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Have you ever wondered how Olympic athletes eat?
June 2021
Natalie Christensen, RDN, CSSD, SCORE with Lizzy Rowden, BS, Graduate student
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) sports nutrition team uses the Athlete’s Plates to guide athletes with their food choices. The Athletes Plate is a three-picture system depicting what meal plates should look like, depending upon the training day.
Easy Training/Weight Management
- This plate is for athletes on lighter training days.
- Use it when you want to focus on recovery and nourishing the body.
Moderate Training
- This plate is for most training days when fueling is the focus. Carbs are increased to maintain strength, power, speed, and endurance during workouts, and to replenish glycogen stores after hard workouts.
- Using this plate as a baseline, athletes and sport dietitians adjust certain food groups based upon individual needs.
Hard Training/Race Day
- This plate is for training days involving at least two training sessions that are relatively hard or on competition days.
- Use it the day before, the day of, and the day after the competition, including high energy/endurance competitions.
