Prof Sanders agrees that fruit and vegetables are not "super foods" that protect against cancer but - like many nutritionists - takes the view that it is better to fill up your plate with vegetables than a lot of the other high-calorie food it's so easy to snack on.

BBC: Five-a-day campaign: A partial success

Here is the ultimate justification for the Bloomberg soft-drink ban, not to mention his smoking ban, his transfat ban, and his unsuccessful efforts to enact a soda tax and prohibit buying high-calorie drinks with food stamps: The taxpayer is picking up the bill.

WSJ: Jenkins: The 5th Avenue to Serfdom

Consider celery, often proposed as a negative-calorie food due to its low-calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content.

BBC: Who, Why, What: Can foods have negative calories?

Food in some company cafeterias have been marked red for high-calorie, yellow for medium and green for healthy.

BBC: Taiwan wages nationwide battle with the bulge

Many researchers believe that it's actually cheaper, in our fast-food society, to eat a high-fat, high-calorie diet than it is to stay slim.

FORBES: The Hidden Cost Of Obesity

The greatest consumption of these high-calorie meals is in low-income neighborhoods where electronic welfare cards are accepted at fast food restaurants.

FORBES: How Junk Science Distorts What We Read, And The Way We're Governed

Whatever it is, the British Food Standards Agency figures it could help stop it by affecting demand for high-calorie foods generated by advertising.

FORBES: Fat Food Fight On Two Fronts