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.

Do you have a soda habit? I went through a period when I used to work in an office and I would drink cup after cup of loaded coffee all morning and bottle after bottle of Diet Coke all afternoon -- talk about sugar and caffeine overload! I have since pretty much cut out soda (and am still working on cutting down on so much coffee) but it wasn't an easy transition. For me the habit-breaking point came when I moved into a home office that (thankfully!) didn't come stocked with a Diet Coke vending machine calling my name from across the room.

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When I started buying organic, I perceived two main benefits: I would be doing something good for my body, and I would be supporting smaller companies rather than pouring my money into some soulless mega-corporation. But I should know better by now -- almost everything is somehow linked back to a mega-corporation. Including organics.

Interested in hearing more? Good Magazine recently put together a handy chart that explains which organic foods are part of which megacorp--and there are definitely some familiar names on there. For instance? Kashi, Morningstar Farms and Gardenburger are part of Kellogg's, Rice Dream, Soy Dream and Earth's Best are part of Heinz, and Naked Juice is part of Pepsi. See the whole story by clicking here.

Any major surprises?

(Via Fitsugar)

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It appears as though there may be a risk to drinking diet soda after all, although it has nothing to do with the alleged risk of obesity. Rather, there is evidence to suggest that drinking dark-colored diet cola (and dark-colored regular cola) can increase your risk of kidney disease.

Based on a report published in the journal Epidemiology, drinking two or more dark-colored sodas -- such as Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and similar generic brands -- per day doubles your chances of kidney disease.

The phosphoric acid found in dark colas, but not in clear sodas such as Sprite and 7-Up, is what gives it its unique taste, but also what may lead to the development of kidney stones. This, in turn, can potentially lead to complications and disease.

I suppose this is yet another reason to just stick to plain ol' water.

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In what I consider to be a winning situation in American schools these days, an industry report (just a disclaimer) states that there are fewer amounts of high-calorie soft drinks in schools.

This is due partly to the banning of these beverages from schools due to newer state laws, and as a result, drinkmakers are introducing healthier drinks to replace them. I'm not sure that replacing high-calorie sugar water being replaced with 'healthier' versions is enough. Well, unless we see what versions are popping up in school vending machines.

Have you seen healthier soft drinks appearing in school machines recently? If so, I'd love to see what newer selections have started appearing. With 22 states having passed various pieces of legislation governing the types of drinks sold in school vending machines, there are apt to have been numerous changes with the new school year that has just started.

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Soft drinks are very tasty on a hot summer's day -- that is, unless you prefer mounds of sugar filled with empty calories. Advice: drink ice-cold water instead.

But besides being nutritionally deficient in many ways, how about sodas being bad for heart health? According to WebMD, a recent study concluded that the folks out there with a "soda habit" (an addiction, in other words), have an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Google that term and read about it -- it will make your head turn.

What to do, you might ask? Slowly wean yourself off of sugary soft drinks week by week, even turning to diet versions to help the transition. Slowly get to the all-natural fruit drink or water route, even though boring corporate afternoons may not have the "jump" you may be used to with a super-sugary soft drink. It's hard, but can be done.

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We're usually too wrapped in in calories to consider another important factor to what we're drinking -- the acidity. Acidic drinks can not only lead to ulcers, but they can rot your teeth too. Fitsugar has a handy breakdown of the worst offenders acid-wise. What are the some of the worst offenders?

• Coke, with a pH of 2.63
• Pepsi at 2.49
• Gatorade at 2.95
• Doctor Pepper at 2.95
• Minute Maid at 2.8

For comparisons sake, consider this: Neutral pH (water) is 7.0. Battery Acid is 1.0 and you mouth's normal pH should be about 6.2-7.0. So if you haven't quit drinking soda for the sake of your health, maybe you should consider giving it up for the sake of your pearly whites?

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I am usually of the philosophy that the grosser two flavors sound together (like banana and peanut butter sandwiches) the better they usually taste once you actually try them. But I'm not so sure about this one, called Pepsi Ice Cucumber. Yeah, that's right! Cucumber-flavored Pepsi! Eeeeew. I'm half curious, but I have to get past the idea that just thinking about anything both sweet and cucumber-flavored turns my stomach a little.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) we in the U.S. won't get to try it since it's being released for a limited time in Japan only. I suppose if it's a raging success over there we might get lucky, but I'm not holding my breath.

And no, I'm pretty sure drinking one of these would not count as a serving of vegetables!

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Is it better to drink pure fruit juice or soft drinks? Both have loads of sugar and there are arguments that sugar content is pretty evenly matched based on the quantity and brand of soft drink or fruit juice you consumer.

But there is more to the picture than that. Natural sugars in all-natural fruit juices are not combined with high-fructose corn syrup (a cheap sweetener) or caffeine and other ingredients that are harmful when taken in large quantities.

Solution? I make whole-fruit smoothies on occasion but day-to-day, I like Naked Juice all-fruit smoothies. No mess to clean up!

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I've never thought much of Prevention Magazine. For me, it is a mass market publication that seems to carry stories that parrot the latest confusing study results ("Is Coffee Good For You?", "Are Bald Men Happier?") rather than helping give us context and explanation.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I read this title:

It Raises Diabetes Risk and Robs Bone. It's Wrecking Our Teeth. And It's Making Us Fat. The Culprit? SODA.

Are you kidding me? Has criticism of soda, heard for so long among holistic health practitioners, finally going mainstream? I think it just did. Here are the highlights of this great article (which is not online yet). We've talked about soda before on this blog, but the Prevention article adds a few new wrinkles to the story.

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India has a problem with Coke and Pepsi, and it wants them to cough up the ultra-secret recipe that is 120 years old. So what's their beef with the soft drinks that so many millions of people enjoy? Well a recent study showed that both products may have "unacceptable levels of insecticides." Say what!?

Apparently, the research found out that the drinks contained 30 times the amount of pesticides that they had in 2003. If you're like me, just the very fact that they have any pesticides in them is news.

Getting that formula is a lot harder said than done. From the article: "Coca-Cola's original recipe, according to company policy, is kept in a bank vault in Atlanta where only two executives -- banned from traveling on the same aircraft -- know it." How's an angry nation going to penetrate that kind of defense? Well, the companies have four weeks to comply, otherwise India could suspend sales.

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