How to eat like an Olympian
The Paris Olympics are underway, with more than 10,000 athletes competing for gold, silver and bronze in various sports. But while you watch them sprint, swim and surf, you may be wondering what an Olympian’s diet looks like.
Depending on their sport, Olympians tend to follow strict diet regimes in order to keep their bodies in tip-top shape and boost their athleticism, stamina and strength.
A typical Olympian’s diet includes carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruit, vegetables and protein, says Carl Smith, who is an expert in nutrition for athletic performance.
The CEO of Active Careers tells Yahoo UK: "Depending on the requirements of their sport, athletes can consume anywhere between a couple thousand to over 10,000 calories a day.
"Athletes eat directly to reflect their sports energy demands, recovery and their individual somatype."
A day in the diet of an athlete
Katarina Johnson-Thompson, a reigning World and Commonwealth Heptathlon champion who has won multiple gold medals and is shooting for her first Olympic title in Paris this year, gives a snapshot of how she usually eats in a day.
Johnson-Thompson, who is an ambassador for Prep Kitchen, says: "My breakfast is usually quite light, as I will head to training shortly afterwards so I don’t want something that is heavy and makes me feel sluggish. I want to feel ready for the day ahead.
"My lunch is fairly light too, but with a focus on recovery after or between training, so I make sure I get a good amount of protein in.
"I usually have a bigger dinner as it’s a bit of a reward at the end of the day, and a way of relaxing for me. I don’t have specifics with regards to counting calories or measuring my carbohydrate intake, but I do try and make sure I have a high amount of protein in each meal."
Kerry Beeson, nutritional therapist (BSc) at Prep Kitchen, emphasises the importance of eating correctly around exercise.
She says: "The focus of eating pre-workout is to provide you with heightened energy, prevent fatigue, and support muscle maintenance and growth.
"As a general rule, you should aim to eat between one and three hours before your session. If you are eating an hour before your workout, keep the quantity small. If you are eating two to three hours ahead of time, you can increase the volume of food.
"If you exercise intensely too soon after eating, blood flow shifts from your digestive system to your muscles which can result in indigestion - not a great feeling when you’re aiming for that personal best.
"It also really depends on your overall fitness goals. If you’re trying to lose weight rather than enhance performance you might want to fast before working out. Exercising on an empty stomach will encourage your body to break down fat for energy."
What to eat before and after a workout
Whether you’re an athlete or just looking to improve your fitness levels, what you eat before and after exercise is worth focusing on. Food acts as both fuel to help you get through a workout, and as medicine to help you recover from it.
Beeson says. "When it comes to pre-workout meals, they should be high in protein and complex carbohydrates as they will work together to provide energy and support your hard-working muscles. Healthy meal prep options can be a great choice for a quick and convenient protein fix rather than being tempted to load up on snacks before a workout.
"The type of carbs also matter - refined carbohydrates are great for a quick burst of energy but this will crash shortly after. For a more long-lasting energy release, aim for complex carbohydrates that won’t cause blood sugar spikes, such as sweet potato and brown rice."
There are some foods you should avoid consuming before exercising. Beeson advises steering clear of foods high in fats, like nuts, cheese and fatty meat, as well as high-fibre foods.
"Foods which are too high in fibre can cause gas and bloating which isn’t ideal before a high-intensity workout," she explains. "Interestingly, we don’t actually digest fibre, it’s indigestible which can lead to bloating and stomach discomfort if you exercise too soon after."
When it comes to your post-workout meal, Beeson says certain foods can help speed up the recovery process, adding: “In the post-workout stage your body really needs nutritious food to replenish and refuel. Some great options for the recovery stage are eggs, spinach, lean meats or whole-grain pasta.
"Again, this also depends on the type of exercise you have completed. After strength training, I recommend aiming for a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. Whereas, if you have just finished an endurance-based session, this ratio should be around 3:1.
"Try to avoid high-fat foods for the first couple of hours as this can put unnecessary strain on your digestion while your body recovers."
Watch: Less than a quarter of kids eat their five-a-day
Do Olympians skip meals or fast?
According to Smith, there is a lot of conflicting evidence about the benefits of fasting in relation to sporting performance, and he would recommend against athletes fasting, as food is a vital source of energy.
"[Fasting] is found across multiple studies to be beneficial for maintaining a lean body composition - however, mixed results have been found to its benefits associated with performance," he says.
"Across a plethora of different sporting disciplines ranging from power based sports through to endurance focused ones, studies have displayed varying effects of fasting with some studies showing that performance has improved, whilst others that it has declined.
"I would recommend to athletes to not fast as food is the source of energy and with the research still unsure on the benefits of fasting for performance unclear, I would default to avoiding it until the evidence surrounding this topic becomes more transparent."
What an Olympian might eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner
To give you an idea of what kinds of foods Olympians might opt for, these are examples of breakfast, lunch and dinner that athletes usually eat, according to Smith:
Breakfast
Sweet potato hash with eggs is a good breakfast recommendation that many athletes may use as it's high in fibre, protein and carbohydrates to provide energy for potential training sessions.
Lunch
Salmon and roasted vegetables is a "go to" for athletes as it is very low in saturated fat, high in protein for muscle repair and rich in omega-3, which is good for recovery and reducing stiffness in joints.
Dinner
A beef and broccoli stir fry is a great option for any athlete as it is heavily protein focused, loaded with essential minerals like magnesium and zinc which are good for athletes as it helps prevent fatigue.
Read more about health and wellness:
How to take up a new sport as an adult (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Exercises to improve your gut health, from burpees to lunges (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Victoria Beckham 'collapses' after hard workout: What happens when you exercise too hard? (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
