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Michael Phelps has signed a lucrative deal to promote Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes.

Basically, he will be using his celebrity status to push sugary, processed foods onto a generation of young people who already suffer from skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes.

Kids today need healthy role models who will not sellout to junk food promoters who have no problem trading fame for unethical profits.

Question: Does Phelps have a moral obligation to more carefully consider the consequences of his endorsements?

My opinion? Yes. I like Phelps as much as anyone else. He’s an extremely likeable guy who we all enjoyed watching succeed in Beijing. However, by endorsing Frosted Flakes cereal, he has now proven himself to be basically no different than anybody else who pushes unhealthy substances on American kids. Why couldn’t Phelps have found a healthy food product to endorse instead? I’ll tell you why…because cereal companies have much higher markups and have a lot more money to throw at celebrity endorsements.

We could even go so far as to say that Phelps has put his own profits ahead of the welfare of his millions of fans. While his fans get fat, Phelps gets rich.

Will the day come when Phelps realizes his mistake? Perhaps so. When his swimming days are done if he’s still eating and promoting junk food he will join his fans in experiencing a host of health problems. Hopefully, he’ll realize that processed sugar is not the “breakfast of champions.”

This does not take away from the fact that Phelps earned those eight gold medals. He is an amazing swimmer but not such a good role model. It’s too bad because he could have been a true champion on a whole new level by promoting some healthy products instead.

Tip #9: Get into nature

Wherever you end up…be sure to find a park, beach, lake, or forest where you can relax and soak up some nature. Getting outside and breathing the fresh air can make a big difference in your stress level.  Make a point to get into nature wherever you go.

Also, open your hotel room curtains before you go to sleep so that the morning light comes through and resets your circadian rhythm.  This makes sure that you are in sync with the local time. This is a therapeutic use of light and is key to getting your body in sync with reality. If your hotel room is pitch dark your brain will never get the signal that it’s time to produce those “wake me up hormones!”

Tip #8: Stay active!

Staying active is key to staying healthy on any trip — and not for the reasons you may suspect. One of the best advantages of exercise while away from home is that your body sweats out toxins. This will eliminate toxic chemicals through your sweat glands.

The key here is not necessarily to work your heart or muscles, but to sweat as much as possible while you replenish your body with healthy fluids.

Of course, exercise also reduces stress and enhances your mood.  That tends to make your travel a lot more enjoyable.

Tip #7: Seek out the healthiest food you can find

Once you arrive at your destination, don’t run to the local all-you-can-eat processed food bar.  Find a Whole Foods or even just a regular grocery store so you can buy some fresh produce. Even if you can’t find organic, just get something fresh. Non-organic produce is still better than anything processed.

Even without a refrigerator,  you can still load up on oranges, melons and a few fresh items that will last a day or two without refrigeration. For those times when I’m completely out of fresh produce options, I like to buy almond milk and puffed kamut cereal, then I stir some SunWarrior protein into a bowl of kamut to make a high-protein cereal snack. It isn’t raw, and it’s not fresh, but it’s not bad for food on the road. It certainly beats the $15 scrambled eggs offered by your hotel’s room service menu (which are probably scrambled on Teflon pans, by the way…)

Tip #6: Bring some Organic Food Bars or other healthy, portable foods

You’ve probably noticed that airline food is mostly junky food filled with chemicals. If you are striving to avoid processed foods, don’t destroy your health by compromising and eating junk while traveling. Bring your own food and avoid the toxic food items handed out to all the other hapless passengers.

There are lots of options for easy portable food these days.

Organic Food Bar

Greens+ High Protein Food Bar

Raw nuts are a great snack to bring along from home, too.

Tip #5: Bring a gravity-fed countertop water filter (Brita, Pur, etc.)

A gravity-fed countertop water filter will let you create clean water just about anywhere. Just fill it up with your hotel’s tap water and wait for filtered water to appear in the container.

Obviously, it’s not the best water in the world. But when you are traveling a countertop Brita filter will remove chlorine and other pollutants and give you safe water to drink without forcing you to buy bottled water.

These water filters are very light, too. No added weight!

Tip #4:

Choose carefully the supplements you take and bring them in plastic bottles, not glass.
It is generally preferred to store nutritional products in glass bottles as a usual practice but while traveling  carry them in either plastic bottles or plastic bags. Plastic isn’t good for normal use, but you just shouldn’t risk glass breakage and the mess that will follow.

Tip #3: Bring a Blender Bottle to make instant superfood drinks

The Blender Bottle uses a stainless steel coil inside a plastic shaker bottle to make superfood smoothies that are almost as good as those you’d make in a blender.

The blender bottle is very light, durable and easy to pack. It won’t blend up fruits and vegetables but it easily blends superfood powders. Don’t leave home without this cool device!

Tip #2: Bring superfood powders

If you bring some superfood powders with you, you always have an instant meal if you need it. Don’t kill our immune system by eating junk when you travel. Bring your own superfoods and amaze your friends and relatives with your impressive commitment to a healthy diet!

Superfood Recommendations:

Living Fuel

Boku Superfood

Healthforce Nutritionals

HempShake

Emerald Balance

Delicious Greens

Whole Foods has a new product now called Amazing Meal.

The goal is to travel with as much nutritious food as you can in a highly concentrated form. There’s no form more concentrated than dried superfood powders. Just add water, shake it up, and you’ve got a meal!

Traveling can be really hard on your health. There are lots of factors that can work against you when you are on the road. The increased stress, changing time zones and not being able to find healthy food can all hurt your health. If you travel by air you have the added problems of exposure to airborne germs, fragrance chemicals, and other pollutants you may be exposed to by unhealthy people around you. Additionally, there’s the difficulty of bringing all your supplements with you.

So how can you protect yourself from sickness and environmental stress and keep to your healthy diet while traveling? This begins a multi-part series containing some great healthful tips for staying healthy when traveling.

Tip #1:

Boost your immune system before you go.

Don’t even think about walking into an airport, train station or other public place like this without protecting your immune system first. How you may ask? For at least three days before leaving start drinking lots of vegetable juice and taking immune-boosting herbal supplements. This works even better if you’re already drinking fresh juices every day as a regular habit. But even if you’re not do this before you travel.

For supplements, try garlic supplements, Echinacea, goldenseal, ginger and other similar immune herbs.

It’s also important to get plenty of zinc in your diet by eating pumpkin seeds or taking high-quality zinc supplements. Taking lots of vitamin C and vitamin D3 is also beneficial. Be sure to you get high-quality supplements.

Part 2 Coming Next Time!