Before your favorite athlete When they walk on the mat, run on the field or dive into the pool, they need to eat. But what do they eat?
THE 2024 Olympic Games officially started on Friday, with thousands of athletes and spectators from all over the world flock to Paris to see the best of the best compete.
To get a better idea of what motivates Olympic athletes to stay strong, we asked three athletes what they eat on a typical day. Here’s what they said:
Lee sunny
Age: 21 years old
Sport: Gymnastic. In his first Olympic race at the Tokyo 2020 GamesLee won the women’s all-around title at age 18, becoming the first Asian-American to win the title. She is now in Paris for her second Games, competing alongside teammate Simone Biles For Team USA.
A day of meals: Due to his diagnosis of kidney disease last year and A long journey with eczemaLee told CBS News she focuses on a low-sodium diet to avoid any flare-ups.
“I like to eat healthy because if I feel my best, I know I can compete at my best,” she said of her eating philosophy. “I love my fruits and vegetables. I try to eat as healthy as possible, especially before competitions, with good protein and carbohydrates because that’s also important because we need energy.”
Before her 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. workout, Lee says she likes to have a smoothie or other light option.
“I don’t like to feel bloated when I work out,” she explains. “Afterward, I’ll have a salad, something light, whether it’s a smoothie or even a protein bar or a protein shake. Then I work out again from 4 to 8 p.m. And then I have dinner.”
While she said she’s been loving protein smoothies lately, she’s not too focused on numbers or specific nutrition goals — “It’s more relaxed for me,” she said.
“I feel like if I limit myself, I don’t enjoy it, and I don’t want to create an unhealthy relationship with food. So I do what I want and it works. It works,” she said. “I try not to think about it too much.”
Another must-have for the gymnast? Add electrolytes to her drinks. “I get dehydrated very quickly,” she said.
Steph Rovetti
Age: 32 years old
Sport: Rugby. The Paris Games will be the first Olympics for Rovetti, a Reno native who made her debut playing for the United States at the 2018 USA Women’s Sevens tournament.
A day of meals: On competition days, Rovetti told CBS News that she sometimes wakes up without much of an appetite, but she has “learned a few tricks to be able to fuel up during that time,” she said.
“For breakfast, I try to eat two eggs, potatoes, meat, spinach, and fruit. Sometimes my “nervous belly” won’t let me eat any of that, so in that case, I usually bring a gluten-free protein cereal (KetoCrunch) and add some berries on top. I know I can still eat it (and) it gives me enough protein and carbs to start fueling up. And of course, coffee.”
A typical post-game lunch looks like white rice, chicken and vegetables.
“I usually start with carbs and protein these days to prioritize those things,” she said. “For the second game, I repeat the process: BoBos (oatmeal) bar, applesauce, then post-game protein and electrolytes.”
Dinner is similar to lunch: “Rice or potatoes, chicken or steak, and more vegetables with that meal, because that’s going to play a big role in recovery the next day,” she said. “If I didn’t eat enough that day, I’ll have a protein snack after dinner, like yogurt with fruit.”
Cullen Jones
Age: 40 years old
Sport: Swimming. The former competitor won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics, becoming the first African-American to hold a world record in swimming. In 2012, he won even more medals in swimming. Today, he is a defender of swimming lessons who will be in Paris to cheer on this year’s athletes as a guest host of the Team USA house.
A day of meals: Jones told CBS News that when you’re waking up early for a 5 a.m. workout where you’re trying to go as fast as possible, you have to “fuel your body.”
“It could be a shake, but the most important thing is to have protein in your body. So when it comes to working out, I always have a shake. I’m now taking more plant-based protein, and that’s working out really well for me. I have whey, I do everything, but the shake and the protein are really, really important.”
Next comes breakfast, where protein is once again the star.
“We eat as much protein as possible,” he said, adding that there is a long-standing myth about carb loading, or filling up on carbohydrates.
“It’s a myth. It’s never helped any of us at the Olympic level,” he said. “We eat carbs, don’t get me wrong, because we need that quick energy, but it’s so important to make sure you have your protein because it burns slower and we’re just burning a lot of calories.”
Another staple in his diet then and now: vegetables.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to lose half the audience, especially if they’re young, but you have to eat vegetables,” he said. “They’re so healthy and it helps you, especially when it comes to getting to the next level.”
Jones also takes a more relaxed approach to nutrition, not focusing too much on exact calorie or protein intake, but instead aiming whole foods over-processed options.
“Ideally, I would like to get it from natural foods rather than protein shakes. I prefer to get it from whole foods, so I really focused on that more than anything else,” he said.
Jones also revealed the snack that went the fastest in the U.S. team room: peanut butter and jelly.
“You never get peanut butter and jelly, everybody always gets it,” he said. “Trail mix was very close, but we were constantly eating protein and peanut butter.”
