IF one needed further proof that the hand-wringing over eating well is reaching a frantic state, a new campaign from KFC may provide it. In a commercial that will begin appearing tomorrow, a woman brings home dinner to her husband, saying, ''Y'know how we've been talking about eating better? Well, it starts today!''

The better eats? She slams down a bucket of KFC fried chicken.

By advocating a place for fried chicken within a healthy diet, KFC is becoming the latest of many restaurant chains trying to turn wide concern over obesity from a liability into a selling point. But branding and restaurant industry analysts said that KFC might face more challenges than the rest.

''It's so counterintuitive that it seems like a long shot to me,'' said Steve Lawrence, executive vice president at Straightline International in New York, a brand consulting company. ''We've all been trained to know that fried foods are a bad idea.''

KFC may have little choice but to try. Sales at KFC restaurants have been softening; its parent company, Yum Brands, reported this month that its operations in China were making more money than KFC operations in the United States.