Elite athletes. They’re just like us, said no one ever.
It’s for this reason we’re 100% interested in what they’re able to put away in one week / one sitting compared to us plebs.
We asked six Aussie athletes – an NRL player, an Ironman, a UFC young gun, a gymnast, a pro boxer and a field hockey player – to talk us through their weekly meal plans, where they shop and how they ‘treat’ themselves.
Check out the contents of their carts below.
LAURYN EAGLE
Professional boxer
“During the week I stick to a healthy balanced diet and on the weekend I let myself eat what my body feels like!
I love foods that are high in good fast & omega 3 and 6 such as almonds, avocados and salmon. I snack on berries throughout the day as they are low in calories and high in antioxidants, which make me feel energised.
I treat myself with a date a day, preferably rolled in shredded coconut, which is very high in fibre, keeps the bowels in check and helps to moderate natural sugar levels for energy. In terms of buying organic, I’m not too fussy but I’ll buy organic eggs, chicken and bananas.
I love grilled fish during the week accompanied by kale or brussels sprouts with lemon and asparagus, and occasionally I’ll add a side of sweet potato mash with cinnamon for a great low GI complex carbohydrate, depending on how tough my training was during the day. I’m also a big fan of mushrooms in worcestershire sauce with my poached eggs in the morning or even as a snack – very high in iron and plus I love salty foods.”
WES BERG
Professional Ironman
“These are the things that I always have in my shopping trolley. Fruit and veg [not pictured] are a staple in the house, and we get it weekly at the farmers markets and stock up on extras when doing groceries.
Eggs and avo on toast, an Endura protein shake and a bowl of Nutri-Grain are my regular breakfasts. I use unsweetened almond milk am a big believer of a hearty breakfast.
Brown rice is a staple in our house and I love making soft tacos and filling them up with meat and salad. I’m also a sucker for the Woolies Macro organic corn chips with hummus as a snack or Tamari Almonds and a Bhuja Mix.
Mayvers peanut butter is the best as it’s nothing by peanuts and I like to cook with coconut oil most of the time and recently found this Nando’s Perinaise, which is an awesome condiment.”
TIM MOLTZEN
Professional NRL Player with the Manly Sea Eagles
“A majority of my shopping is done at About Life – big ones in Rozelle, Surry Hills and Double Bay [in Sydney]. They’ve got everything in there and I don’t really go anywhere else. I tend to go on weekends and stock the fridge up and plan my meals in advance so I don’t fall over.
I eat a lot of chicken and steak, and I’ll go and buy all my meat for the week: beef strips for stir fry or chicken to go with steamed veggies and rice. I just sort of work around what meat I’ve got at home. I fI know I have a big day the next day I’ll load up on the carbs
Sweet potato is always in my shopping basket – it’s the ultimate carb; bit of pasta once a week and heaps of fruit and vegetables.”
“As an elite athlete I have to eat well to enable myself to get the best out of my body. Red meat is really important for iron and energy levels.
Red Bull also helps to get me up when I have late games, and raw treats such as BOUNCE Balls are perfect for a post work out protein hit.”
“My diet during training camp is pretty stringent. It consists of a combination of lean meats and fish, lots high protein vegetables like lentils, broccoli and beans and low GI snacks. Breakfast is either a bowl of porridge with Manuka honey and blue berries or low fat yoghurt with a high protein granola to ensure I have plenty of fuel for the day.
Lunch consists of chicken fillets or fish with either organic rice or whole meal pasta and green beans, or sweet potato and broccoli. This is a light meal, a fair bit smaller than dinner so it provides energy but doesn’t slow me down. Following my las session for the day, I’ll have 300ml organic fast acting protein to help my recovery.
Dinner usually consists of lean read or white meat, plenty of vegetables and also some high carb food on the side such as roast potatoes with sourdough bread. I usually consume at least 3L water per day, and when I’m not on training camp my diet doesn’t really change that much. The only real difference is the odd parma out with the boys, the weekly pizza, and those cravings we all have…mine is Doritos.”
LAUREN HANNAFORD
Elite Gymnast
“As you can see in my basket, I have a range of meat, fruit and veg. This is a pretty standard shop for me. The fruits are for breakfast and snacks, the veggies and meats are for main meals.
There’s a sneaky bit of chocolate in there too, but it’s all about balance, I say. Even when I was an Elite Gymnast, this is what my eating consisted of. There were probably a few more carbs in there… as I was training up to 6 hours on some days.
I remember at competitions, if they were really long ones you’d always see teams huddled together with a bag of lollies for a bit of a sugar hit. I’d snack on a bag of dates – still very sugary, yes, but it was a bit more natural. Even now, I still feel and train like an elite sports person, just not as many hours…”
Images: Supplied.
