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.

I've always lived in a large city, and while I sometimes curse the long line-ups, traffic jams and expensive house prices that come with being in the heart of things, I don't know how I'd get by without having everything I need close by, at my disposal. And I didn't really stop to consider how lucky I was until I read this article on how food costs vary widely across Canada, with rural areas paying up to six times what I would pay for some fresh produce.

In fact, according to recent estimates, "47 per cent of Canadians occasionally go without fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain and dairy products or lean meat or fish because they cost too much. " Yeesh. So nearly half of us can't afford to eat well?

In tough economic times, it's hard to say whether I would still eat bananas if I had to pay $3.54 per lb, rather than $0.59, or if I would be able to splurge on free-range meats and organic snacks over other options. But ultimately, I think it comes down to choice -- I would pinch my pennies to eat fresh produce rather than spend them on junk food. What about you?

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She's shed 28 pounds over the past few months, but will she keep it off? That is the question, at least as far as Britney Spears is concerned. The pop diva made an amazing comeback in 2008 -- with her career, personal life and stellar body -- but now sources close to the star are apparently worried she's about to lose her fit figure because she's addicted to junk food.

"Britney's been eating burgers and chips for lunch in complete defiance of the strict eating plan worked out for her," says the source, adding, "It's as if she's trying to defy her father and bosses, and break out of the controlled environment by turning away from the healthy lifestyle they've put in place."

Brit, sweetie, don't do it. Remember the VMA awards? That was pretty bad. You don't need to be super skinny, but at least try to be healthy. (Ditto for the 11 stars featured in the gallery below.)

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If you live in North America, you may not have heard of Kerry Katona. In short, she's sort of the Britney Spears of Europe -- a pretty, young, troubled mother whose unfortunate choices and mental issues are plastered all over the tabloids for the public to snicker at and judge at will. Like Britney, Katona recently lost a fair amount of weight but unlike Britney (as far as we know, anyway ... ), she did it with surgery. Fair enough -- the girl has given birth to four children, so things are probably less, uh, firm than they used to be.

But recently, Katona raised some eyebrows when she was caught having junk food delivered to her house. Seriously? I don't have a problem with weight loss surgery except when it's simply a quick fix and the person has no intention of following by adopting healthy habits afterwards. Sounds like she's going to gain it back in no time -- what do you think?

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How great would it be to eat whatever you want while not gaining a pound and fighting your risk of diabetes at the same time? There's no two ways about it -- that would be pretty freaking fantastic. And that's just what a recently-developed man-made drug is promising.

SRT1720, as it is currently known, harnesses the powerful nutrient resveratrol (yes, the so-called 'wonder ingredient' in red wine), which tricks the body into burning fat reserves. It could also increase stamina and protect against potentially fatal diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease. In trials on mice, rodents given the drug didn't gain any weight, even though they were fed fatty food and were able to run twice as fast, though they needed to be forced into exercise.

What do you think? Is this truly the wonder drug we've been waiting for? Or does it sound like just a lot of hot air from the pharmaceutical industry?

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According to Us Weekly, Angelina Jolie didn't exactly follow a healthful diet throughout her pregnancy. In fact, a source close to Angie's French Ob-Gyn told the magazine that she was told to eat "more nutritiously" and that she herself admitted that junk food is "their family's weakness."

Apparently, after the birth of her twins, she really had a hard time putting down the pizza and other high-calorie snacks and desserts, but she didn't have much time to waste before she had to hit the red carpet again. But rather than hit the gym like some of her peers, Angelina says she just went with a strict diet. Although, other sources report that she had a tummy tuck.

Jolie says she received food shipments from a Berlin department store, and not only did the healthier diet help her shed an estimated 50 pounds, it helped Brad lose a few pounds, too. Angelina has also said that "[running] around with all the kids, and breastfeeding" has helped her get back to her slender self naturally. Do you believe it?

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Think about it: You have Tony the Tiger telling you that sugary Frosted Flakes are Grrrrrrrreat and Sunny the Coco Puffs bird telling you to go Cukoo for Coco Puffs. But where's Larry the Lion telling you to eat your fruit salad? Or Fiona the Frog telling you get your five to 10 veggie servings a day? OK, these examples are pretty lame but with the exception of Pop-Eye and his spinach, you have to admit that hardly any cartoon mascots are encouraging kids to get healthy. No wonder youngsters just keep getting bigger and bigger.

That's what they're saying over in Britain anyway, where the lack of healthy cartoon characters is causing a stir. Says one health reporter: "Cartoons are great fun for kids. We definitely don't want to see the end of popular characters like Tony the Tiger and the Honey Monster, but we do want to see them promoting healthier products. Food companies must play their part in the fight against childhood obesity and diet-related disease by acting responsibly."

What do you think? Are cartoon characters a big part of the obesity problem or is this just another excuse to deflect the blame from the lack of parental nutrition guidelines?

(via Calorie Lab)

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Despite your best healthy intentions, there's one unhealthy influence in your child's life that could be damaging his or her health:

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Katie Price, well-known British model actress singer author reality TV star media hog recently spoke to New! Magazine on how she stays slim. After all, no one can deny that the 30-year-old mother of three has a great body. But here's something we can deny: She says she owes her figure to junk food because healthy food makes her fat.

Price is quoted as saying, "I've got this reverse metabolism. When I was in the jungle [on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!] I was the only one who put half a stone on. The more junk I eat the more my metabolism goes up. If I live on salads and fish, my belly gets bloated and I put on weight."

Having a high enough metabolism to eat whatever junk you want is at least somewhat believable, but fish a salads making someone fat? Riiiight. Do you believe Price's claims? I sure don't.

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She may be slim, but she sure isn't the picture of health. Amy Winehouse, the troubled singer with a penchant for drugs, booze, big hair and criminals reportedly lives on junk food, according to close friends. Says one close confidant, "Those who see her on a daily basis are at a complete loss as to what to do. She is lost and bewildered and all she lives off is fizzy drinks and sweets." Because, really, if you're going to become a drug addict, the least you could do is get your five to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Gosh.

All jokes aside, I hope the singer finds the help she needs -- which evidently should include a nutritionist to keep her eating habits in line. What do you think?

(via Calorie Lab)

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Here's a small diet tip from none other than mega popstar Beyonce: Skip the drive-thrus. The sensational singer was recently quoted as saying, "I love all the greasy stuff even though I know it's not good for me. I have to be very careful for months on end about what I eat. And then suddenly I will have a moment of weakness and have junk food. I just try and whiz straight past the drive-thrus now because it can be so dangerous."

Maybe too many visits to the drive-thru is the reason she resorted to the lemon juice diet a while ago? Regardless, this is good advice -- drive-thrus are way too convenient and way too unhealthy. Keeping your fast food indulgences to a minimum is an effective, easy and inexpensive way to keep the numbers on the scale down.

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According to General Mills, sales are up significantly on some popular brands, including baking goods, yogurt, soups, cereal and snack products. Some experts think this is a strong indicator that people are eating out less and opting to enjoy their meals at home instead.

Why do you think this is? If you ask me, there are a couple of factors at play:

• A drop in the economy coupled with rising fuel costs leaves less money in the bank for luxuries like eating out, OR
  
• Perhaps people are wising up and realizing that picking up their meals from a fast food restaurant is doing them no favours health-wise.

I have nothing against the occasional meal out with family or friends, but let's be honest -- cooking your meals at home is the only way to ensure that you're getting the healthiest, most nutritious meals possible. Your thoughts?

(via Diet Blog)

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Comedian Margaret Cho has been out of the spotlight for a few years now, but she's back, and she's 40 lbs lighter to boot, after years of dieting. So which wonderful diet program finally worked for Cho? None.

Cho admits to People Magazine that she eventually lost weight by eating whatever she wants -- including ice cream, chips, fries and pizza. But she did follow two rules: Eat only when hungry, and stick to small dinners, meaning breakfast and lunch are the big meals of the day. Says Cho: "When I was on crazy diets, I'd gain weight because I would binge on diet food! I learned that any restriction on the kind of food I was eating was going to be problem. By saying I can eat whatever I want, I don't crave it as much."

You know, eating junk food when you're trying to lose weight sounds kind of crazy, but I really think she has a point here. Your thoughts?

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Quick -- What vegetable is pictured here?

If you answered celery, you're right. Too easy? You might think so, but according to studies out of the UK, a third (33%) of adolescents (11 to 13-year-olds) can't identify celery. Think that's frightening? Here are some other stats from Diet Blog:

• Over 20% of tweens didn't know what a potato looks like
• 5.5% can't identify a carrot
• 33% of boys couldn't name a cucumber but 90% of girls could

This might not seem like a big deal, but I'm guessing that nearly all of them can identify a French fry or a bag of chips.

What do you think? Does your tween know his or her fruits and veggies?

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Think about it: What form of technology has made the single biggest impact in the lives of children over the past 100 years? Computers have revolutionized the world, but I suspect television has made the biggest impact on young people, particularly because they are a captive audience subjected to clever and manipulative advertising that is targeted specifically at them. As such, it's believed that TV advertising is one of the top causes of ever-rising childhood obesity.

This revelation has caused Mark Scott, the Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp, to push back against kid-targeted advertising, and he's calling for a commercial-free Children's channel to be developed down under.

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