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.

When is comes to fitness, few are better role models than the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. The tennis champs embody dedication, perseverance and physical fitness. So how backwards is it that they're now lending their faces to an advertising campaign for junk food? Yes, you heard right. The Williams sisters are now the face of Oreos, and not just plain old regular Oreos -- they're promoting Double Stuff Oreos.

Granted, the campaign seems to be promoting fitness, but eating Oreos isn't exactly going to help you get in peak shape!

Have a look at the video ad and let us know what you think.

(Via Fitsugar)

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Just a word or two on those 100-calorie snack-packs ...

You've seen them, I'm sure. You may have even tried them. The marketing mavens over at Nabisco have effectively branded them as "Smart Packs." If you visit the Nabisco website, you'll also see that they've started what they call a "Snack Purple" initiative, audaciously assigning a color to this food as if it were a legitimate awareness campaign.

But, tastelessness aside (not the food, but the marketing of said food), the bigger problem with these 100-calorie packs -- be them Oreos, Lorna Dunes, Teddy Grahams, Ritz Crackers, or Chips Ahoy Cookies -- is that they have almost no nutritional value. Though you may be keeping your calorie count down by eating one of these packs instead of a traditional size bag of cookies or crackers, you're still consuming empty calories. A much better option would be to eat an apple. This truly healthy snack will only cost you about 65 calories, while at the same time providing you with a fair amount of fiber, potassium and a healthy amount of vitamin A.

So, "Snack Purple" if you want. Enter all the sweepstakes, buy all the purple shirts, watch all the uplifting video stories on their website, and eat those 100-calorie packs. But I urge you, do it because you like the taste of cookies and crackers, not because you've been led to believe that you're making a healthy choice.