Ever Wondered What An Olympian Actually Eats? We Found Out

The nuts (and bolts) of their daily diet.

Sharon Madigan, the Irish Olympic team’s dietician, talks us through what an Olympian aiming for the podium actually consumes. It’s #fitfam on a stratospheric level.

“The difference between athletes and mortals is we base our day around three meals. Training drives the athlete’s mealtimes, and calorie intake varies depending on your sport and your amount of training sessions.”

Breakfast
“You can’t beat something like oats soaked overnight or porridge with milk, yoghurt or a dairy alternative. It gets the calorie money in the bank. Make it as calorie dense as you want with greek yoghurt, nuts, seeds and fruits.”

Post-morning training
Finish breakfast. For recovery after an aerobic or endurance session, “carbs are number one.” Then protein to repair muscle damage. Replace salts lost with fluids like water or dairy. “Milk’s useful as research has found dairy promotes hydration after exercise,” Sharon says.

Lunch
Salad, eggs, chicken, turkey, a fritatta or omelette, maybe a baked potato with beans. “The more colour the better,” she instructs.

Post-lunch training
Pasta, rice, lasagna, oily fish like salmon, trout or mackerel, stir fries with anti-inflammatory spices like ginger, garlic, turmeric. Add carbs to stave off tiredness.“You can’t sustain the level of training otherwise,” she points out.

Snacks
Chown down on fruits likes banana, kiwi or apple with some greek yoghurt.

Supper
“Athletes have to make sure they don’t overeat, especially carbs as they add up throughout the day. Soup in the evening’s great as it’s another source of liquids,” Sharon reveals.

Check out the July issue of STELLAR – out now! – for more Olympics themed #inspo, including our tips on the Rio-bound women worth getting the tri-colour out for. 

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