Eat like an Olympian or Paralympian

Marie Christine Leisz, DO

Posted August 8, 2016

Watching world-class athletes compete at the Olympics or the Paralympics is inspiring. It may even spur some of us to kick our own training into a higher gear.

In addition to training, high-caliber athletes focus on eating. That means eating the right kind of foods—either high energy or high carbohydrates—to help them reach their Olympic goals. Swimmer Michael Phelps, for example, may eat nearly 8,000 calories on competition days. We should not follow his food habits unless we're also willing to train like an Olympic swimmer.

Here's a quick guide to the kinds of foods that Olympic and Paralympic athletes typically eat to prepare for their events, and how many calories they can burn on competition day.

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Infographic heading: Nutritional needs of Olympic and Paralympic athletes prior to competition

Sport	Type of pre-event nutrition recommended	Calories burned on competition days
Endurance – cycling, wheelchair and marathon running, swimming	Carb loading	3,000-8,000
Team sports – basketball, wheelchair rugby	Extra carbs	3,000-4,500
Other sports – diving, gymnastics, kayaking, sailing, adaptive swimming	Some food restriction before competition; moderate energy and carb rich foods	2,000-3,500
Making weight sports – fencing, light-weight rowing, wrestling	Some restrictions may be needed to make weight before competition	Less than 1,200 – 1,500 before competition with increase to recover and prepare for competition

Other sources used: NPR and Nanna Meyer, senior sport dietitian for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and professor of Sports Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, July 25, 2012.