Fuyu Persimmons: ‘Tis the season for Persimmons. These fruits, which originate from China, make an appearance only two to three months out of the year (late October until end of December/beginning of January).

Persimmons can be difficult to find in Paris; after fruitlessly (pun intended) searching through many of the conventional markets we found them in Chinatown (13th arrondissement). Many of the Asian grocery stores carry them, but we like the ones at “Big” on Avenue d’Ivry (Metro Place d’Italie or Porte de Choisy). At 3.99Euro/Kilo they are also the cheapest.

If you have not yet eaten a Fuyu Persimmon (not to be mistaken for it’s softer, pulpier sister the Hachiya persimmon), please do. We are ardent admirers and we think you will be too. (To eat a Fuyu persimmon, first peel off the skin and remove the white spongy part of the core.)

Demeter “Bibio” Organic Yogurt with Bifidus and Acidophilus: We eat yogurt every day, often twice a day: in the morning for breakfast and after a meal as a guilt free dessert (relative to, say, a bowl of gelato).

After sampling nearly every brand and type we’ve decided that the “Demeter” brand organic yogurts are the best out of the bunch (so far). It’s thick and creamy, has a pleasant sweetness--not at all saccharine like some yogurts--and the flavors ring true (i.e. “Passion fruit-Peach” really does taste like passion fruit and peach). The fact that they are organic is an added bonus. Our favorites are Vanilla Bean and Lemon-Banana.

Most organic health stores in Paris carry the “Demeter” brand. We go to the “Biocoop” market in our neighborhood (for locations: www.biocoop.fr [fr]).

Crêpes at the Marché President-Wilson: Though there are crêpe stands on nearly every block in Paris, we reserve our crêpe calories for the ones at the Breton Crêpe stand at the Marché President-Wilson (Metro Trocadero or Iéna, Wednesdays and Saturdays 7am-3pm).

The husband and wife team who run the stand (he makes, she sells) are very nice; the man is clearly a crêpe master. They offer both savory and sweet crepes but we prefer sweet crepes filled with dark chocolate and banana (ooh la la!). There is even a little eating area on the side with standing tables.

Bread roll with apples, honey and sliced almonds: One day, while walking towards the Centre Georges Pompidou in the 4eme, we stumbled upon a secret organic boulangerie. We say “secret” because it’s a rather plain and generic looking storefront with no apparent name in a very unassuming location (on Rue St. Martin off of Rue de Rivoli, diagonal from the Zara; Metro: Hotel de Ville). They use only organic flours and all the breads and pastries are beautiful. We often crave their yeasty bread roll, plump with apples, honey and almonds. It tastes like a healthier version of an apple strudel—it’s refreshingly butter free.

We apologize for the cryptic directions, but it’s probably more fun to just stumble upon it anyways. If you really want, you can meet us and we’ll take you. But we’ll have to blindfold you first.

Falafel Special at Mi-Va-Mi: We don’t care what all y’all say. We prefer the falafel at Mi-Va-Mi over L’as du falafel, the city favorite. The two falafel houses are located directly across from each other--in a perpetual face-off.

This preference could be due to our tender spot for underdogs but, really, it just plain tastes better. The falafel balls at Mi-Va-Mi are less greasy and more flavorful (more subtly spiced than the overly salty ones at L’as) and the fluffy pita bread, as declared by our friend, was the deal breaker. Go and taste for yourself, we think you’ll feel sheepish for scoffing at us. (23 rue des Rosiers, Metro: St. Paul)

Challah Bread at Finkelsztajn: We love Challah bread, so on one atkins-diet-be-damned day we decided to try all the Jewish bakeries on rue des Rosiers to find out which challah was the fairest of them all. The first one was too stale, the second one was too bland, but the third one at Finkelsztajn [fr] was just right: fluffy, eggy and just the right amount of sweetness. (27 rue des Rosiers, Metro: St. Paul)

Green Tea from Le Palais Des Thés: When we feel the need to detox (say, from eating one challah too many) we break out the green tea. Amongst its many purported health benefits, green tea helps with fat oxidation and raises metabolism.

We admit that buying tea from Le Palais Des Thes [fr], an upscale tea emporium, is a bit of a splurge. But when we bought some cheap green tea from one of the large super markets, only to discover that their idea of "green tea" was really mint tea, we knew we needed to seek professional help.

The staff at Le Palais des Thés is knowledgeable and can help decipher the many teas they carry. They have about 10 different types of green teas, but we chose the Chinese “Long Jing” which has a “delicate aroma with a slightly sweet, silky flavor.” (For locations check out www.palaisdesthes.com [fr]).