EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport
Food is an important part of any athlete's training, even if you're just doing 20 minutes of cardio or taking a quick yoga class every now and then.
We've put together a list of what famous sporting legends chow down on while they're training and performing.
The information, courtesy of Decibel Nutrition, highlights some of the rigorous eating challenges sports stars are forced to go through. Step aside, Adam Richman!
What the stars eat
Jonny Wilkinson (Rugby Player)(01 of09)
The England rugby ace puts away 3,000 calories each day, starting off with muesli, fruit, skimmed milk and an egg white omelette.For lunch he'll scoff pasta, potatoes, chicken and salad before eating oily fish, chicken and vegetables for dinner. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Tom Daley (Diver)(02 of09)
Daley dines on beans on toast and fruit in the morning, snacking on cereal bars, soup, chocolate milkshakes and chocolate spread on toast throughout the day.A typical lunch involves grilled chicken and a jacket potato while dinner features chicken, steamed vegetables and pasta.That all adds up to 3,200 calories fulling his body for a day of training. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Peter Vanderkaay (Swimmer)(03 of09)
The American swimmer kicks off his days with a 5 egg white omelette, and yoghurt with fruit and granola. Snacking on power bars through to lunch, he then throws back a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some chocolate milk.A normal dinner involves chicken, rice and asparagus, totting up 3,220 calories each day. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ryan Lochte (Swimmer)(04 of09)
While at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ryan Lochte didn't much care for the local cuisine so dined on a diet of McDonald's. He would start the day with a Big Breakfast, McMuffins, hash browns and fruit before returning for lunch which involved McNuggets, a double cheeseburger and a Big Mac.He would eat the same meal again for dinner, adding fries. The result? 5,800 calories daily. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Usain Bolt (Sprinter)(05 of09)
The world's fastest man was in a similar position in Beijing, so he took to eating Chicken McNuggets and fries for every meal.That fuelled the sprinter with 5,500 calories each day. (credit:John Giles/PA Wire)
Louis Smith (Gymnast)(06 of09)
Back into the world of non-fast food, this British gymnast eats scrambled egg on toast and fruit for breakfast, ham tomato and cucumber pasta for lunch, and chicken with steamed veggies and salad for dinner.He needs a lot of it for training though, putting back 3,780 calories per day. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Andy Murray (Tennis Player)(07 of09)
Murray denies his Scottish roots by ditching porridge for breakfast in favour of fruits, bagels and smoothies.He fills up between meals on protein shakes and energy drinks, and enjoys salmon and rice for lunch. Scottish salmon, we imagine.Much like the rest of the athletes on this list, dinner for Murray is chicken, steamed veg and potatoes, pulling in 3,200 calories. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Bodybuilder)(08 of09)
Former pro-wrestler Dwayne Johnson recently revealed his eating habits, telling the world he consumed 5kg of healthy food every day.But he once became food legend when he stuck to his strict diet plan for 150 days - then allowed himself the most epic cheat day ever.In 24 hours he consumed 12 chocolate chip pancakes, 4 large pepperoni pizzas and 21 chocolate brownies. (credit:Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)
Michael Phelps (Swimmer)(09 of09)
Phelps is well known for his ridiculous diet, which fuels his workouts to the tune of 12,500 calories each day.He starts with three fried egg sandwiches, oatmeal and blueberries. Throughout the course of a day he'll add french toast, chocolate chip pancakes, a five egg omelette, one extra large pepperoni pizza, energy drinks, 1kg of pasta and two ham and cheese sandwiches. (credit:PATRICK HAMILTON via Getty Images)
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Most Googled Diets Of 2014
Clean 9 Diet(01 of10)
Clean 9 is a detox lasting, you've guessed it, 9 days. Taking part means consuming supplements including aloe vera gel and bee pollen tablets, along with meal replacement shakes and some calorie-restricted meals.
Ultima Diet(02 of10)
Diet Ultima is a brand of diet pill which claims to help people lose weight without changing their eating habits or doing exercise. However, there have been reports of customers being scammed by a 'free trial' which wasn't as free as they thought...
Perricone Diet(03 of10)
Dermatologist Dr Nick Perricone has created a series of diets designed not only to help you lose weight, but also to give you perfect skin. Dr Perricone's three-day face lift is a meal plan which encourages dieters to eat salmon at least twice a day.
Atkins Diet(04 of10)
The low-carb, high protein Atkins diet was first publicised by John Atkins' book Dr Atkins' Diet Revolution. Now a worldwide phenomenon, the diet has inspired a generation to loath carbs. Pass the chips, someone?
80/20 Diet(05 of10)
The 80/20 principle is simple. Spend 80% of your time eating healthily and 20% indulging. We think we can manage that.
Green Coffee Diet (06 of10)
Despite featuring in this list, the Green Coffee Diet, touted by US TV medic Dr Oz, was revealed to be a bogus in October.After claiming green coffee bean extract could help people lose weight without dieting or taking exercise, Dr Oz later admitted that a study backing up the principle had been altered.
Exante Diet (07 of10)
The Exante diet is a meal replacement plan which involves consuming 3,200 calorie diet products or 4,150 calorie products per day. Dieters can choose from a range of shakes, soups, bars and even ready meals.
4:3 Diet (08 of10)
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Sugar Detox Diet(09 of10)
2014 was the year that we turned on sugar. A range of 'sugar detoxes' have been touted by experts, suggesting dieters give up sugar totally for varying periods of time in order to retrain their tastebuds and kick the sugar addiction.
Clean Eating Diet(10 of10)
Clean eating is all about choosing unprocessed and unrefined foods. Clean eaters opt for meals made with foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and farm-fresh eggs.
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