What fuels a champion? How should or how do Olympic athletes, or any athletes, eat?

First things first: The real fuel, of course, is a burning, compulsive desire that I've never fully understood. That explains why I never made it to the Games as anything but a coach.

Also, watching the different countries eat at the athlete facilities in Atlanta was enlightening. Even at that level, there are the best and the worst, and the real "elites" seemed to be far more careful about what they put in their mouths. There were fresh fruits, veggies and other foods in amounts and qualities like I've never seen before -- and still you'd see people heading for the garbage cereals, heavy syrups and low-nutrient-value foods.

Next, believe it or not, is the fact that some great athletes become the best in the world by using nutritional techniques that are later (or even currently!) proven to be anything BUT the best, biochemically. For some, the emotional conviction that they can't do their best without spaghetti the night before (or whatever) pretty much establishes that missing that food condemns them to a mediocre performance.

If an athlete can be conditioned early against such superstition, he or she will be less susceptible to mental "psych-outs" later on. The ability to do your best in any circumstance, not just the best circumstance, can win lots of medals against superior competition.

There are, however, general rules that many top athletes follow, as the effects are recognizable:

1. Large swings of blood sugar are undesirable. This means that refined carbohydrates are out. They cause very high blood sugar, which is quickly followed (unless you're diabetic) by high outputs of insulin, which in turn causes lower-than-desirable blood sugar soon afterward. Any experienced athlete can tell you how difficult it is to compete (or think, work or anything else) with low blood sugar. Most have long since learned that the candy bar solution to low blood sugar is a bust -- it just perpetuates the swings and can't be timed for sustained output (and I think it's risky even for sprints).
2. Carbohydrates should be complex and unrefined. This means full-fiber starches, like REAL 100% whole-grain breads, pastas, cereals, etc. They're hard to find but worth the search. Not only is the fiber still there, but also the nutrients required for the assimilation of the sugars are still aboard. This leads to the next point. . . .
3. Nutrient density is paramount. Anything that man has messed with is most likely missing something required for using that food, so real care must be taken when altered foods are consumed. There are some important ones for elite athletes, but they must be chosen with care.
4. (Controversial opinion here:) Total vegetarianism is usually not the best diet for top performance. That doesn't mean steak twice a day, but most of the best feel considerably better with some animal protein AND FAT on board.
5. All foods should be eaten slowly, and sufficient time should be allowed for digestion prior to workouts or competition.

The ability to keep up with today's mind-blowing levels of competition is almost impossible, in my opinion, without nutrient supplementation.

Good health.