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Food is to the body what fuel is to an automobile. The importance of good nutrition is most acutely felt when the body needs to perform at its optimal level. So what makes world class athletes go harder, better, faster, stronger? Nope, it is not manna from heaven.
The contention-filled 2008 Beijing Olympics ended its run (no pun intended) on a triumphant note for the host country with its huge gold medal haul. Right from the start, the games were riddled with controversy; from the fake fireworks to the lip synching fiasco at the opening ceremony, it is not wonder that Team USA were concerned with the quality of the cuisine offered at the Olympics village (who is up for some fake char siew baos?).
Team USA had decided to boycott local food as the American athletes were wary about the hygiene standards of local cuisine coupled with the infamous use of chemicals and stimulants used in Chinese food production that they worry could trigger a positive doping test, ruining their pedestal mounting chances.
Well, if Team USA all ate like Michael Phelps, it would do China good to leave the food provisions to America.
Swimming champion Michael Phelps revealed to reporters that he ate up to an astonishing 12,000 calories every day. Phelps starts his day with a big breakfast that would make McDonald’s Big Breakfast look puny in comparison. According to a news report, a typical breakfast for Phelps consists of three cheese-tomato-onion-fried egg sandwiches, an omelet, three powdered-sugar-covered slices of French toast, a bowl of grits, three chocolate chip pancakes and two cups of coffee to wash it all down. That is enough breakfast for a family who has decided to heed the encouragements of the Singapore government and go forth and multiply. Us mere mortals could do well consuming a sixth of what he does.
The world’s food resources would be beggared by now if everyone required as much fuel as Phelps thankfully, each sport requires different amounts and varieties of food. A typical gymnast’s daily menu on the other hand, consists of items that a person on a diet would be proud of. A meal low in carbohydrates and rich in whole grains, lean meat, fruits and vegetables would suffice for a gymnast since maintaining a lithe, agile physique. Since gymnastics is considered an anaerobic sport in which intense and short bursts of energy are prized over endurance, gymnasts do not have to consume as much carbohydrates as swimmers and long distance runners. 
Talking about runners, Jamaican Usain Bolt credited his record breaking 100 metre win to chicken nuggets. The fastest man alive (OK, maybe just until the next person breaks his world record) revealed that the first thing he ate upon waking up on the day of the race was nuggets, nuggets and more nuggets. Looks like the McDonald’s advertisements were effective and Bolt decided that the best way of getting protein was in its fried, bite-sized form.
So please do not feel bad about that last piece of nugget that you had last night, you may well be on your way to sprint glory. Hooked
Images from:
http://www.djr.com/photos/california_coast/images/big_breakfast.JPG
http://www.runningland.com
http://www.weatethis.com
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Written by Guest on 2008-10-03 04:01:12
 | Written by Guest on 2008-10-11 10:55:21
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