How This Started

I grew up hearing the same sentence over and over again from my mother and my grandmother: “Your health is on your plate.” Like most teenagers, I heard it, but I didn’t really listen. In 10th grade, after experiencing some health issues, I started wondering how exactly what I was eating could actually be affecting how I felt, physically and mentally. In biology class, I had already learned about nutrients, metabolism, and how food impacts the body. But as often happens, it wasn’t until I began reading and learning on my own, diving into studies and articles about vitamins, processed foods, sugar, inflammation, and brain function, that the information truly “clicked.” When you discover something yourself, you digest it differently. That’s when I began paying real attention to what was on my plate. Of course, this does not mean I never eat junk food. I absolutely do and I love French fries and cheesecake just as much as croissants and crêpes, but I became more aware of balance and long-term impact.

I come from a mixed family, with a mother who was born in France and a father who was born in the United States, so I grew up observing clear cultural differences, within an English-speaking household (since my father does not speak French), which shaped my perspective on both cultures. As a result, during my travels to France, I became very attuned to these cultural differences. I noticed that food there was generally less processed and less sugary. People did not necessarily exercise more intensely than in the US, but they walked everywhere. Meals were smaller, more intentional, and often shared (and usually lasted a very long time). The lifestyle felt different, not extreme, just structured differently.

From Personal Curiosity to Systems Thinking

Further, I have always been active. I practiced Jiu-Jitsu for several years, ran track for a short while, and regularly practice diving. When my academic workload increased, I transitioned from organized sports to exercising independently. Exercising consistently helped me focus better and think more clearly so stopping was not an option. Curious again, I went back to research, and found strong scientific evidence linking movement, nutrition, and cognitive performance. The Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano”, “a healthy mind in a healthy body,” from the Roman poet Juvenal, perfectly captures what I began to understand and appreciate.

At some point, I realized that what had started as personal health curiosity was becoming something broader. I was no longer just thinking about what I ate or how I exercised, I was comparing routines, habits, and cultural norms. As I compared teen life in France and the United States, I realized I was instinctively analyzing systems. Why did one environment produce more walking? How did school structure influence stress levels? Since I am not interested in a career in the health field but would love to be an engineer (and I am in a pre-engineering track with incredible teachers), I began approaching cultural habits the way I approach engineering problems: identifying variables, observing constraints, and asking how a design influences outcomes. Engineering is not only about machines, it is about understanding systems and improving them. Why did teens in France seem to walk more? Why were portions different? How did school schedules influence lifestyle? I began analyzing how structural differences, urban design, school schedules, transportation systems, influenced daily physical activity patterns. My notes slowly turned into side-by-side comparisons saved on my hard drive and lots of files, occasionally shared with family and when they told me, “Wait, that’s actually really interesting,” I realized I was approaching lifestyle differences the same way I approach engineering problems: identify variables, compare systems, and evaluate outcomes. I also realized there was no reason to keep it private or stop there and I chose to develop these observations into a space where they could be shared with anyone interested.

What You’ll Find Here

This website began as simple curiosity and evolved into a deeper (and sometimes entertaining) look at how teenagers live, eat, move, study, and relax in France and the United States. Some observations confirm expectations; others completely contradict stereotypes, because no, French people do not walk around wearing berets (although, they do like their baguettes), and not every American teen lives on fast food. The differences are often subtle, sometimes surprising, and occasionally funny, but always worth exploring. Comparing the two cultural systems also made me think about optimization, which structures encourage healthier, more balanced outcomes and how teens could take the best of both worlds. I have actually truly enjoyed working on this website (I especially loved reading the answers to my questionnaires from teenagers from France and the US and I owe a BIG THANK YOU to all the teens who took the time to answer, it’s anonymous but you will recognize yourself) and I hope you will also find it interesting!

• ① Food Systems — School lunches, freshness, portion sizes, and how food environments shape teen habits
• ② Movement & Daily Activity — Walkability, routines, physical education, and why French teens walk more
• ③ Stress & Balance — Academic load, sleep, the Bac vs. holistic admissions, and sustainability
• ④ The Ideal Teen Lifestyle System — A design exercise drawing on France, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, and the US
• ⑤ Data, Sources & Reflection — Methodology, limitations, practical takeaways, and what I learned
• ⑥ Arts & Crafts — Why creative activity matters for teen well-being
• ⑦ The Benefits of Thrifting — Sustainability, creativity, and the joy of secondhand shopping
• ⑧ Dairy: France vs. the U.S. — Culture, safety, and science across two food systems
• ⑨ France v. US teens lifestyle testimonies

About the Author

This website was researched and written by Charlotte D. The project is written in both English and French, reflecting a dual perspective on how two different cultures approach the same questions of teenage wellbeing.

All research is cited in the Sources section of each page. This is a living project: it grows as the questions do.