(NaturalNews) Just when you thought that the absurdity of junk food corporations in trying to pass their products off as "healthy" had reached its limit, the Coca-Cola Company goes and hires a team of "fitness and nutrition experts," including a vast network of certified "dietitians," to hawk Coca-Cola soda throughout the media as a healthy snack option.

The international beverage giant recently launched a propaganda blitz to push so-called "mini cans" of Coke, which are 4.5 ounces smaller than the normal 12-ounce can, as a healthy snack beverage. Advertisements and what appear to be news articles written by independent health "consultants," which have been seen in newspapers and magazines and on television and across various news websites, claim that Coca-Cola products are "refreshing" and "healthy."

Beset by dwindling sales, Coca-Cola is employing the devious strategy to try to reel back in the dumber segments of its straying customer base that, despite their feeble efforts to eat better, are perhaps easily swayed by empty claims from paid health "experts" about the merits of slurping down a can of Coke after a workout or trail run.

One article posted at Patch.com, for instance, which appears to offer advice about how to snack healthily, recommends not eating an entire box of processed snack crackers, eating only one plate of snacks, avoiding lengthy conversations at parties (because, apparently, this causes you to snack more) and then the outlier -- be sure to grab that "refreshing" mini can of Coca-Cola!

"Limit yourself to a single-serving - one 100-calorie snack or look for a refreshing beverage option such as a mini can of Coca-Cola," reads the obvious endorsement for Coke products, posing as an independent article about health.

Paid bloggers and "health" coaches push active people to drink vitaminwater rather than actual water

This same article also pushes exercise as a solution to better health, recommending (not surprisingly) even more Coke products in order to stay hydrated. Hilariously, the article throws in the following not-so-subtle plug for another unhealthy Coke product that some people choose to drink instead of pure water.

"Remember proper hydration prior to any physical activity is a must...vitaminwater zero is a great option as it has zero calories and it taste [sic] great!"

Anybody with a brain will immediately notice that the entire "health" article is centered around getting people to drink more Coke products. Heck, the vitaminwater zero plug is actually bolded in the article, insinuating that it's more important to your health than even the recommended exercise routines, which are also carelessly and shallowly put together.

"Incorporating some of these small changes in your daily routine can go a long way in improving your heart health," adds the piece, which is cited as being authored by "Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist" Norma Rixter.

The Coca-Cola Company openly admits that the campaign is a ploy, but insists that every "big brand works with bloggers or has paid talent." Except there's nothing in the realm of "talent" when it comes to pushing products loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), phosphoric acid, cancer-causing caramel color and other harmful ingredients as some kind of pre- and post-workout superfood beverage.

It's absolutely laughable that the Coca-Cola Company would surmise that such an approach has any chance of being a success. How stupid do these company executives think people are that they would propose cans of soda pop as a healthy snack option?

Sources for this article include:

http://www.startribune.com

http://www.hngn.com

http://patch.com

http://www.naturalnews.com