcium, and vitamin B12. Even if you have Camembert solely as a snack, cheese lovers will agree that it still tastes heavenly.
Bottom Line
For foreigners, France can be a country full of surprises and shocking experiences. French culture includes a cuisine full of diverse, exceptional dishes, and a lot of them are great options if you’re following a healthy diet. Even though it is common to think that if you want to stay in shape on a trip, you’re going to miss out on enjoying the real taste of foreign cuisine, it certainly doesn’t apply to French cuisine.
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