What Do Olympic Athletes Eat?

Daniel Lyons and Robert Espeseth of the US Olympic rowing team vie for the gold in the pairs competition on the Han River Regatta Rowing Venue during the XXIV Olympic Games (1988) [1]

The athletes competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are in peak condition and must maintain the strength, stamina, and focus to compete with the world’s best. Whether part of a team or for individual events, these athletes start with innate talent and spend years working with coaches, practicing, and perfecting their technical skills and physical ability. At the center is good nutrition.

What and how much they eat depends on their chosen sport. Some athletes must maintain a specific weight, for example, wrestlers in lightweight classes or lightweight rowers. Some athletes burn so many calories a day they eat the same amount that four or five non-athletes would eat. Michael Phelps, who won 28 medals across four Olympics for swimming, famously consumed 10,000 calories per day [2]. While McDonald's won’t be on the menu in Paris, Usain Bolt took gold in both 100 and 200 meters (track and field) fueled by 1,000 chicken nuggets over 10 days in the Olympic village in Beijing [3].

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has a sport nutrition team with sport dietitians who bring their expertise to the sports they support. They take a food-first approach and tailor nutrition advice for each individual athlete’s fueling, hydration, and recovery needs. The USOPC website includes educational materials on a wide range of topics focused on sport-specific diet, travel nutrition and eating guidelines, including appropriate recipes (e.g., nutritional requirements for injury recovery, hydration, to strategies for vegan or vegetarian athletes) [4]. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s and its TrueSport program also provides a downloadable Nutrition Guide: Fueling for Performance, which was developed with registered dietitians as a dietary guide for those looking to reach their full potential naturally [5].

Many Olympic athletes and nutrition specialists have talked about what they eat and their specific nutritional fueling requirements:

• US Department of Agriculture interviews with a number of Olympic athletes about their food choices for peak performance; the Agricultural Research Service is helping provide specialized foods.
• Climbing magazine talks with climbers about nutrition for training and competitions.
• CNET interviews athletes and dietitians.
• Time magazine interviews eight Olympians.
• Us magazine chats with athletes about their general approach to meal planning.
• USRowing Director of Sports Nutrition talks about snacks, supplements, and Olympic preparation.
• The UK Women’s Health magazine discusses nutritional issues specific to women athletes.
• The Univ. of Utah explains how to fuel your performance with nutrition – like an Olympian.
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine discusses plant-based meals for Olympians in Paris.

Feeding the Olympic Village is a monumental task: 15,000 athletes and support staff eating 40,000 meals per day in a venue that’s open 24/7 [7]. In addition to the Olympic Village, US Olympic athletes will have access to a separate dining hall that the USOPC will operate within its High Performance Center just north of Paris. Athletes will be able to track what they’re eating through an app called Teamworks Nutrition, through which they can also consult an Olympic dietitian [8].

With a focus on sustainability, the meals offered at the Olympic Village will include locally sourced French products (80% of the menu), a third of the food will be plant-based and 30% will be organic. According to Seafoodnews, the seafood will be sourced from France: herring, pike, mussels and turbot from Lille; crab, lobster, clams, red mullet and Saint-Pierre Fish from Marseille and Nice; anchovies, eel, oysters and hake from Bordeaux; and mussels and salmon from Nantes [9].

The dishes will fall into four categories: France, Asia, Africa-Caribbean, and world cuisine. A buffet will include a salad bar and a grill with meat and sides.

On Monday, the Paris Olympics CEO said that they have upped the amount of animal proteins (700 kilos of eggs and a ton of meat) to meet the demands of the athletes [10].

Here is a list of foods (details provided in this link) – including French chef inspirations - that athletes will be offered in the Paris Olympic village [11]:

• Dairy-free muesli. Traditional European breakfast food
• Chakchouka (shakshouka). Breakfast dish common in northern Africa, Israel, and Spain
• Poached egg croissant. Including a French variation with truffles, goat cheese, and artichoke cream
• Chilled soups. Including green gazpacho and other vegan chilled soups
• Almado-style bread salad. Provides carbs (bread cubes) and protein (seafood)
• Mini Dauphine ravioli. An herby vegetarian pasta dish served in southeastern France since the 1200s
• Falafel. A staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, falafel is popular around the world
• Guinea fowl in poulette sauce. Served with gnocchi (potato pasta) or langoustines (Norwegian lobsters)
• Veggie bourguignon. Based on beef bourguignon, will be as rich as the original with beef replaced by seasonal vegetables (carrots, potatoes, peas)
• Lamb or veggie moussaka. Served in Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, and Balkans, typically eggplant and ground lamb or beef with a tomato sauce, topped with bechamel
• Za’atar sweet potato with hummus and chimichurri. Uses Middle Eastern flavors with South and Central American ingredients
• Cauliflower Alfredo. Vegan dish served with cashew cream and vegan Parmesan cheese and pasta
• Roasted vegetable and farro bowl. Whole grain wheat, roasted vegetables, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds
• Seared scallops or mushrooms with roasted veggies. Served with roasted beets and sautéed asparagus tips
• Summer citrus salad. Ruby grapefruit, blood oranges, and watermelon with basil and mozzarella, topped with a citrus vinaigrette

Seafood Provides Healthy Proteins and Other Nutrients

Seafood is a great way to get low-fat protein and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to fuel your inner athlete. Seafood recipes do not need to be complex to be nutritious – try a simple dish such as the baked salmon fillets with asparagus and Brussels sprouts that you can prepare for lunch or dinner. Seafood options include salmon, cod, halibut, and shrimp, which can be a versatile and protein-rich addition to your meal planning.

Whether you’re a competitive athlete or just looking for healthy meal ideas, incorporating seafood into your diet can be a delicious and nutritious choice.