An article in the paper yesterday about Mireille Guiliano and her book French Women Don’t Get Fat has some interesting points to ponder. She says that "French women think about good things to eat; American women typically worry about bad things to eat". This does make a difference to our treatment of it from selection to digestion, doesn’t it. Avoidance or acceptance – and to compare it with other areas of life where these are choices, my experience has been that the difference can be monumental and so worthwhile. Mireille also says that the first bite is the best and that if the first two or three bites are really enjoyed there won’t be the need for fifty more. She also gives joie de vivre (which she claims has no English equivalent) as a factor in the whole endeavour and it does sound as if she is having fun in life. The book has sold more than half a million copies. She seems to be giving tools rather than a diet or rigid do’s and don’t’s so this is refreshing.