People worldwide love French cuisine for its delicacies, flavorful sauces and scrumptious pastries and desserts. Yet despite the many appetizing treats, French foods can contain high amounts of calories, sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat and other substances that may increase your health risks. Consult your doctor or nutritionist about your health and diet and the types of French foods to avoid.
Croissant
Croissants are a French pastry that you can eat during any meal, dessert or as a snack. A croissant is crescent shaped pastry that is made from buttery, flaky bread, milk, egg and sugar plus other ingredients that can also include various types of fillings such as almond paste, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Croissants contain substances that can increase your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and stroke. A medium-sized butter croissant has 231 calories, 38 mg of cholesterol, 6.6 g of saturated fat and 198 mg of sodium. Increasing your calorie intake from food can increase your weight. Dietary cholesterol and saturated fat can increase your risk of coronary heart disease. Dietary sodium can increase your blood pressure and risk of stroke.
Eclairs
Eating eclairs and cream puffs may also increase your risk of obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. An eclair is a cream filled French pastry that is served as a dessert. The cream or custard filling is made from eggs and whole milk. One chocolate glazed custard filled eclair contains 262 calories, 6.6 g of sugar, 127 mg of cholesterol, 4.1 g saturated fat and 331 mg of sodium. A cream puff which contains the same, but different quantities of ingredients and different shape, contains 293 calories, 7.4 g of sugar, 142 mg of cholesterol, 4.6 g of saturated fat and 377 mg of sodium.
French Cheeses
French cheeses, such as brie, bleu and Roquefort, are delicious to eat with a glass of wine, as a snack between meals or part of a lunch meal. Yet many French cheeses are made from whole milk and contain cholesterol, saturated fat and very high amounts of sodium. A 1 oz serving of Roquefort cheese contains 105 calories, 26 mg of cholesterol and 5.5 g of saturated fat and 513 mg of sodium. The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommends that you consume 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
Foie Gras
Foie gras is a French delicacy made from a fatty liver from a duck or goose. The process of increasing the fat content of the liver is controversial and has incited protests by animal rights activists who claim it is cruel because many animals are force-fed enormous quantities of food for the sole purpose of producing larger livers. Nonetheless, the delicacy is extraordinarily high in cholesterol and saturated fat, substances that may clog your arteries and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
References
- Bakery Croissant; French Croissants; 2011
- United States Department of Agriculture; National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; 2010
- American Heart Association; Know Your Fats 2010
- Centers For Disease Control and Prevention; Sodium: The Facts; 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010; 2010
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