Sports nutrition is big business. What an athlete eats is seen as crucial to their training. How would an ancient Olympian’s diet line up with today’s?

The Michael Phelps diet – could you stomach it?

10,000 kilocalories (five times a man’s normal amount) to support his daily five hours’ training. It’s not for the faint-hearted…

Breakfast:
3 fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; 3 chocolate-chip pancakes;5-egg omelette; 3 sugar-coated slices of French toast; bowl of grits; 2 cups of coffee
Lunch:
½kg (1lb) of enriched pasta; 2 large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks
Dinner:
½kg of pasta with carbonara sauce; large pizza; energy drinks

• • •

References:

• Usain Bolt’s diet (MotleyHealth.com)
• Michael Phelps’ diet (BBC News)
• Diets of Athletes at the Ancient Olympics (TopEndSports.com)
• Diet of athletes in ancient Olympics (Answers.com)