Athletes do not live on bread alone

Part II tomorrow

The best athletes in the world know what they have to eat as it has been established that nutrition directly affects their performance.

Michael Phelps swam to a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, during which he adopted an unusual 12,000-calorie-a-day diet while in training.

That is huge difference compared to the 2,500-3,000 calories a day diet that the US Food and Drug Administration recommends for men depending on age and activity level.

However, it did not stop him from achieving his goal.

Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man ever, had a diet of chicken nuggets and yams.

What about Brunei's very own top athletes?

"I would have egg whites for breakfast. Around four to five of them," said Esmond Tan.

"Rice is the main food at lunch but right before I hit the gym in the afternoon, I would have bananas and almonds for some quick energy," he said.

"The meal after gym consists of steam chicken and green vegetables. I don't take rice during dinner but instead settle for fruits," continued the 25-year-old.

For 12-year-old, Christian Nickles, who was the best boy for his group at the Asean Inter-Club Age Group Swimming Championships last month, he just eats whatever is prepared by his mother.

"I just eat any home cooked food but I try to avoid as much fatty food as possible. I try not to drink any fizzy drinks as well but sometimes it's difficult with peer pressure," said Nickles.

Amanda Liew, a national swimmer, stacks on the carbohydrates when competitions draw close.

"I eat at home and all we have is pasta. This is to ensure that we get more carbohydrates and not proteins for the energy needed during competition," said Liew.

"For normal training, I'll usually just have a cereal bar before getting into the pool. Dinner would consist mainly of vegetables so I'll have salad most of the time," added Liew.

"If no tournaments are close by then we'll stick to meat for protein and strength building," continued the 16-year-old.

For the 'Queen of Shahbandar', Tan Siew King, who bagged a gold medal in the women's veterans half-marathon event during the Borneo International Marathon in May, doesn't control much of her eating.

"I would have a heavy breakfast and make sure that I don't skip it. I can't eat less in the morning as well as I would get hungry really fast," said Siew King.

"Rice is the necessity for lunch and for dinner I just reduce the portions. I would at least have a glass of fruit juice daily as well," added the 51-year-old.

"What I like to eat is peanuts. I think it helps make the kidney stronger and I usually have it after a day of exercise," she added.

The Brunei Times