Olympic Athletes Eat McDonald's All Day, Every Day…

on February 22, 2010 at 7:00 AM

...At least, that's what the McDonald's Olympic-themed advertising campaign is cramming down our throats. If you've been watching the Winter Olympics, you know what I'm talking about. The commercials are impossible to miss—trim, healthy-looking people, decked out in ski jackets and snow goggles, gulping down McDonald's Meal Number 4 before hitting the slopes.

After I eat a Big Mac and fries, all I want to do is lay on the couch and wait for my blood sugar to stabilize. That's why I find it infuriating that McDonald's is trying to convince us that Olympic athletes, who are at the pinnacle of health and fitness, would ever, EVER incorporate its products into their diet.

In fact, McDonald's should win the gold medal in misleading advertising. Take, for example, its ad for Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. In promoting the new sauce, McDonald's make the following claim:

"[It's] the very same sauce enjoyed at the Olympic village. So, now you don't have to be an Olympic athlete to eat like one."

Yes, that sauce may be available at locations in the Olympic village, but I'm pretty certain that unless the athletes need dipping sauce for their oatmeal, protein smoothies, whole wheat pasta, and lean protein, they're probably not partaking in that product. Tricky, tricky, McDonald's. But you can't fool me. (And, no, Chicken McNuggets are not "lean.")

Or, the ad with the coach consoling his kid's hockey team, which has just lost a match:

"Guys, we came up a little short today...I'm proud of you. You played with heart. You played like Olympians, so today we eat like Olympians."

And then the voice-over continues, spewing falsehoods right and left:

"Golden juicy chicken McNuggets, a favorite of athletes at the Olympic winter games."

McNuggets may be a favorite of Olympians. But to insinuate that the athletes are eating them around the time of their competition and training is a big, fat, juicy McLie.

Olympic athletes eat healthy, well-balanced, clean meals four to six times a day. And anyone that claims otherwise, especially to promote a product, is a murderer of the truth. Find me a nutritionist who claims that processed, fried food is a regular part of a serious athlete's training regiment, and I'll be pulling up at the next drive-thru STAT.

But until then, I'm DVRing the Olympics and fast-forwarding through this blatant trickery and deception.

Do you think the McDonald's Olympic ads are misleading?

Daily Buzz Winter Olympic Coverage

About the author Kim Conte

has shoes that make people stop her on the street and ask "Where did you get those?" but it doesn't work for taxi cabs as she was hit by one ... and lived to tell the tale. She has more freckles than Lohan but way less attitude. And she's a fierce cook with tons of recipes to share -- and wishes she could share some with Bourdain.

Filed Under: eating healthy, olympics

Comments (6)

aurorabunny

on Feb 22, 2010 at 4:59 PM

It's hilarious isn't it?

They should have an official cigarette of the Olympics that all of the athletes smoke too, that would be equally believable. Actually that would probably be MORE believable.

I could see some figure skaters and gymnasts smoking to keep their weight down a lot easier than I could see any single one of those people scarfing down a Big Mac.

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Cafe MicheleZ

on Feb 23, 2010 at 11:05 AM

Hahaha aurorabunny! Official cigarette!

Nonmember comment from contributor

on Feb 25, 2010 at 3:19 PM

Actually, the fact is that a lot of Olympic athletes do ingest various fast food or McDonalds products before a major competition. The concentration of high fats and sugars do give a major amount of caloric value when dispersed immediately. Of course fast food does not make up a significant, if any, amount of their normal diets. Before competition however the combination or virtually predigested make up of McDonalds products do offer an excellent source of glycemic surge which athletes can use when encountering huge short time burst of energy. Michael Phelps is famous for ingesting foods that normal people would consider horrible for health. You have to remember that 550 empty calories is nothing to a person who expels over 5,000-7,000 calories per day.

sweetheart1985

on Jun 4, 2010 at 2:29 PM

Personally, I think ALL advertising is misleading and targeted at getting you to buy their products at any cost.

A favorite past time of mine is watching ads and picking them apart. I'm pretty sure I'd be amazing at marketing and coming up with ads, but I'm not a big fat liar, so I've chosen to do other things with my life..

Nonmember comment from cameo

on Jun 15, 2010 at 1:21 PM

lol sweetheart1985 i do that too, the adverts piss me off

Nonmember comment from Zy

on Oct 12, 2010 at 5:27 PM

I worked a McD's as a kid next to Madison Square Garden. NBA players lived on McDs. When Olympic qualifications were held there they all came in for McDs. Google "McDonald's every day" and see a long list of really old people who ate there every day. I met so many senior citizens at McD's who came every day, I knew all their kids and grandkids names and their whole life story. 100 year old guy celebrate his birthday there he went at least 3 times a week for over 30 years. The guy who did that movie pigged out on food that just happened to be McDs. He force fed 5,000 calories a day and purposely did not do one bit of exercise. If you ate all natural and did same thing you'd get the same results. It has nothing to do with toxic food or plastics because that's another myth about McDs. He could have called his movie "binge eating can kill". Eat too much kale/carrots/spinach (betacarotene) and you'll turn orange and damage your liver. There are life long vegans who get cancer and heart ailments. The heaviest person in my family drinks soy/rice milk, eats only organic, bean salads, kale, Japanese seaweed, grass fed beef, free range no antibiotic chickens, sardines and salmon tested to make sure no mercury, filters his drinking water from tap...and all that stuff. McDouble, small fry, and small Coke. 3 bucks. Eat oatmeal (blueberry or banana tossed in) and yogurt for breakfast then healthy dinner...and you can eat McD's every day no problem at all.