What Pro Athletes Eat For Breakfast vs. What YOU Should Eat
The Olympic are here, and as we watch super humans (aka professional athletes) perform impressive physical feats, you may wonder what exactly they eat to be able to do these incredible things. To get answers, we chatted with two experts who have spent years working with professional athletes to figure out the best foods to fuel their grueling workouts and perform at their peak on game day.
So, what do professional athletes eat for breakfast?
The short answer: It depends. Brittany Dunn , a performance dietitian and chef for the Philadelphia Eagles, has found that what professional athletes eat varies widely among athletes and the sports they play.
“I have worked with an athlete who prefers two boiled eggs with peanut butter toast and a coffee, an athlete who prefers an acai bowl and sauteed veggies, and an athlete who orders two breakfast sandwiches and tater tots,” she told HuffPost.
As far as macronutrients and micronutrients go, Dunn notes that all of these breakfasts deliver nutritional benefits to each athlete. “The contrasting characteristics of athlete breakfasts are heavily influenced by personal preferences and diets, the amount of time between eating and the following training session, body composition and sport,” she said.
Come game day, race day or competition day, athletes don’t take any chances with their breakfast. Consistency is the name of the game, and the last thing a professional athlete needs is an upset stomach. “What I’ve found is that many athletes have an established game day meal plan,” Dunn said. In her experience, most athletes eat the same breakfast before every competition. “Game day is not the day to try new foods,” she said. Additionally, having a consistent breakfast routine can