Farrah's Friday Health Tips: What Do I Eat?

"What should I eat?" is a question I get too often. The answer varies upon individuals, their needs, and their specific goals/objectives. For the athlete, as one who depends on the body to work and perform at excellence daily, consuming foods of high quality is key. Trying to limit the "junk in the trunk" and play up the premium octane for refined and optimal output is imperative. 

Timing is also key - making sure to have carbs prior to high-powered output (as carbohydrates are your brain and body's primary and preferred source of fuel; and you cannot maintain a 75% or greater V02 Max without them) ; adequate protein for strength, power, and recovery; healthy fats for reduced inflammation and cellular repair; and vegetables to further combat inflammation and provide the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed for the sharp function of all body systems. 

Now (early in the season) is the opportune time to try new things and fine tune what specifically works for you. It is never recommended to try something new race day or the day-prior to. After so much time and hard work put into your training, the last thing you need is to have stomach upset when it counts!

Below is a compilation of Olympians and how they ate to be excellent for their events at this year's Olympic Games. 

Usain Bolt:

Usain Bolt admitted to Competitor Magazine that one small advantage to being the fastest person, ever, is having your own cook. Bolt starts the day with a simple egg sandwich, spends 20 minutes in the weight room, then has a light lunch of pasta with corned beef, or, if he needs to go light on meat, fish. Then his training starts for real. "During the day I only eat just enough to have energy for training and to make sure I digest fast enough. But at nights, before I go to sleep, I consume a lot of food. My coach wants me to eat a lot of vegetables, so I do eat more of that than anything else. I'll eat broccoli, but I'm not a big fan."

When Bolt first started running, he was much less regimented. "In the past three years I've really focused on my diet. Initially I just had anything I feel like, but I've adjusted my diet to eat more vegetables and protein."

And most common craving? "Hot wings," he says. "That's the biggest craving that I have, all the time."

Breakfast: Egg sandwich

Lunch: Pasta and corned beef

Throughout the day: Mango, pineapple, apples throughout the day. 

Dinner: Jamaican dumplings, roasted chicken

Molly Huddle: 

Molly Huddle, 6^th Place finisher in the women's 10k at the 2016 Olympics, reported to Competitor Magazine she ate "the typical American diet" in high school: cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and meat and potatoes for dinner. This diet fueled Huddle to a fourth-place finish at the Foot Locker High School Cross Country Championship and a national high school record for 2 miles (10:01). 

In college, Huddle had some staples: cereal and milk and bagels and peanut butter. Conscious of the need to consume vegetables, she ate salads "occasionally" in order to check that box. During her four years at the University of Notre Dame, this diet fueled Huddle to nine All-America selections and a runner-up finish in the 2006 NCAA Championships 5000 meters. 

Since turning professional, Huddle reports she no longer eats half a box of cereal for dinner, but she usually eats whole-grain pancakes for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and meat with vegetables and a salad for dinner. 

Jenny Simpson: 

Former Floridian-champ, Jenny (Barringer) Simpson reported the following to Boston Magazine: 

Approximately 6 a.m.: Wake up and have breakfast, usually a cup of tea and toast.

7 a.m.: After breakfast, Simpson heads to the University of Colorado, where she trains. She warms up solo with a three-mile run, then meets her coach and teammates for an hour-long track workout. After that, it's a three-mile cool-down.

Post-workout: After her morning workout and a quick snack (protein + carbs), Simpson hits the weight room for 45 minutes. "I'm not trying to gain a lot of strength and power in the weight room; what I'm trying to do is build up my body to protect itself when I am building strength and power out on the track," she says. That means a lot of core, body weight, rehab, and balance exercises.

Afternoon: Simpson takes a break from training, stopping to have lunch, take a 30- to 60-minute nap, and bang out some chores and business responsibilities.

5 p.m.: "Any workout day, I almost always have a double," Simpson says, adding that she hits 80 miles per week during peak training season. The second run of the day lasts 30 to 45 minutes.

6 p.m.: Dinner time, which often means roasted root vegetables, red meat, or another lean protein. "I have a general rule that if you buy ingredients and cook for yourself, it's hard to eat something unhealthy," Simpson says. "Honestly, I'm not on as strict of a diet as people often think, and I definitely eat a lot more than people think."

Evening: Simpson and her husband wind down either by reading, or with an episode of Suits, Downton Abbey, or Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. "It's us and 14-year-olds that are watching MTV at 8 p.m.," she jokes.

10 p.m.: Simpson tries to sleep nine hours per night, so she's in bed by 10 p.m.