The Olympic Diet | A Gold Menu for the Gold Medal

Here are excerpts from the United States Olympic Committee's Nutrition and Meal Planning Guide: Nutrition Requirements for the Training and Competition, by USOC sports dietitians Adam Korzun, Karen Daigle, Susie Parker-Simmons and Bob Seebohar, provided for chefs at hotels and other venues where Olympic athletes will be eating on the road.

“The menu is an antioxidant-rich menu which includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, heart healthy fats and a variety of lean protein.

“With regard to fats, we aim to keep fat content:

total fat as 30% of total calories
saturated fat as 10% of total calories
trans fats as low as possible

“We use heart healthy oils (olive oil blends, canola oil, liquid margarine, etc.) in all food preparation in place of butters and solid margarines, and all of our dairy products are 2% milk fat. We also avoid deep frying foods completely (as we do not even have deep fryers)

Hot Dish Options (available daily)

Breads - a variety of breads to include: whole wheat, multi-grain and white

Deli Meats - ham, turkey, roast beef, tuna/chicken salad and cheeses

Salad Items - lettuce, fresh veggies, beans/legumes, etc.

Condiments - mustard, mayonnaise, peanut butter, jam, etc.

Salad Dressings - one creamy option and two vinaigrette-based options (one light)

Hot Dish Options (rotate daily)

Soup - broth-based (noodle, minestrone, etc.)

Protein - grilled or roasted chicken breast and fish, pork or beef, etc.

Vegetarian Option - have one meatless offering (tofu or mixed grains can double as side dishes)

Pasta Bar - noodles with choice of tomato and meat sauce

Composed Dish - stir fry, casserole (i.e. Chicken Cacciatore, beef fajitas, homemade pizzas, etc.)

Starch - rice, pilaf, potatoes, couscous, breads, etc.

Vegetables - steamed vegetable

Dessert Option

Fruit-Based Desserts - apple cobbler, parfait, rice pudding, whole fruit/salad

Baked - muffins, scones, cookies, granola bars

Frozen/Dairy - ice cream, yogurts and sorbet