Eat Like an Olympian

The Summer Olympics are in full swing in Rio. Watching the world’s greatest athletes gather to compete in peak physical conditioning may inspire you to upgrade your health and fitness program. While you may never swim like Michael Phelps or run like Usain Bolt, you can eat like them today.The secret of superb performance for the Olympics or at home is a proper diet.When researchers examined the diets of Olympic athletes from more than 120 countries, they found the diets of these elite athletes all had three things in common:• The athletes ate a wide variety of whole natural foods in order to take in a full spectrum of nutrients.• They ate a ton of lean sources of protein. This is protein that is low in fat, such as fish, chicken, and high-quality beef or pork. Some of the athletes were vegetarians so they ate soy-based foods, but they all avoided fatty foods.• They drank lots of water. Lots. You need to have one gallon of clean water each day to remove the toxins from your body and keep it functioning at its peak.The key to an excellent diet is fairly simple:• Eat more fruits and vegetables.• Eat lean sources of protein.• Eat plenty of low glycemic carbohydrates and leafy greens.• Drink your water—at least one 8-ounce glass per hour.• Avoid sugar, salt, and white flour products to reduce inflammation in your body.Adopt these habits during the games and by the time the closing ceremonies roll around you’ll be on your way to a gold medal body with Olympic level health and energy.Alton Skinner is a health and fitness expert with over two decades of experience training athletes and author of “The Golfer’s Stroke Saver Workout.”