The war on junk food is in full throttle. It began its slow escalation from proposals to improve school lunches and banning soda machines in schools, then maybe took a left turn into a little absurdity with the Mayor Bloomberg-led moratorium on giant-sized sodas in New York City (which takes effect tomorrow).

Junk food has been front and center in recent weeks as a high profile New York Times report outright accused food makers of a concerted effort to hook the public on cheap unhealthy snacks. Now, sugar is back in the crosshairs, and candy makers are beginning to sweat.

It’s nothing short of surreal: the candy industry wants to offer solutions to the obesity crisis.

“If we don’t [act], I worry that someone else will do it for us.” said Debra Sandler, president of Mars Chocolate in North America at the National Confectioners Association meeting in Miami. “We need the whole industry to step up… We are not judged by the leaders of the category but by those who do not take responsibility for change.”

One place Mars and its competitors are starting – their youngest consumers. “They have adopted a policy to voluntarily stop direct marketing of candy to children under 12 years old. That’s a start,” noted Mary Hartley, RD, our resident nutrition expert.
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Jonathan Bailor, author of The Smarter Science of Slim, has recently launched a non-profit organization called SlimIsSimple.org. This group was created with the help of anonymous investors who are passionate about the damage that’s being done to our country (when it comes to proper nutrition and health) and who realize it’s all preventable with proper diet and exercise. This large group of gentlemen helped fund the development of the video above which explains how simple it is to understand what a healthy diet should consist of.
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There are many celebrities we’ve watched struggle with their weight through the years, and Carnie Wilson is no exception to this group. However, Wilson may be unique as she has been very candid about her struggles. Wilson has gone up and down in size and even broadcasted her weight loss surgery. As she continues to fight her battle with weight, Wilson remains in the limelight, not the shadows.

This week, Carnie’s making news as she celebrates a 40-pound weight loss since doing her second gastric bypass surgery last January. She told PEOPLE that she isn’t just relying on the surgery to carry her through, but working out regularly via the treadmill, walking and weight training sessions three times each week. Her goal is to increase her muscle mass
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This week, the Mediterranean Diet was put in the spotlight after a highly regarded five-year study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found it offers exceptional benefits for heart health. Even the researchers admitted to changing their own diets based on their findings, and people the country and world over are taking a second look at a style of eating that has been lauded as one of the healthiest around. There’s little you can’t attribute to the Mediterranean Diet – of course there is weight loss, but it also improves fertility, reduces risk of Alzheimer’s, manages diabetes, lowers cholesterol, and more. It even adds years to your life; those in the Mediterranean, specifically Ikaria, Greece and Sardinia, Italy, live in what are known as Blue Zones, places in the world where the population outlives anyone else.

What is everyone eating who follows this healthful diet? It’s certainly not rabbit food, and it’s not even what most people consider diet food. It’s some of the freshest, most flavorful food in the world. The Mediterranean Diet is largely made up of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, while fish and seafood are also large contributors to the meal plans, followed by less dairy and poultry, and very limited meat and sweets/processed foods. Healthy fats like olive oil are used in place of butter and fresh herbs and spices are used instead of salt.

Take a culinary sneak peek at what a day on the Mediterranean Diet might look like, and consider adopting this style of eating for yourself. (Did we mention there’s wine?)
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In this infographic, developed by Term Life Insurance, you’ll see a few of the many health issues that soda plays a large role in. Heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, reproductive issues…the list goes on and on. I’m sure you’ve heard these warnings before, but have you really thought about what that can of Coke is doing to your insides? By consuming soda on a regular basis you’re basically asking to be miserable and sick.
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