For an incredible display of the physical prowess of the human body, there’s nowhere better to turn than the Olympics.

Take American swimmer Michael Phelps, for example. What’s noteworthy is not just his eight gold medals and the fact that he now has more golds than any other athlete in history. Check out the way his shoulders hulk behind his head as he’s barreling forward in the 200-meter butterfly, powering him to the finish line.

With the minimalist outfits worn on the beach volleyball court, there’s no hiding the taut, toned stomachs of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, who use those core muscles as they jump and dive after the ball, in search of another U.S. win.

The gymnasts are perhaps the most impressive. When Wei Yang of China grips the rings, straightens his body and slowly raises it parallel to the ground, every muscle is doing its part to maintain the position. Those same muscles help him fluidly throw his legs round and round on the pommel horse and flip and spin through the air when he dismounts the high bar.

These athletes, and all their fellow Olympians, represent the top-tier of fitness, and should serve as an inspiration to us all to treat our bodies well.

That’s why it’s so disappointing at every commercial break to see another ad promoting a genre of food that contradicts the level of athleticism displayed in these Olympic games.

The athletes in the commercials don’t appear to be actual Olympians, but they are portrayed as such, which may give viewers the wrong impression. Odds are the average Olympic athlete doesn’t top off a difficult workout with a piece of deep-fried chicken and a few pickles tucked between two pieces of white bread.

Athletes need plenty of calories, sure, but they need healthy ones rich with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help their bodies perform at the highest level, day after day.

And those of us on the sidelines need those same qualities in our food, even if we don’t push our bodies to quite the same extremes.

America is known around the world for its problems with obesity, especially in children. Fast food isn’t solely to blame, but it certainly contributes to the epidemic.

So let’s hope viewers see these ads for what they are: sponsorship of a spectacular international event that helps the world seem a little smaller. And may they not result in making the people of the world a little bigger. (kp)