Chew On This: French women DO get fat

Whatever elegant Mireille Guiliano, who wrote "French Women Don't Get Fat" believes, they do. Half of all women in France between 35 and 74 and two thirds of French men are thought to be overweight, according to a study released in June. One fifth of all French adults are obese.

So to tackle increasing child obesity, a new French report suggests imposing an anti-obesity tax on sweet and fatty foods. They should talk to the Brits. They tried. And failed. Now in Britain, health officials want to avoid the word 'obese' to save overweight children's feelings.

The French tax and social affairs inspectorates drew up the anti-obesity tax proposal, calling for sales tax rates on foods considered "too rich, too sweet, too salty and which are not strictly necessary" to be raised form the current 5.5 percent to a wacking 19.6.

Britain, meanwhile, wants to use "very overweight" in place of "obese" when they write warning letters to parents about their children's health. Because the word is regarded as "highly offensive" and "shuts people down", say officials. Britain's National Obesity Forum responded by calling the government "prissy" and "namby pamby".

Not a problem in the U.S. According to Tam Fry, a board member of Britain's National Obesity Forum, experts in the United States had at one stage also suggested banning the term obese. But they've now decided the word is key.

"The Americans have gone back to using the term because it's the kind of shock word that makes parents sit up and take notice. It's a nasty word but by God it should sound alarm bells in parents' minds."