Eating like Olympians (or better)!

Food has always played an important part in the lives of athletes. Interestingly, the tales of exaggerated athletic diets can be traced back to the very beginning of the Olympics in ancient Greece. It's certainly easy to be inspired by the ability and achievements of Olympians, but do exercise caution if you plan on trying out some of their 'mediacized' dietary techniques for yourself.

Ancient Olympians came from the upper social strata in Greece. These families who could afford to participate in the games and feed on protein-rich legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and meats, ultimately building a lot of muscle. Their diet is thought to have taken an 'Atkins's' style approach, i.e. low carbohydrate and high protein. In ancient Greek times wine for both drinking and cooking was very popular (and yes, when in moderation this is a popular aspect the today's Mediterranean diet). Hippocrates who has been known famously for saying 'let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food', is also reported to have told athletes “Get drunk once or twice” when they've had sore muscles!

The eating tales of Olympians past may have been very well exaggerated, but even today when we learn about some dietary strategies it's important for us not to extrapolate these ideas onto ourselves. Some examples. American swimmer Michael Phelps is known for a 12 000 calorie day diet which has included multiple mayonnaise-and-cheese-laden fried egg sandwiches for breakfast as well as a daily intake of pasta, pizza, French toast, chocolate-chip pancakes and more. Yohan Blake, a Jamaica sprinter has stated he gets his 'stamina from eating 16 bananas a day'. Another Jamacian sprinter, Usain Bolt, is famous for being the fastest man in the world and also for bolting down Chicken McNuggets. So it's important to remember, their diets are for unique subsets of the population which don't always translate into everyday average people. More often than not, the kinds of foods they consume are usually quite healthful, but athletes do have a much higher calorie requirement than the typical person. They can eat like this and not gain any weight because their workouts are so intense. Sometimes burning as much as 5000 calories a day. This isn't to say that 16 bananas a day are a great choice, but like any of us, we'll stick to and swear by something if we think it works. And obviously in the dietary world variety and moderation and still the Olympic goal.

So if you are feeling inspired to be an athlete, or already are one, here are some basic healthy eating tips to keep in mind. First things first. Always choose food first. The highest achieving athletes, which let's just say is their job to train eight hours a day, will be eating for the large majority whole and real foods. That's right. Plain ol' vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy. Food is your best source of nutrients. If athletes consuming thousands upon thousands of calories a day from whole foods than you can too. While elite athletes can afford to eat recovery shakes and chocolate milk, these high calorie foods are best kept for people who are doing a lot of training on a regular basis. Many of us don't need these extra calories, and our muscles can recover on their own. With regards to sports drinks, these are helpful if you're taking part in continous exercise lasting an hour or more. If your exercise duration is less and you aren't sweating buckets, or in extreme heat, then plain water should be A-ok.

As seen in The Telegram August 6, 2012