India’s Olympic contingent is gearing up to make the nation proud at the Paris Olympics 2024, which commenced this week. While their rigorous training regimen is at the heart of their success, their diet plays an equally crucial role.
What do these athletes eat to fuel their bodies for peak performance? Let’s take a look at the diet secrets of India’s Olympic hopefuls.
The reigning Olympic champion in Men’s Javelin Throw, shared his diet secrets with the Olympics organisers on their blog and began by emphasising the importance of natural food like fruits and salads in his diet. Neeraj shared, “Personally, my morning routine includes a breakfast before training, consisting of fruits, yoghurt, oats, three-four egg whites and two pieces of bread. Additionally, I have juice or coconut water and dry fruits.”
His diet mostly depends on macro-nutrients like fruits and protein to help him build muscles and maintain a healthy body fat range. His favourite dish is a wholesome meal of bread and omelette.
2. Rohan Bopanna
At 44, Rohan Bopanna is one of the healthiest athletes. In an interview with Indian Express, the tennis star revealed that he doiesn;t have a designer diet but follows rigorous potion control and listens to his body to understand what it needs. In another interview with Your Story, he also shared his love for coffee and how it’s something he simply can’t give up.
“Coffee was there in my life before tennis. I have grown up in the coffee farms and estates in Coorg, I picked up my love for coffee when I was 10. Living in the estate for 14 years, I grew up with the smell and taste of coffee,” he shared.
3. PV Sindhu
India’s badminton star, PV Sindhu’s diet mostly included fruits, nuts and proteins like eggs, grilled chicken, etc. She is diligent about excluding junk food from her diet and things like ice cream and chocolates are a big no for her. She also told Vogue, “My diet for match day is calculated based on the match timing.”
She takes one day off every month to enjoy a cheat meal, which usually includes Hyderabadi Biryani since she hails from Hyderabad.
4. Manika Batra
Ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, Manika Batra told Indian Express how her food patterns have changed over the years as Table Tennis became a bigger priority over her. Manika Batra. “I used to like Chhole bhature so much. I’m a Punjabi, we love food. And had a sweet tooth too. But as TT became a priority, I stopped liking sweet automatically. I don’t feel like eating it only, so now it’s more of salads,” she says.
Her mother Sushma has also seen Manika switch to bland protein and fibre. “Paneer bhurji, Daal maakhni, poha, daliya, she likes that, but wanting to win means we talk about food more than her actually eating it,” she shared with Indian Express.