The abundance of readily-available junk food is believed to be the cause of this obesity epidemic we're in the midst of, but the makers of many infamous brands, like Mars Bars, Pepsi, Froot Loops and Häagen-Dazs, want to be part of the solution. And they've committed $20 million -- granted, barely pocket change to an organization like PepsiCo -- to shaping our nation (literally) by forming The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation alongside several non-profit organizations.

A case of extreme irony? They don't think so -- according to the recent press release, they're "united in an unprecedented, collaborative and focused effort to help children and adults achieve better energy balance between calories in and calories out." In other words? They want you to know that you can eat as many Oreos as you like as long as you exercise like crazy to work them off.

We all know that men and women are quite different. But have you ever really thought about how we're different when it comes to weight loss and fitness? The thinking and the approaches men and women take are interestingly different, like how when women think "I need to diet," men think "I need to get in shape." Another interesting difference? Women are more quick to realize they're overweight and are better about getting started, but men are much more disciplined and structured once they make the leap.

Have you noticed differences? Do these ring true in your experience?

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Though it's not technically "meat," vegetarians in the UK are boycotting popular chocolate bars in response to news that Masterfoods, which makes candy bars like Mars, Snickers, Twix, and Milky Way, will be adding an ingredient called rennet to the ingredients. Rennet is an enzyme taken from the stomach of baby cows and used to make whey. Up until now, the candy bars have been made with a non-animal alternative, and the change seems to be a cost-cutting measure.

So if avoiding any type of animal-based product is important to you, look for candy bars that have a "use by" date earlier than October 1. Any dated later than that will have rennet in them.

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Any new reason to eat chocolate is good enough for me! Prior research has found that eating certain forms of chocolate may be good for your heart. New research shows that it may be good for your brain as well and may help preserve brain function as people age.

It's the flavanols -- found in cocoa -- that get all the credit for these health-boosting benefits. In the study, women were given a cup of flavanol-rich cocoa and then asked to complete difficult mental tasks. Though their test performance did not improve after drinking the cocoa, the chocolate drink did increase the blood flow to their brains for hours afterward. Researchers think this may have implications for treating elderly patients whose brain function is declining, though they say this study was too small to make any major conclusions.

The study was funded by Mars -- a chocolate manufacturer, no surprise -- who makes the popular flavanol-rich Cocovia. Whether cocoa truly does improve brain function remains to be seen, but this study seems promising. (Or I may just be hoping for yet another reason to enjoy chocolate without the guilt!)

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Okay, the Space diet isn't a real diet -- yet -- but it's a fun way of looking at weight on other planets. This article takes a lighthearted gander at what planets we would need to go to in order to reach our goal weight without actually doing any work but hopping on the space shuttle.

Do you know which planet you'd weight the most on? That would be the largest of the planets, Jupiter, where an average 163-lb woman would weight 384 lbs. What 'planet' would you weight the least on? Pluto, where the average woman weighs 9 lbs. Here are the other results:

On Neptune, you're 182 lbs (too heavy)
On Mars, you're 61 lbs (too light)
On our moon, you're 62 lbs (too light)
On Saturn, you're 173 lbs (too heavy)
On Uranus, you're 144 lbs (just right)
On Venus, you're 146 lbs (ditto)

There's a downside though, so don't pack your bags yet. Venus is extremely hot while Uranus is bitterly cold, not to mention being the butt of many jokes.

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