Every four years, I relapse into an Olympic couch potato. What the human body must endure to win a medal is a wonder to watch.
What goes into these finely tuned bodies to support the speed, endurance and precision required for such intense competition? Much of that is determined for American athletes by the nutrition sports team of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). These dietitians bring a high level of scientific expertise to each competitor based on their individual sport.
I took a look at some of the guidelines published by Team USA’s nutrition team. And guess what? Although the calorie needs of these athletes are generally way higher, the types of foods recommended for high level competition are very similar to what is advised for us spectators.
An athlete’s plate is basically divided into three sections. And the size of those sections adjusts up or down depending on whether the day will entail an easy workout, two moderate training sessions, or at least two intense trainings or competition.
One section that stays steady contains lean protein foods such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, soy, legumes, nuts and dairy foods. Although the size of an athlete’s plate may vary according to his or her weight and sport, protein foods should be about a fourth of that volume.
Vegetables and fruit are reserved for half an athlete’s plate on easy training days. This shrinks to about a third of the plate for moderate workout days and a fourth of the plate on hard training or competition days. Why is this?
As workouts increase in intensity, an athlete’s intake of carbs from grains such as pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, breads and legumes (beans) also needs to increase. On easy days, grains may be just a fourth of the plate. This increases to a third of the plate on moderate days and half a plate on hard or competition days. Extra fruit is also advised as the intensity of workouts increases.
Why so many carbohydrates? Carbs (sugars and starches found in fruits, grains, starchy vegetables and milk products) fuel high-intensity training and prolonged endurance events, say Olympic dietitians. Carbs are the main fuel for the brain as well as muscles. So they help ward off mental as well as physical fatigue.
Critical times for athletes to ingest carbohydrates? Immediately after exercise and throughout the day, especially during heavy workouts and competition. That’s how carbs are replenished (in the form of glycogen) back into hard working muscles.
Milk and calcium fortified non-dairy beverages also supply needed carbs for competition, plus valuable fluids. Other fluids recommended by Team USA dietitians include water, juices, coffee and tea. Athletes who compete in brutally long endurance events may also require sports beverages to replenish sodium and other electrolytes.
Athletes also need the extra energy found in fats such as oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and butter. And just as it would be a disaster for an athlete not to train before competition, it is also a bad idea not to practice eating habits prior to the big day. These experts say emphatically to “avoid trying anything new on the day of competition!”
Barbara Quinn-Intermill is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator affiliated with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition” (Westbow Press, 2015). Email her at to [email protected].
