What Olympic Athletes Eat For Breakfast to Stay at the Top

After the 2024 Olympic Games have drawn to a close in France, we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look into what the athletes eat in the run up to their events and whilst they are training.

Obviously there will be a difference between different types of athletes, for example a weight lifter won’t eat the same things as a 1,500m runner.

Here we will take a look at the average athlete competing in track events and how that can be used to create a healthy diet for children and young people.

Breakfast

Whether you are competing for the Olympics, a national level event or even just trying to improve your fitness, here’s what athletes eat for breakfast to set themselves up for a day’s training.

Food

Carbohydrates give our bodies energy, so athletes need to eat a lot of them to keep their muscles, including their heart, strong and to have good stamina during training or competitions.

For breakfast, it’s recommended that athletes eat a meal that’s 50% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 25% fat.

A healthy breakfast for athletes might include carbs from fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereal like porridge or muesli, and rye bread. They could get protein and natural fats from foods like eggs, nuts, cheese, yoghurt, milk, and meat.

Hydration

Nutrition for athletes isn’t just about eating right, it is really important that they stay hydrated too.

Intense exercise makes it important to stay hydrated.

Athletes usually aim to start their day with at least two glasses of water to rehydrate after sleeping.

Water is better than any juice.

While whole fruits are great because they have fibre and antioxidants, fruit juices should be avoided because they have more sugar and less of the nutrients that come from the fruit’s skin.

7 Recommended Breakfast Meals

So what are some good examples of foods we can eat to remain healthy, here are 7 different examples, which are good for us and are still tasty!

1. Greek Yoghourt with Granola, Nuts, and Fresh Berries
2. Whole Grain Toast with Poached Eggs, and Fresh Fruit
3. Whole Wheat Pancakes with Peanut Butter, Sliced Banana, and a Glass of Milk
4. Protein-Packed Smoothie with Oats, Berries, Protein Powder, and Almond Butter
5. Omelette with Sliced Banana
6. Porridge with Almonds, Fresh Berries, and Honey
7. Oatmeal with Berries, Almonds, and Greek Yoghourt