Eating more balanced, “healthy and delicious” is the theme of the special issue of “60 Million Consumers” this March. We all know the rules of a healthy and balanced diet. The problem is to apply them as often as possible.
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We all know the rules of a healthy and balanced diet, what matters is to apply them and to adopt good habits in the long term. This month the special issue of 60 Million consumers is dedicated to healthy and delicious food. The details of Sophie Coisne, deputy editor-in-chief, responsible for special issues.
franceinfo: Can we really eat healthy while having fun? Nothing is forbidden?
Sophie Coisne: So having fun is really very important. So what ? Nothing is forbidden. Obviously, there are foods that are less healthy than others, but if we stay within limits and don’t eat them too often, we can eat them from time to time. And for example, fats which have long been denigrated have been rehabilitated in recent years, and in particular butter. It can be used sparingly from time to time.
But should we believe the labels of certain products which assure that there is no added sugar or salt? Is it reliable?
So the no added sugar statement is very regulated. So yes, we can believe them, but that doesn’t stop there from being sugar in these products. For example, if it’s a compote, if it’s a fruit-based product, natural fruit sugar exists, it will still be there.
And then sometimes, manufacturers play smart, so they will put ‘no added sugar’ on their product, which is legally not allowed to contain it. When this is the case, for example a 100% cocoa chocolate, or a pure fruit juice, will have the mention 100% without added sugar, whereas this will be the case for all the products in the range . So this will attract you to a product, when ultimately the competitors don’t have any added sugars either.
In this special issue, when you say that the first step not to neglect is shopping time, are there things to avoid?
So there are two dimensions to take into account. We just talked about reading labels and that’s really something very important. Read the ingredient lists to favor products that have the fewest ingredients possible. And then you must also make sure to do your shopping on a full stomach, to avoid choosing fatty, salty and sweet products which are the products we naturally turn to as soon as we are hungry.
There are applications for shopping on smartphones, we can use these applications, can they be helpful?
Ah yes, they are interesting when you are used to using your smartphone when shopping, we compared six of them. They can in particular be an additional help compared to the Nutri-Score. You know, it is really popular with the French. But there are certain things that are not noted by the Nutri-Score, and in particular the presence of additives, additives that are sometimes harmful to health.
So these apps allow you to know if there are additives, in addition to the benefit of the Nutri-Score. So they give a higher or lower score, depending on the presence of these substances. And then they also allow you, for example, to create a profile, based on your preferences. And if you scan a product that does not match your profile, the app will offer you an equivalent product, but one that meets your expectations. So it can be a pretty useful help when shopping.
Less sugar, less salt, less fat, less meat too. However, we need protein. What can you replace meat with?
Yes, so we say “less”, like that everywhere, we really have the impression that we are no longer going to eat anything of Good. So even by reducing meat, you can really eat in a very gourmet way. Obviously, by favoring fish, it is the first source of protein that we think of, and in particular lean fish, which allows you to have a lot of protein and to limit a little pollution from fatty fish. which are more polluted.
But you can eat eggs. And so there, the French, with inflation, turned massively to consuming eggs. For a long time, we believed that we weren’t allowed to eat it every day, it’s a preconceived idea. You can eat eggs every day, unless you have high cholesterol, but this only concerns 19% of the population. And finally, there really is a source of protein, absolutely tasty, which deserves to be rediscovered: legumes.
Another point, should you adapt your diet according to your age and activity?
Oh yes, that’s really very important. It’s also one of the 10 good habits to adopt to eat healthy. The first habit we recommended is eating as you move. That is to say, if you have a lot of physical activity, you can indulge in things that are a little high in calories, but if you work behind a computer, you are quite sedentary. You will have to be careful about what you eat. So learn to recognize and monitor your feeling of satiety, so as not to eat more than you need at meals, and limit your diet a little, when you don’t exercise a lot.