Ever wanted to know the secret behind how the top athletes in the world stay feeling and looking their best? Well, they don’t do it all on their own. They get help from the best nutritionists in the world, which is a definite leg up. These chefs and nutritionists plan their diets meticulously for optimal performance. But you don’t have to be a pro athlete to get all the tips of the trade. We talked to the nutritionist and head chef for the U.S. Olympic ski and snowboard team, Allen Tran, on how you too can eat like a pro.
It’s a challenge to craft the perfect diet so that every snowboarder and skier can kick ass on the slopes, but Tran is a bit of a renaissance man when it comes to nutrition in that department. He’s a chef, a foodie, a sports scientist, and a registered dietician. All of which makes him an expert when it comes to what pro athletes should eat to stay healthy and be in top physical shape.
You probably aren’t a pro athlete, but you can still take Tran’s advice — because your body’s physical health is still of the utmost importance. Just like an athlete needs the energy and the fuel to thrive in a competition, you need the fuel to get through your work day and then dominate in your Tuesday basketball league. Because the last thing either of you wants is to faint or puke in front of the whole world (literally or metaphorically as the case may be!).
Which means that eating the right way really deserves to be treated like a huge priority. Because when the stakes are high, you need to be at your physical peak at every moment.
No one knows that better than the standouts of skiing and snowboarding, such as Team Toyota athlete Chloe Kim with whom Tran works with personally to help prepare for her competitions. They often have to be on the slopes for an entire day of competition (like you, with your standing desk!). In the video above, Tran gives us the skinny on how much protein and carbs we really need to eat, whether sports drinks are helpful for the casual athlete, and tips on how you can pump quality fuel into your body for your workouts and life.
In short: This is the definitive guide on how to eat just like a Grand Prix star. And it’s definitely worth your time.
