Off to france - croissants ahead...warning! page

[invino77]

So, I am heading to France for our honeymoon - Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace - my husband is a winemaker so you may note the theme. I am excited - and i think I will be able to really enjoy so much of the food that is actually primal - lots of meats, veggies, foie gras, etc...but I know there will be a hefty availability of baguettes, croissants, cheeses etc. I can avoid desserts no problem, but i think I will have to try the bread products - my stomach wiill guide me i suppose. but, if i cannot splurge on my honeymoon - that is really sad.

I also foudn this which is QUITE interesting about Champagne - so if youneeded another reasont o pop a bottle of Bubbly, here it is!

On 18 April 2007, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published the results of a recent joint study by the University of Reading and University of Cagliari that showed moderate consumptions of Champagne may help the brain cope with the trauma of stroke, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease. The research noted that the high amount of the antioxidant polyphenols in sparkling wine can help prevent deterioration of brain cells due to oxidative stress. During the study scientist exposed two groups of mice with blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay composition) and blanc de noir (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier based) and a control group with no exposure to Champagne. All groups were then subjected to high levels of neurotoxicity similar to what the human brain experiences |inflammatory conditions. The study found that the groups pretreated with exposure to Champagne had a higher level of cell restoration compared to the group that wasn't. The study's co-authors noted that it was too early to conclusively say that drinking Champagne is beneficial to brain health but that the study does point researchers to more exploration in this area.[34]

Mireille Guiliano, former CEO of Clicquot, Inc. (the U.S. subsidiary of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin) and author of the Number 1 bestseller French Women Don't Get Fat, believes that many of Champagne's health benefits are due to its trace minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, and lithium (a natural mood regulator).[35]

[almostGrok'd]

My DH and I honeymooned in France. Absolutely loved it.
Wasn't primal then though so I don't envy the amount of temptation you're about to face.
I guess if you 'allow' yourself a SMALL cheat each day you might just find you end up not wanting one!?!?!
(she says with a wry smile!!!)

[Jedi]

Enjoy,and do not stress about the odd croissant or baguette, great choice of regions for you honeymoon Many french cheeses are from raw milk and quite PB in my book

[Sherissima]

I agree that French cheeses are Primal!

I managed to stay away from croissants, etc. with surprisingly little difficulty - with all the fantastic meat, fish, eggs, snails , ripe veggies and, of course, cheeses, I couldn't physically eat any more!

[kennelmom]

I love France. Had a wonderful time there and found the French to be really nice, gracious people. They even encouraged my pretty poor attempts at speaking their language...in short, they were nothing at all like the stereotypes led me to believe they'd be like.

Anyhoo...I would definitely indulge in a real French croissant and/or baguette! Slather liberally with butter. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmm.

[gini]

Don't worry too much about it. I've lived in France and bread is more of a side dish than a main event. Baguette & cafe latte for breakfast may be the standard, but it's pretty easily avoidable the rest of the time (do you really need to eat baguette with every meal?). If you do have some bread, don't stress about it! The bread is delicious and you will have to work very hard to gain weight with all of the walking you'll probably do.

[invino77]

Thanks all! Yes, i figured I will have a croissant ONCE....and a baguette with loads of fresh butter - ONCE ( or twise!) ....but then stick ot plain yogurt, eggs, fruit and cheese at breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be easy to manage to remain mostly primal with lttle cheats here and there. but I know I am gonna drink alot of champagne!!! SO excited!

With the croissant/bread days, is there a way to combat the insulin spike? Like eat alot of butter with it i suppose?
Thanks...invino

[DarthFriendly]

Have a great time, I do want to visit Alsace some day.

[Egoldstein]

Congratulations on your wedding. I say to be relaxed and enjoy yourself. When I've visited France (from the US), I noticed that the French bread portions that a lot of women eat are not large, more like crostini slivers, coated with butter. Walking will help to combat any insulin spike and there's a lot of that. Really enjoy the cheeses, mmm...

[mdale2]

Do report back on how your honeymoon went! My hub-to-be and I are headed to France in November for our honeymoon!