Imagine a world where there were no vending machines lurking around every corner, tempting you and your family members with sugary, unwholesome junk. Imagine a world in which your kids ate the healthy fruits and veggies you packed in a brown paper bag with care, instead of chucking them in the nearest garbage bin and punching in some buttons on the nearest machine to score a bag of chips or candy bar.

Sounds like a world I'd like to live in -- what about you? But would it work out how we imagine, or would the kids just find other ways to satisfy their junky tastes?

A study from the Journal Of Nutrition shows that if vending machines weren't allowed in school, kids would eat more healthfully. I guess that's not really too surprising -- if kids are hungry enough, they'll eat what they're given -- but now that there are some official-sounding statistics on this, hopefully the vending machine will start to die a slow and painful death.

(via Calorie Lab.)

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The secret to becoming fit and trim is painfully simple, and I know you can follow these easy instructions. No diets, pills or programs necessary!

Changing your post-workout routine, tools to "un-Gumby-fy" your yoga routine, and other neat fitness training tips can be found at ...

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Ever feel like you just can't stop eating junk food no matter how much your willpower tells you to stop for the love of Pete? Yeah, I know the feeling. But don't feel too bad about it -- it might be in your genes.

A version of a gene called FTO is believed to cause some people to eat, on average, 100 extra calories per meal. And now for the really unfortunate news: It's estimated that two-thirds of us are affected by FTO. And those with it are 30 percent more like to be obese. No wonder -- those extra 100 calories can really add up -- to about 2,100 calories a week to be precise.

The good news? This gene discovery could help scientists figure out just how to control this obesity epidemic of ours. A pill that would allow me us to eat as much chocolate cake a la mode as we want without gaining a pound sounds pretty perfect, don't you think?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), food allergies and other gut-related problems are pretty common these days. So are we as a population getting sicker, or is there another cause? Maybe it has something to do with what we're eating? Yeah, I think that's more likely.

Over at The Daily Mail, they're talking gut problems like IBS and food allergies -- and why you probably have none of the above.

When a child is prone to issues like gas, constipation and pain, a parent's first move is to assume they have a food allergy or sensitivity to either wheat or dairy and to remove that item from the child's diet. But nutritionist Jane Clarke says that's exactly the wrong thing to do because children instead turn to junk foods. Plus, fiber from wheat and calcium from dairy are an essential part of a healthy diet, especially in kids and teens.

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She may be committed to fitness, but overall, she doesn't have the healthiest habits. Eva Mendes recently revealed that despite her svelte figure, she's not adamant about watching what she eats. Says the gorgeous starlet: "I'd shock you at how much I could eat. Any kind of dessert is fantastic. It's gross, but I also love cup noodles. I'll eat two at a time because the salt really does it for me. They're so cheap so they can't be that good for you, but they're yummy!"

Mendes, 34, adds that the only time she is careful about eating well and exercising is when she is filming: "f I have a shoot I'll work out more and watch what I eat, but if I don't I'll let myself go. I'm addicted to bread. I want it constantly so, right now, I'm letting myself have more of it but when I start my next movie I'll cut down."

Why does she rely on junk food? Mendes also admitted that she is a terrible cook -- so bad, in fact, that she's given up trying to prepare meals.

(via Calorie Lab)

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Kim Kardashian has vowed to eat better -- she loves junk food -- but she just can't seem to shake her bad eating habits. Even boyfriend Reggie Bush has been pushing her to take better care of her famous body. What will it take for Kardashian to get her butt in gear? Training for Dancing with the Stars, that's what.

Kardashian is already in rigorous rehearsals for the show, and she hopes it's going to do her prized "booty" some good. She wants to firm it up, shape it up, tone it up. And she wants to sport the sexy thing in dance costumes that show a little skin. The better shape she's in, the more risqué her attire will get. Her first outfit is not so crazy -- it's just a ball gown, elegant and a little bit more covered up -- but it shouldn't be long before she's baring more and more. She's dancing eight hours a day with pro partner Mark Ballas and already, she's noticing changes in her figure.

Stay tuned. Dancing with the Stars premieres live on ABC at September 22 at 8 PM.

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Do you have a junk food lover in your house? Sometimes it's hard to deny those cravings... especially when they're foods we've eaten for years and years.

Women's Health has a great idea for making some junk foods a little bit healthier. You can mix healthier options in with your not-so-healthy favorites to create a treat that's not so damaging to you waistline. Better yet, when you start adding healthier options in -- like mixing a bowl of half whole grain cereal and half sugary cereal -- you're starting to retrain your taste buds. In time, you'll find you enjoy the healthier foods as much as the junky ones.

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Kim Kardashian told the world in January that she would cut down on junk food in 2008. Three months into the New Year, the star of E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians says her diet just isn't getting any better.

"I figured just eating well would help me lose five pounds or so," says the 27-year-old. "It's so hard to eat well because I love so many unhealthy foods. I just can't stop eating junk. It's awful!"

While her diet may be out the window, Kardashian is sticking with her exercise routine to keep her famous figure in shape.

"I've got a personal trainer who keeps me active," she says. "I work my butt and legs just about every day, and I do cardio to burn fat. I've actually started videotaping my workouts so I can do them on the road. I'm going to start selling the videos soon on my Web site so that others can do the same workout that I do. They're short videos, but if you do them one right after the other, it's a really good workout."

Want to know more about celebrity fitness ventures? Find out here at AOL Body's Celebrity Diet and Fitness site.

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We're all human, which means we all have junk food weaknesses.

Ever wonder what the presidential candidates list as their biggest junk-food weaknesses? If so, you're in luck. TIME magazine recently published A Voter's Guide To the 2008 Election. Among topics such as the candidates' signature issues, their liabilities, and their most memorable childhood memories are their favorite sinful indulgences. Take a peek.

• Hillary Clinton loves chocolate ice cream
  

• Barack Obama craves French fries
  

• John Edwards: Give the man a cheeseburger
  

• Mitt Romney likes pie
  

• John McCain chooses sugared doughnuts
  
  

Not all candidates listed their junk foods of choice. Maybe they're holding back; maybe they're clean. What about you -- care to share?

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I don't know about you but I went a bit crazy over the holidays. I munched on cookies all day, enjoyed a large, calorie-laden meal each night and topped off the day with a glass of wine or two. At least I (kind of) balanced it out by being active -- I went sledding and snowboarding a few times, which allowed me to get the old heart pumping. But in all honesty, it doesn't feel good to over-indulge like that--I was sluggish, didn't sleep well, and the week was topped off with a nasty cold. I'm better now and looking forward to getting back to my healthy routine.

Here's something that would benefit us all, whether we went overboard at Christmas or not: A post-holiday cleanse. I'm not talking about one of those harsh detoxes--rather, do a healthy, one-day vegetable cleanse.

For one day, eat nothing but veggies and the occasional fruit. You can take it a step further by pureeing the veggies and making it a liquid cleanse. Either way, make sure you drink lots of water and some herbal tea if you fancy. It's only for one day and it will help replenish all those nutrients that you traded for gingerbread over the holidays. It's made me feel worlds better and I suspect it will work for you too.

Keira Knightley doesn't eat junk food. Maybe that's why she's so slim and trim. Maybe it isn't that she's anorexic at all, as media rumors might suggest.

"I don't eat junk," says the 22-year-old actress. "I cook. I go to farmers markets in London and cook really good sort of organic foods."

Knightley credits her figure to good genes and a good healthy diet. She's no gym rat, though. The roles she plays in period pieces like Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride & Prejudice tend to keep her in shape.

"The corsets are a workout. Heavy dresses and all that," she says.

Do you buy Knightley's explanation for her weight? I tend to trust what she says, but only because I recently stopped eating junk food and sweets and witnessed 15 pounds melt right off my body. Thinness isn't always caused by an eating disorder. Sometimes it's caused by ditching the junk.

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School cafeterias are getting healthier and healthier. They may not be perfect just yet, but progress is certainly apparent.

According to a blurb in the November 5, 2007 issue of TIME magazine, about 19 percent of schools noted in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report offered French fries in 2006, compared with 40 percent in 2000. Vegetable sales increased from 51 percent in 2000 to 71 percent in 2006. And junk food in vending machines was prohibited by four percent of school districts in 2000. In 2006, 30 percent nixed the junk.

Fitness pursuits are also on the rise. The percentage of districts requiring elementary schools to teach physical eduction increased from 83 percent in 2000 to 93 percent in 2006. And fewer schools are allowed to punish kids with push-ups, which associates exercise with pain. How about recess? There's improvement here too. In 2000, 46 percent of elementary schools required recess, compared with 57 percent in 2006. Sadly, though, the percentage offering intramural sports has not changed since 2000.

A lot has happened in six years. But is it enough?

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Whoopi Goldberg is all about honesty these days. She just recently declared her own personal war on smoking -- "Whoopi Kicks Butts" is the slogan used on her talk show The View -- and now she's speaking out about her love for junk food, the love that's caused her to gain 50 extra pounds.

"Folks don't tell the truth about sex and money or about what they eat," says Whoopi in the November 11 issue of Parade magazine. "But I'm not going to lie to you: I love potato chips, big bags of them. I love junk food. Not sweets. I like salt."

Whoopi isn't hiding the fact that she's been indulging of late. The extra pounds aren't hiding either, she says, which is why she's back on her diet. It's meat, vegetables, protein, and fruit for this Oscar-winning star who knows this is the way she's supposed to eat.

Whoopi has quite a challenge ahead of her. She wants to be completely done with smoking by December 15, and now she's taking on a major diet overhaul. The work may be hard. But the rewards will be oh so sweet.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, I recently lost over 60 pounds and have kept it off for about two months so far. I have done a great job of making great food choices and exercising, but now that the holidays are here I'm terrified I'll gain much of the weight back. Junk food and parties are everywhere. Help! Alan

A. Thanks so much for the terrific question, Alan. You're not the only one facing the holidays as though you are looking down the barrel of a gun. It's certainly the most challenging time of the year when it comes to temptation. Isn't it weird that folks gift us with things such as cookies and pie, that will harm us in the long run? Why do friends do that to each other? It's like saying "Happy Holidays! Let me edge you closer to your heart attack!", or "Merry Christmas! Don't you ever look so good in those jeans again!" I don't get it. In fact, I make a policy of never giving unhealthy food as a gift to people that I care about.

Nonetheless. This is what you can do to stay on track. First of all, remind yourself consistently that the holidays are for celebrating friends, family, and religious values. Christmas for example, truly has nothing to do with mozzarella sticks or chocolate cake. Second, resolve to stick 100% to your exercise routine or even to amp it up a bit. Third, it's OK to say "no thank you." If you politely accepted every piece of pie, chocolate or glass of egg nog, you'd be in big trouble weight-wise for sure. It's OK to say "no thank you". In your case a thoughtful and honest reply of "I've been working really hard to take care of my health" would probably make most people stop pushing. Some will still push, and you can still just say "no thank you". Either that or take the junk food and dump it when no one is looking. At your big holiday feasts I suggest to follow this little rule of thumb. Enjoy a little bit of the things you like, but not too much of anything.

Alan, you've shown incredible discipline to lose 60 pounds this year. Just continue to do the same thing you've been doing. I wish you happy and healthy holidays. Fitz

Q. Miss Fitz. I've been assigned the job of bringing dessert to my son's fourth grade holiday party at school. Have any healthy suggestions? A. Trina

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Dora the Explorer is about to lose one of her media gigs as her name and likeness will be removed from all junk food packages as of January 2009. The same fate is in store for Sponge Bob and any other character Nickelodeon licenses for use on unhealthy foods and beverages. It'll be only "better for you" products the leading kids' entertainment brand will soon endorse.

Viacom, the media conglomerate that houses Nickelodeon, was threatened last year with a lawsuit by parents and consumer groups for marketing junk food to children. Along with cereal company Kellogg, the firm was accused of directly harming kids' health because the majority of food products they market to children are high in sugar, saturated fat, or salt. They also have almost no nutritional content. Still, no one forces us to buy these products. Why can't parents just pass on the items they don't want their kids to consume?

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