The Most Unhealthy French Food

French food is a delicious cuisine that many Americans like to eat. For those looking to eat healthier however, you need to carefully choose the type of choices that you make, because French food can be unhealthier than you may think. Many French dishes are prepared with full-fat creams and sauces, which can really pack on the pounds and even lead to cardiovascular disease if eaten regularly. The following French foods are some of the least healthy choices that you may want to steer clear of.

Eclairs - This fatty dessert is quite popular among the French. Despite its divine taste and popularity, French Eclairs are very high in fat due to the full-fat butter, creams and sauces used to make them. In order to make Eclairs healthier without sacrificing taste, perhaps they could be make using less butter and creams, but this will mean that you need to make your own because if you get them at a French bakery or restaurant, the éclairs will not be made "low-fat".

Croissants - A typical breakfast often consists of buttery croissants (or a similar bread or pastry) in addition to other foods. Sure, croissants and pastries taste great, but with all the saturated fat, carbs and calories, they're not the healthiest foods to eat. Perhaps some whole-grain bread of some sort would be a healthy alternative.

Croque-Monsieur - This is what Americans call a ham and cheese sandwich. Although ham and cheese isn't a terribly unhealthy meal choice, French cheeses have large amounts of saturated fat, and the Croque-Monsier also calls for 1 tablespoon of butter, which adds even more saturated fat. People with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes can have ham and low-fat cheese on whole-grain bread for a healthier alternative.

Creme Brule - This classic French dessert is delicious yet due to the large amount of eggs and cream used to perfect it, it isn't one of the healthiest foods to eat. There are many other dessert choices that don't have quite as much saturated fat, so you may want to choose an alternative to creme brule, or simply only eat a small amount.

Foie Gras - The literal definition of Foie Gras is "fatty liver." This popular French cuisine consists of the fatty livers of ducks and geese. Workers force grains and other foods directly into the stomachs of these birds in order to enlarge their liver in order to "perfect" this dish. Of course eating this excess fat from the liver of geese and ducks is very unhealthy. If you must eat some type of bird, breast of chicken, turkey or any other bird that you choose is a much better and healthier choice.

References

France Traveler - Typical Breakfasts in France -

http://www.francetravelplanner.com/go/paris/rests/breakfast.html

Mayo Clinic - Avoiding Heart Disease - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196

Peta Online Foie Gras - http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/foie-gras.aspx

Welt Online Unhealthy Food Tax - http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2280577/France-might-raise-tax-on-unhealthy-foods.html