Olympic Athletes’ Diets: The Strangest, Most Efficient And Weirdest Foods
By Lance Seeto, Honorary Culinary Advisor, Fiji Olympic Team
Olympic athletes may seem superhuman, but like the rest of us they all have to eat. That, however, is where the similarity ends, as whether they are packing away the calories like swimmers, or slimming down in time for a prize fight or rugby sevens gold, Olympic diets are in a league of their own. Specialist nutritionists and coaches for each of the sports have to know what their athletes should eat, and how a good diet makes the difference between a gold medal and going home empty-handed. Although Olympic athletes are capable of things the rest of us can’t even imagine, they’re still human, and when it comes to their diets, they sometimes struggle with cravings, body acceptance and fad diets too.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, American swimming sensation Michael Phelps was reported to have eaten 12,000 calories a day while gearing up for the Games. Phelps later revealed it was all a myth and although what the Olympic gold record-holder actually ate might remain a mystery, athletes around the world will be trying out different meal plans that they believe will help propel them to competitive stardom this summer in Rio. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s rival Yohan Blake says he chomped 16 ripe bananas every 24 hours at the last Games, whilst a tiny Japanese athlete tucked away 50 pieces of sushi after training, as another marathon runner gobbled plates of raw mince. Or how about the weightlifter who drinks the first milk of a cow that has just given birth? The diet of some Olympic athletes can only be described as bizarre but if they happen to win Gold, it’s hard to convince them otherwise. The sacrifice that our men’s rugby team has been well documented, with Ben Ryan’s elimination of all the Fijian favorites of long loaf, roti, root crops and rice to get into top shape, but here’s a look at six of the strangest (and in some cases, frightening) diets.
1. THE INSANELY HIGH-CALORIE DIET
While nobody actually takes in 12,000 calories a day, some athletes come awfully close. Phelps’s swimming teammate Ryan Lochte said he relies mostly on McDonald’s for his meals, translating to between 8,000 and 12,000 calories. Before you freak out and wonder why an Olympic athlete would include the Golden Arches meals, consider that Lochte’s diet also includes copious amounts of salad and fruit. Canada’s Dylan Armstrong, a shot putter, requires between 6,500 and 9,000 calories per day. “I like a lot of salmon. Obviously, beef and chicken. I’m on a high-protein, low-carb diet. I’ll eat five or six times a day.” However Michael Phelps and Lochte are not the only American athletes who admitted to relying on McDonalds. While most dieticians would advise against daily trips to a fast food chain, the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt thrived on it. The Olympic medalist is reported to have consumed over 47,000 calories worth of Chicken McNuggets at the 2008 Beijing Olympics-and has the medals to prove they did him some good. According to media reports, Bolt consumed nuggets and fries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an apple pie for a snack.
2. THE ODDLY SPECIFIC DIET
For American sprinter Tyson Gay to keep up with sprinting champion Usain Bolt at the Beijing games, he worked with EAS Sports Nutrition to design his perfect training regimen. In addition to taking some legal supplements, Gay subscribes to a tailor-made diet provided by a nutritionist who strictly monitors his intake. “I eat 230 grams of protein daily, 308 grams of carbohydrates, maybe 70 grams of fat,” he told a sports magazine. To achieve that, Gay had to adjust to eating six meals a day, consisting of everything from raisins and yogurt to ground turkey and fish. “It’s going to be a diet plan to really set me up to be the best I can be,” he said.
3. THE ‘FRUIT ONLY’ DIET
Is the secret to Olympic success in fruits and vegetables? If it is, Fijian Olympians should have no problem sticking to this diet according to a new “80/10/10” diet claims. It consists of a diet built around 80 percent fruits and vegetables, ten percent protein and ten percent fat. Michael Arnstein, an American marathon runner hopeful began on the 80/10/10 plan several years ago when he read about it, and has taken it to another level since. He writes on his blog, The Fruitarian, about his decision to turn entirely to fruits and vegetables after trying out some other diets, “Veganism is a logical choice. But Fruitarianism is the healthiest form of veganism. There are countless benefits, both to the person eating a Fruitarian diet, and for the world we live in.” He assures that he never cheats, either: “A late-night snack might be grapes, mango, or some other more exotic/seasonal fruit.”
4. THE STARVATION DIET
South Korean gymnast Son Yeon-jae has one of the strictest diets of any competitors, having to stay in tip-top shape in the lead up to the summer Games. According to media interviews, she practices for seven hours a day, eats a tiny breakfast and lunch and skips dinner. Son points out that some of her fellow gymnasts are blessed with an easier time maintaining their bodies. “Western gymnasts have longer limbs, so even if we weigh the same, they look slimmer. As such, I have to weigh less to look as good,” she said. Son believes that any hope of medaling, and the burden of raising South Korea to the upper echelons of the sport, will require her to reduce every gram of fat she possibly can.
5. THE ‘EAT WHATEVER I WANT’ DIET
He’s was the oldest Olympian in 2008 and like many 71-year-olds won’t let anyone tell him what to eat. Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu says he has a knack for his training. “I eat whatever I want to eat. I think I was born very lucky. I don’t get fat, even if I eat a lot. I don’t care so much about what I should eat or shouldn’t eat and what I should drink,” he told The New York Times. Unlike most athletes who require a team of assistants to work with them before and during the Games, Hoketsu has his whole schedule and regimen under his control. “I normally wake up around 7:30 in the morning and I do a little walk about 25 minutes for stretching, eat breakfast, then go to the stable and ride two horses in the morning, come back, eat lunch. I do some business work for two or three hours, then go back to the stable and either I get on the horse and take her to the farm nearby and walk or I lead her in hand and walk together.”
6. THE ANCESTRAL DIET
Eating a diet of foods that the body has been primed to absorb is said to be more efficient, as thousands of years of eating a diet our ancestors relied is programmed into each athlete’s unique DNA. A diet of fast foods may suit some American Olympians, used to eating processed foods over generations, but for many athletes they rely solely on the foods they grew up with to get the most of out their performance. During the London 2012 Games, Usain Bolt’s father attributed his son’s immense speed to the yams that are ubiquitous in Jamaica, and not the Chicken Nuggets. Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei, prefers hot soups and porridges; a staple back home. The Kazakhstan wrestling team specially demanded horse sausage for their journey to their games, claiming it boosts their weightlifting abilities. When Team Brazil landed in London, the traditional black bean stew known as feijoda was a team favorite. And athletes from the Caribbean asked the chefs in the Olympic village to cook a traditional goat head dish but had to settle on a goat curry instead. For our expanded Olympic team in Rio next month, a lovo in the middle of the Olympic village may not seem as far fetched an idea as it seems.
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LOW CARB RECIPES
Extracted with permission from Chef Seeto’s custom recipe book being used by the Men’s Rugby Team at training camp, and all feature the fat burning herbs and spices needed to trim down.
SPICED LEMON ROASTED CHICKEN
Servings: 10 Prep Time: 30 min+OVERNIGHT Cook Time: 1 hour
Marinade
6 lemons, juiced
2 cup virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoon all spice (pimento)
3 Tablespoon cinnamon
3 teaspoon paprika
3 red onions, rough chopped
2 whole garlic, cloves lightly crushed
3 lemons, sliced
salt & pepper
Ingredients
5 whole chickens, cut in half or quarters
6 Tablespoon shaved almonds
3 Tablespoon pine nuts
1.5 cups fresh chopped parsley
1. Combine all marinade ingredients
2. Place chicken in large bowl and rub with salt & pepper, cover with the marinade. Ensuring to rub under the skin. Refrigerate overnight
3. Preheat oven to 185 Celsius
4. Transfer chicken to a baking tray and sprinkle with almonds and pine nuts
5. Roast for approx. 40-50 minutes
6. Garnish with parsley and serve
SPICED PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES & ROSEMARY
Servings: 10 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30 mins
6 Tablespoon virgin olive oil
10 bone-in pork chops, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoon unsalted butter
10 small apples, each cored and cut into 6 wedges
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 stalks of rosemary (or thyme, basil, sage)
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Season the pork chops with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add 2 of the pork chops to the pan and sear, turning once, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork chops. Transfer the second batch of chops to the plate and set aside.
3. Add the butter to the pan. After it has melted, place the apple wedges, cut side down, in the pan and cook, browning each cut side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Top the apples with the sage leaves and place the seared pork chops on top of the apples.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the pork chops are cooked through and the apples are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Serve the pork chops immediately, spooning the apples and any juices in the pan on top.
ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH AVOCADO PESTO
2 large zucchini, spiralized (cut thinly like spaghetti)
1 Tablespoon virgin olive oil
Pesto
2 ripe avocados
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup pine nuts
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
Cracker black pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
1. Spiralize the zucchini lengthways so they look like spaghetti. Rest on paper towel to soak up excess water
2. In a food processor, add avocado, basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and sea salt. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Now emulsify the pesto – with motor running, drizzle the olive oil in a slow stream until creamy (like a mayo). Stop and remove from blender jug.
4. In a large frypan, heat olive oil over medium heat then add zucchini noodles and cook for approx. 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat
5. Toss with avocado pesto and add black pepper and little Parmesan cheese
GRILLED FIVE SPICED CHICKEN WITH SOY LIME DIPPING SAUCE
Servings: 10 Prep Time: 30 min+OVERNIGHT Cook Time: 45 mins
5 whole chickens, cut into 6 pieces
10 Tablespoon olive oil
10 Tablespoon light soy sauce
15 Tablespoon ginger, minced
10 Tablespoon garlic, minced
10 Tablespoon honey
8 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
5 teapsoon Chinese five spice powder
2 Tablespoon sea salt
20 pc whole star anise, dry pan toasted for 3 mins
Soy Lime Dipping Sauce
3 clove garlic
4-5 red chilli, remove seeds, chopped fine
4 Tablespoon honey
1 cup light soy sauce or Kikkoman
6 Tablespoon lime juice with pulp
1/2 cup water
1. Portion chicken, remove excess fat, pat dry
2. In a bowl, combine olive oil, light soy, ginger, garlic, turmeric, 5 spice powder and salt. Add the chicken and refrigerate overnight.
3. Dry roast the whole star anise, and grind into powder. Set aside.
4. Preheat BBQ grill. Add the toasted star anise powder to chicken and combine.
5. Begin cooking the chicken until well done.
6. For the dipping sauce, grind the garlic and chilli into a paste, then combine with soy, lime and slowly add the water to form a sauce
SALAD DRESSINGS
Mango & Lime
½ cup fresh or tinned mango pulp, the zest and juice of 1 lime, and 1 teaspoon each dijon mustard, sugar and sea salt in a blender. Gradually blend in 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil.
Lemon Balsamic
Whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.
Creamy Balsamic
Make Lemon Balsamic Dressing, adding 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1/2 teaspoon each minced garlic and sugar with the vinegar.
Cuban Mojo
Braise 5 chopped garlic cloves in 1/3 cup olive oil over medium-high heat, 30 seconds; cool. Blend with 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin and sea salt in a blender. Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; pulse to combine.
American Ranch
Whisk 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of garlic powder and a dash of Tabasco sauce.
