Why Health Talk at the Olympics Should Go Beyond McDonald's

This year McDonald's is the official restaurant of the Olympics for the eighth straight time, reports QSR Web.

Does it seem ironic to anyone else that a company infamous for making people unhealthy is a sponsor of the world's largest gathering of healthy, fit and, one presumes, smart-eating people? How many Olympians do you imagine eat at McDonald's with any regularity?

McDonald's is trying to use its association with this sporty group to convey the message that it is not, in fact, an unhealthy place to eat, according to Advertising Age. "It gives us a great platform to highlight our food quality," Mary Dillon, McDonald's global chief marketing officer, told Ad Age.

Did she say "food quality"?

I'd say that's a stretch, but McDonald's has some crafty tricks up its sleeve. The company is using the Games as a lunching pad for its new line of Real Fruit Smoothies, another part of an ongoing effort to attract more health-conscious customers.

The publicity stunt: Selected athletes captained teams of children from across the globe, who competed in making tasty smoothies in 90 seconds to win a trip to the games. Gymnast Shawn Johnson's team bagged the gold with a strawberry-pineapple concoction.

While I'm all for fast food restaurants incorporating healthier options, I wonder if there aren't better opportunities in and around the Olympics to help our kids learn about what healthy eating and exercising are all about.

I challenge Olympians — such as Katarina Witt, Shawn Johnson, Picabo Street and Cassie Campbell, who are all helping preview the smoothies on behalf of McDonald's — to find their own ways to teach our kids about how to lead healthy lives without reference to fast food joints.

Photo: vacacion on Flickr