If you need to lose weight, consider taking a trip to another country. Two new entries in the ever-expanding category of diet books look at the cultural aspects of maintaining a healthy weight. Dieters often wonder, for example, why French women remain slim and sensual throughout their lives. French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure examines how you can experience joie de vivre without gaining an ounce. In thoroughly charming essays full of restraint but never deprivation, French-born, New-York based author Mireille Guiliano explains the art of appreciating excellent things in smaller portions and feeling full of gratitude. Growing up in Alsace, Guiliano would pick wild blueberries and savor homegrown foods while sharing meals with her family. Now the jet-setting CEO of Clicquot, the Champagne company, Guiliano and her compatriots rarely diet or obsess over food. Instead, they emphasize quality over quantity. She outlines their old-fashioned daily regimen of plenty of mineral water, a good night’s sleep, fresh seasonal foods, moderate exercise, inspiring activity and love. Guiliano’s elegant ideas will surely inspire women looking to live a simpler, slimmer life without feeling shortchanged.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
