(NaturalNews) Super-Olympian Michael Phelps, who famously follows a horrendous junk food diet, has now signed a lucrative deal to promote Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes. In doing so, he will leverage his celebrity status to push sugary, processed foods onto a generation of children who already suffer from unprecedented rates of obesity and diabetes. Processed sugar, as you know, promotes both diseases and causes nutritional deficiencies at the same time.
The deal has earned Phelps harsh criticism from some doctors, such as nutritionist Rebecca Solomon of
Mount Sanai Medical Center. In a
Daily News article posted this morning, Solomon said, "I would not consider Frosted Flakes the
food of an Olympian."
That's the understatement of the day. I would consider Frosted Flakes to be the food of a
generation of obese, diabetic, ADHD
kids who need real role models they can follow, not sellout
junk food promoters who trade fame for unethical
profits.
Does Phelps have the right to promote Frosted Flakes? He has the legal right, sure, but given his considerable notoriety,
he has the moral obligation to more carefully consider the consequences of his endorsements. Still, to expect a junk-food-eating 23-year-old to understand
nutrition and ethics may be asking a bit too much, but it's not exactly rocket science to understand that processed
sugar promotes obesity.
Michael "Sellout" Phelps
In my view, by endorsing Frosted Flakes cereal,
Michael Phelps has gone from a Super Olympian to a Super Sellout. He has now proven himself no different than anybody else who pushes unhealthy substances to American kids, other than the fact he can swim really fast. Why couldn't Phelps have sought out a
superfood company to endorse instead? Or at least a
healthy food product? (Answer: Because cereal companies operate on much higher markups and have a lot more
money to burn on celebrity endorsements.)
Alchemists say you can't turn lead into gold, but with this Kellogg's deal, Phelps has done something even more amazing: He's turned gold into
fool's gold, because sugared-up
corn flakes is not the
breakfast of champions; it's the breakfast of fools.
Continuing the destructive alchemy, Phelps has also transformed himself from a likeable champion to a corporate-sponsored jerk who puts his own profits ahead of the welfare of his millions of fans. While his fans get
fat, Phelps gets rich. But money can't buy back the lost opportunity to have a positive influence on our nation's youth.
There may be a day when Phelps realizes his error in judgment. When his swimming career is over, if he's still
eating and promoting junk
foods, he will join his many fans in experiencing the onset of
diabetes and obesity, and he'll come to realize that processed, genetically-modified sugar is simply not the breakfast of champions. It is the breakfast of an over-fed, under-nourished, sugared-up generation of fat kids who are being put on dangerous medications to treat diseases caused by poor nutritional habits. Way to go, Phelps!
I find it fascinating that the Olympics Committee has nothing to say about all this. They have such strict rules about athletes' behavior during the event. If you insult your fellow
athletes, you can be stripped of your medals. But if you insult the intelligence of your fans, that's considered business as usual, apparently.
None of this, by the way, takes away from the fact that Phelps really did earn eight gold medals. He is a fantastic swimmer, but he's a lousy role model. And that's sad, because he could have been a true champion on a whole new level by promoting healthful foods, green products and socially-responsible organizations.
Swimmer Dara Torres, by comparison, is powered by superfoods (LivingFuel) and healthy habits. She's an astonishing 41 years old and still earned two silver medals. In my view, Dana is the far greater champion.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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