France Grows Fatter...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/in...ese.html?8hpib

January 25, 2006

Roubaix Journal

France Battles a Problem That Grows and Grows: Fat

By ELAINE SCIOLINO

"ROUBAIX, France - In a cold, stark municipal hall, 8-year-old Hatim sat
silently as the pediatrician passed judgment.

At about 4 feet 6 inches and 95 pounds, the boy was declared overweight and
in danger of becoming obese.

The morning pastry would have to go. So would the Oasis soft drinks and the
after-school Nutella-on-bread. Meat and potatoes would be allowed, but only
once a day. A snack could include milk or cheese, but not both. Baguettes
were fine, but where were the veggies?

"23.6 body mass index," Dr. Corinne Fassler announced. "You have to raise
your consciousness. You have to find a sport you like. But if you go to the
swimming pool, don't go to the vending machine for chips."

The French are getting fatter, and Jan. 7 was National Weighing Day for the
country's children. A voluntary army of hundreds of pediatricians fanned out
to more than 80 cities to weigh, measure, interrogate and enlighten.

Roubaix is an economically depressed industrial town in northern France, the
fattest region in the country. Fifty-one percent of the population here is
overweight or obese, compared with the national average of 42 percent,
according to the most recent national figures in 2003.

The trend line is most significant among children. While adult obesity is
rising about 6 percent annually, among children the national rate of growth
is 17 percent. At that rate, the French could be - quelle horreur - as fat
as Americans by 2020. (More than 65 percent of the population in the United
States is considered overweight or obese.)

Just a few years ago, obesity in France was a subject relegated to morning
television talk shows and women's magazines. Now the issue has become
political.

When Jean-Marie Le Guen, a doctor and Socialist member of Parliament, began
introducing bills on how to stop what he calls France's "epidemic," some of
his colleagues dismissed him as a radical fringe nuisance. Now he is
considered a pioneer.

"It used to be little talked about, and when it was, it was the domain of
women complaining that they had put on a little weight," said Dr. Le Guen,
who has written a book, "Obesity: The New French Sickness." The sickness, he
predicted, will be "one of the important themes" of the Socialists in the
campaign for president next year.

Last September, France banned soda-and-snack-selling vending machines from
public schools. The law also banned misleading television and print food
advertising and imposed a 1.5 percent tax on the advertising budgets of food
companies that did not encourage healthy eating. Schools have been urged to
provide students with a half-hour of physical exercise a day.

But the backlash from the food industry and a lack of political will has
made it impossible to impose changes in advertising. More drastic
legislation was rejected by Parliament, including health warnings on the
packages of unhealthy foods, much like alcohol and cigarette warnings; a
proposal to force restaurants to display nutrition and calorie information
on their menus; and an outright ban on television advertisements for
unhealthy products.

With its universal health care coverage, the French government is also
interested in cutting medical costs associated with obesity and diabetes. A
recent advertising campaign by the National Collective of Associations of
the Obese, an educational and lobbying organization, shows a markedly obese
nude woman under the headline "Obesity Kills." (An estimated 55,000 people
in France die of obesity-related illnesses every year.)

Some of the reasons for the increase in obesity are those that plague the
United States and much of Europe: the lure of fast food and prepared foods,
the ubiquity of unhealthy snacks and sedentary lives.

McDonald's is more profitable in France than anywhere else in Europe. Sales
have increased 42 percent over the past five years. Some 1.2 million French,
or 2 percent of the population, eat there every day.

There has also been a breakdown in the classical French tradition of
mealtime as a family ritual so disciplined and honored that opening the
refrigerator between meals for a child was a crime worthy of punishment. A
side effect is a blame-the-mom syndrome, as fewer mothers have time to shop
at markets every day or two for fresh foods and instead put more prepared
dishes on the table.

Findus, the frozen food giant best known for its breaded, frozen fish
filets, filmed French people eating over a period of time and was shocked by
the results.

Contrary to the myth that the French spend hours sitting around the table
savoring small portions of several courses, the films showed them eating in
front of their television sets, while on the telephone and even alone. In
fact, the average French meal, which 25 years ago lasted 88 minutes, is just
38 minutes today.

With all the awareness of obesity, there is also a countertrend. The French
may have begun to embrace the large woman.

Six years ago, the French government declared the model and actress Laetitia
Casta (5 feet 7, 120 pounds) the new "Marianne," the symbol of the republic
on statues and public buildings.

But in his fashion show last October, the designer John Galliano stunned the
audience by putting fat women on the runway alongside string-bean-thin
models.

And last month, millions of television viewers voted and chose Magalie
Bonneau, a 19-year-old student who is 5 feet 1 inch and weighs 165 pounds,
as the winner of the hit talent and reality show "Star Academy." Libération
called her the "icon of 'real people.' " A cover story in the magazine Télé
Cable Satellite referred to her as the new "heavyweight" of the channel TF1.

She managed to lose 29 pounds during the rigors of the competition, and
attributes her victory to her big voice, not her big build. Not that she
thinks her size hurt. "Audiences are getting used to seeing plump girls,"
she said. "A barrier has been crossed."

Ariane Bernard contributed reporting from Paris for this article.

On 25/01/06 7:22, in article
et, "Gregory Morrow"
gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net wrote:

France Battles a Problem That Grows and Grows: Fat


Today's International Herald Tribune has, on the front page, a photo
of a French media ad against obesity.

There is a worry about becoming fatter and action is being taken.

Earl Evleth wrote in message
On 25/01/06 7:22, in article "Gregory Morrow" wrote:

France Battles a Problem That Grows and Grows: Fat


Today's International Herald Tribune has, on the front page, a photo
of a French media ad against obesity.

There is a worry about becoming fatter and action is being taken.

This is true, there has been much discussion at school about this
recently, and our younger children have had a change in their gouter
(mid-morning snack) menu. They can now only have hot chocolate or
yoghurt once a week and have to choose fruit more often. They have one
portion of dried fruit per day as well. Mid-day menus are unchanged so
far.

Though what this has to do with travel in Europe I have no idea!
--
Holly, in France
Gite to let in Dordogne, now with pool!
http://la-plaine.chez-alice.fr/index.htm

On 25/01/06 10:02, in article , "Holly, in
France" wrote:

This is true, there has been much discussion at school about this
recently, and our younger children have had a change in their gouter
(mid-morning snack) menu. They can now only have hot chocolate or
yoghurt once a week and have to choose fruit more often. They have one
portion of dried fruit per day as well. Mid-day menus are unchanged so
far.

Congratulations

Though what this has to do with travel in Europe I have no idea!

Not much, except the travelers do observe. Many have remarked that
most of the people walking around in Paris are not particularly overweight.
I think this is also likely in New York, it is the suburbs and dependency
on the automobile which adds the kilos too.

In addition, meal portions at French restaurants are meager by North
American standards and there is no tradition of the "doggy bag" in
France, a French dog is often brought to the restaurant too!

Like Gaston

http://homepage.mac.com/evleth/PhotoAlbum12.html

Earl Evleth wrote:

[]
In addition, meal portions at French restaurants are meager by North
American standards and there is no tradition of the "doggy bag" in
France, a French dog is often brought to the restaurant too!

Yuck. That's almost as disgusting a habit as smoking in a restaurant.

--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer http://soundjunction.org

Following up to Earl Evleth

Many have remarked that
most of the people walking around in Paris are not particularly overweight.
I think this is also likely in New York, it is the suburbs and dependency
on the automobile which adds the kilos too.

Still OT but I note a news item on UK TV about 5 year olds now
having tooth decay due to excessive "soft" drinks etc. These
problems are not US v EU, (the motivation for posting?) but
probably people v capitalism. We need to learn to somehow resist
the crap food that being sold to us, for those who like to see it
as US sourced, Coke and Pepsi are prime offenders in ruining
teeth and stopping children developing adult palettes. How you
improve the situation in a free society I dont know.
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

On 25/01/06 10:59, in article
1h9pt1s.1kyrva91ag09y3N%this_address_is_for_spam@y ahoo.com, "David Horne,
_the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
offy" wrote:

Yuck. That's almost as disgusting a habit as smoking in a restaurant.

You are insulting the toutous of the world!

On 25/01/06 11:54, in article ,
"The Reid" wrote:

Still OT but I note a news item on UK TV about 5 year olds now
having tooth decay due to excessive "soft" drinks etc. These
problems are not US v EU, (the motivation for posting?) but
probably people v capitalism. We need to learn to somehow resist
the crap food that being sold to us, for those who like to see it
as US sourced, Coke and Pepsi are prime offenders in ruining
teeth and stopping children developing adult palettes. How you
improve the situation in a


It is not just the kids, I see plenty of French adults now
having a "coke" with their meals. This behavior is recent
since I don't remember it 20 years ago. A generation has
been addicted to sugary beverages. However, the over
consumption of sugar is not recent, once sugar cane was
produced in the Caribbean, the British started having
their teeth turn rotten. It was the same over much
of Europe was well as the US.

In the US, the machines are starting to be removed from
school grounds but there was a "conspiracy" by the soft
drink distributors to have contract payments to the
school districts for the right to install their machines.
So there is resistance growing.

Earl Evleth wrote in message news
On 25/01/06 10:02, "Holly, in France" wrote:

This is true, there has been much discussion at school about this
recently, and our younger children have had a change in their
gouter (mid-morning snack) menu. They can now only have hot
chocolate or yoghurt once a week and have to choose fruit more
often. They have one portion of dried fruit per day as well.
Mid-day menus are unchanged so far.

Congratulations

Err, thanks, but it's nothing to do with me, the meals are provided by
the school.

snip....

in France, a French dog is often brought to the restaurant too!

Worse still, I sometimes see small dogs in supermarket trolleys - ugh!

--
Holly, in France
Holiday Home in Dordogne, now with pool!
http://la-plaine.chez-alice.fr/index.htm

Gregory Morrow
gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net:

At about 4 feet 6 inches and 95 pounds, the boy was declared
overweight and in danger of becoming obese.

[snip]

"23.6 body mass index," Dr. Corinne Fassler announced.

From http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm I'm
getting only 22.9

See http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm too.

Rejnold