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Abstract
Humans are biologically adapted to their ancestral food environment in which foods
were dispersed and energy expenditure was required to obtain them. The modern developed
world has a surplus of very accessible, inexpensive food. Amid the enormous variety
of different foods are “super” foods, such as chocolate, which are particularly appealing
and calorie dense. Energy output can be minimal to obtain large amounts of food. In
terms of education (eg, in nutrition and risk-benefit thinking) and environment design,
modern cultures have not kept pace with changes in the food world. Overweight and
worrying about food result from this mismatch between human biological predispositions
and the current food environment. The French have coped with this mismatch better
than Americans. Although at least as healthy as Americans, they focus more on the
experience of eating and less on the health effects of eating. They spend more time
eating, but they eat less, partly because of smaller portion sizes. French traditions
of moderation (versus American abundance), focus on quality (versus quantity), and
emphasis on the joys of the moment (rather than making life comfortable and easy)
support a healthier lifestyle. The French physical environment encourages slow, moderate
social eating, minimal snacking, and more physical activity in daily life.
Key Words
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Article info
Footnotes
Paul Rozin is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Professor for Faculty Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania. Much of his research falls into the broad area of cultural psychology, and he is a past editor of the journal Appetite. He is also associate director of the Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Copyright
© 2005 Society for Nutrition Education. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
