The health experts fret that we’ll remember some of those athletes eating burgers and fries and Egg McMuffins.
Figure skater Patrick Chan, speed skater Cindy Klassen and snowboarders Crispin Lipscomb of Edmonton and Brad Martin were among the athletes who talked about their love of fast food in McDonald’s restaurant ads.
With all the eating disorders the experts are talking about, the winter Olympics have gone and made things worse.
“I think it really messes up the whole clear public-health messages we’re trying to get out there,” says the University of Alberta assistant professor of physical education and recreation, whose research focuses on health promotion.
“If you’re not somebody who thinks about exercise or eating healthy a lot of the time ... seeing these Olympians, who are absolutely physically amazing, and seeing them tied to some fast-food restaurant, without even thinking about it, you start making associations.”
It sends the message that it doesn’t really matter what you eat as long as you exercise, and it’s hammered home by the sheer volume of ads that overwhelm those promoting healthy foods.
Dr. Peter Nieman of the Pediatric Weight Clinic in Calgary says he was disappointed with the message the McDonald’s ads send.
“Ideally these ads shouldn’t be there, but they’re there because McDonald’s provides money.
“It absolutely does not help at all (in the fight to stem obesity), but it’s a free society and people are allowed to do these ads.”
“If you can get maybe like a Wayne Gretzky to say ‘eat more fruits and vegetables,’ that would be great. It could be very powerful, especially with children, because the messenger is so important,” Nieman says.
Until that day, Berry says, it’s important for people to know that competitive athletes “eat quite carefully, so I seriously doubt these people are eating McDonald’s or any fast food regularly.”
In related good news: McDonald's announced the renewal of its worldwide Olympic Partnership through the 2012 Games, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to the Olympic Movement and the athletes who compete in the world's premiere sporting event.
