What's This Guy Smoking?

I opened up my emails this morning to find an e-newsletter from someone called - The Health Ranger. Mike Adams the so-called Health Ranger has a problem with Michael Phelps. Now unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’re aware that Michael Phelps is the US swimmer who has won eight gold medals at the Olympics. Apparently, Phelps has just signed an endorsement contract with Kellogg’s. This endorsement is what has the Health Ranger so upset.

Adams feels that “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.”

What is The Health Ranger smoking? Does he really believe that Phelps is contributing to the unhealthy eating habits of children because his face will be on a cereal box? Adams goes on to say in his rant “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”.

Since when is it the responsibility of Michael Phelps or any other athlete to be the role model for how fat and overweight kids eat in this country? The last time I checked the kids aren’t buying the cereals – it’s the parents who are dolling out their money for the sugary sweets! Lets take a look at the parents of these fat and unhealthy kids that are rolling their packed carts of sugar laden, over processed, prepackaged garbage up to the cash register as they whine about the high cost of food! Lets look at the parents who apparently can’t say “no!” when the kids are crying for sugary cereals. And lets look to the parents who started feeding their children this junk food in the first place.

Michael Phelps went to the Olympics to swim his best, win gold medals and represent the United States of America. Looks to me like he accomplished what he set out to do and he did it in grand style!

Now, if we could only get the parents of these unhealthy kids to get their butts up off the sofa, get active with their children, cook healthy meals in the kitchen, and take responsibility for what they created – then they deserve a gold medal of their own!

Wind