Nutrition alert: discover why it is not recommended to eat iceberg or sucrine lettuce!

Consider curly endive, romaine, radicchio, escarole, or Batavia lettuce. These varieties are packed with vitamins K and B9, beta-carotene, and polyphenols, essential for boosting our immune defenses, especially in winter.

But that’s not all! For food lovers and zero-waste enthusiasts, the dietician shares an anti-waste tip: transform those slightly wilted leaves into a delicious gratin . Not only is it eco-friendly, but it’s also a great way to warm up after a cold winter day.

Goodbye Portugal: French retirees flock to this little-known Atlantic coast city
Goodbye Portugal: French retirees flock to this little-known Atlantic coast city
Long tempted by Portugal, many French retirees are now turning to a seaside resort in Charente-Maritime with its sunny microclimate. What does this human-scale town, touted as the new benchmark for seniors, really promise?

For years, brochures promising a dream retirement for seniors primarily featured the whitewashed facades of the Algarve and the hills of Lisbon. Guaranteed sunshine, a lower cost of living, generous tax advantages: Portugal ticked all the boxes for a retirement far from the gloom. Recently, this scenario has faltered, to the point that many French retirees are once again looking back to France.

On the Atlantic coast, a town in Charente-Maritime is now attracting a lot of attention. Human-sized, located on the oceanfront, and well-connected to the rest of the country, it offers what many hoped to find in southern Europe. For many observers, it could be the new favorite French town for retirees . And this small port has a name that’s coming up more and more often: Royan .

Why Portugal is less appealing to French retirees
While Portugal still has significant advantages, the tax landscape has changed. In 2024, Lisbon tightened the special regime for non-habitual residents, which allowed many Europeans to be exempt from pension taxes for ten years. Add to that soaring property prices in desirable neighborhoods, and the budget gap with France has narrowed considerably for future retirees.

For many seniors, long-term expatriation also reveals its limitations. The daily language barrier, the administrative procedures in a different system, and the distance from children or grandchildren become more burdensome with age. Returning to France, without giving up the sun or the sea, then becomes a reassuring, almost obvious compromise.

Royan, the favorite French city for French retirees on the Atlantic coast
On the Charente coast, Royan perfectly fits the bill. This town of just over 19,000 inhabitants enjoys approximately 2,400 hours of sunshine per year, with mild winters and summers that are rarely stifling. Its long sandy beaches, Belle Époque villas, and post-war modernist architecture create a bright, almost retro atmosphere. It offers “a peaceful daily life close to the ocean without leaving France,” as described by Grazia magazine, quoted by Presse-citron.

This atmosphere naturally attracts those over 60, who already represent a large part of the population according to the latest public data. The website Meilleuragents.com, cited by Presse-citron, aptly summarizes the local newspaper: “Royan offers numerous events and activities throughout the year. For example, this March, there was the Clap d’Or awards ceremony and short films, markets, shiatsu workshops (parent/child), upcycling workshops, bike tours… Not everything is free, but there are enough things on offer to have fun and share pleasant moments without breaking the bank.”

Real estate, health, daily life: what retirees find in Royan
To settle there, the budget remains more affordable than on the Basque coast or in many southern resorts. Meilleuragents.com adds that “the average price per square meter is €3,775 for an apartment and €4,262 for a house,” which is less than in very popular seaside towns. A hospital, clinics, specialist doctors, and an urban bus network complete the picture and allow retirees to live near the sea without sacrificing quality healthcare.

ISOTET: an educational system that breaks the mold
young graduates of Isotet throwing their graduation caps
2025 is certainly a landmark year in the education system. Indeed, at just nine years old, a girl passed one of France’s most dreaded exams, the baccalaureate, achieving a remarkable 20/20 in the oral exam.

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My 9-year-old daughter baked 300 Easter cookies for the homeless — the next morning, a stranger showed up at our door with a briefcase full of cash. My daughter, Ashley, has always had a heart too big for her chest. Since my wife died, we’ve barely been making ends meet. We spent everything we had trying to save her from cancer. But when Easter came this year, Ashley told me she’d been saving up her own money to buy ingredients. “For the homeless,” she said. Her mom used to be one of them. She was thrown out by her parents when they found out she was pregnant with Ashley. When I met her, she had nothing — but she had the brightest smile and the sharpest mind I had ever seen. I fell in love with her. I took her and Ashley in. And from that moment on, Ashley became my daughter in every way that matters. So when Ashley said she wanted to help people like her mom once was… I didn’t stop her. For three nights straight, after school and homework, she baked. Her little hands worked nonstop. She found her mom’s old cookie recipe. She rolled every piece of dough herself. She decorated every cookie. She made three hundred cookies. On Easter, she handed them out one by one. She looked people in the eyes. She wished them a Happy Easter. Some of them smiled. Some of them cried. I stood there thinking it was the proudest moment of my life. I thought that was the end of it. The next morning, I was washing a mountain of dishes when the doorbell rang. I opened the door. An older man stood there in a worn-out suit, holding a scratched aluminum briefcase. His eyes were locked on Ashley. Before I could ask anything, he set the case down and opened it. I froze. Stacks of hundred-dollar bills — more money than I had ever seen in my life. “I saw what your daughter did yesterday,” he said, his voice shaking. “I want to give all of this to her.” My heart skipped. Then he added: “But you have to agree to ONE CONDITION.” My chest tightened. “What condition?” I asked. He stepped closer. He lowered his voice. And what he asked for in return made my blood run cold.