Eat Like an Olympian

Swimming takes an incredible amount of energy, which is why many swimmers take in a lot of carbohydrates the night before a race. Michael Phelps is no different. His food intake is mostly carbohydrates and high-calorie foods, all of which he burns off as energy when he swims his daily five miles in training.

Calorie Intake: 12,000 a day

Breakfast
-three egg sandwiches with lots of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise
-two cups of coffee
-five egg omelette
-one bowl of grits
-three slices of French toast with powdered sugar
-three chocolate chip pancakes

Lunch
-one pound of pasta with tomato sauce
-two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread
-energy drinks

Dinner
-one pound of pasta with tomato sauce
-six to eight slices of pizza
-energy drinks

Source: Michael Phelps Fansite
 

Photo courtesy of The Wolf via Flickr/cc

Unlike Michael Phelps, Wieber doesn’t have a specific diet that she goes by every single day. However, she does keep to certain food groups that are high in protein and low in fat and calories to keep her body tight and compact.

-Lots of lean protein, chicken, egg whites
-Salads
-Take out: Lebanese food, which has a lot of high-fiber, high-protein dishes
-Snack: frozen yogurt

Source: JoyBauer.com
 

Photo courtesy of PhillipaDickens via wikimedia commons

For an athlete like Lanzone, the important part of the diet is focusing on post-training. Since he is doing endurance training, he needs to focus most on replenishing his body with protein to keep his muscles up and running during those several hour-long rowing sessions.

Calorie Intake: 4,500-7,000 a day

Breakfast
-Lumberjack breakfast: tortillas stuffed with eggs, hash browns, vegetables and ground turkey
-large fruit smoothie

Post Training
-PowerBar protein bars and energy shakes

Source: JoyBauer.com
 

Photo courtesy of Row2k.com

As a soccer player, Mitts focuses her diet on carbs and protein to keep her stamina up to run around a lot during the long games. Carbing up before games is crucial, as is replenishing her body afterwards so her energy doesn’t crash and leave her weak and tired.

Breakfast (game day)
-large stack of pancakes

Dinner (night before game day)
-a big plate of pasta

Dinner (typical)
-fish, chicken or steak
-salad with strawberries and balsamic dressing
-oven-roasted sweet potatoes

Post-game
-large class of chocolate milk

Source: JoyBauer.com

Photo courtesy of 黒忍者 via Flickr/cc

Being a triathlete requires a huge amount of work, as each event in the triathlon is asking for a massive amount of energy to be exuded to make it to that finish line. Whether it’s running, biking or swimming, Jorgensen focuses her diet on protein, carbs and healthy fats so she has plenty of fuel to get her through a tough training session as well as race day.

Breakfast
-oatmeal
-poached eggs

Lunch
-peanut butter and honey sandwiches

Dinner
-chicken or fish
-quinoa with veggies and cheese
-giant salad

Late-Night Snack
-yogurt topped with honey, almond butter, berries and walnuts

Post-Training
-”Recovery shake” of almond milk, frozen berries, bananas, peanut butter, flax, whey protein, pineapple

Source: JoyBauer.com
 

Photo courtesy of MartinPutz via wikimedia commons

Want to eat healthy like the Olympians do? Check out our recipes for healthy grilling that won't bust your gut!