Unless you’re here for a long time or you have an apartment, forget about it. It’s not going to happen. I came to this realization after my latest attempt. I looked at the items in the case for breakfast and decided an egg sandwich looked the healthiest. Well, what appeared to be egg white in that sandwich was actually some kind of puffy cheese. So I found myself trying to eat the yolk, then a little bit of the toast to quell my hunger. Umm, no. The toast, not that visible in the case, was a thoroughly buttered bread, grilled on both sides. I ended up eating half of the middle and pitching the rest of the sandwich, though it was delicious.

If you try to eat healthy in a restaurant or cafe, particularly if you don’t have really great French language skills, all you’ll get is puzzled looks from the waiters and crappy food. My advice is this: enjoy the food, bring some protein bars to avoid snacking and just eat less. If you have an apartment, try to eat breakfast and lunch at home, then just eat less for dinner. If you can, avoid the “plats” altogether and go for salads or the entrees (what they call appetizers here).  Sometimes the entrees are lighter and portions are usually generous.