This year’s Olympics have involved food-related drama already, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Many athletes have chosen to bring their own food into the Olympic Village in order to keep up with their detailed diets in hopes of achieving peak physical performance.
Superstar gymnast Simone Biles is among those who considers the link between what she eats and how she feels and performs as she pursues Olympic gold.
And it seems to be paying off. On Monday, she won her 11th Olympic medal overall, according to The New York Times.
What Simone Biles eats in a day
Unlike some top athletes, Biles is not too intense about her daily diet, according to WMMR.
Instead of following a precise diet, she strives to be in tune with her body
“I eat what I feel good with and try not to overeat or stuff myself, because I’m always at the gym,” she said in a 2020 interview with Women’s Health.
She often starts her training days with oatmeal or fruit, but on the weekend, when she has more time, she’ll make some eggs or sweet treats, Women’s Health reported.
“On the weekends, I’ll have some protein waffles with chocolate chips, some eggs, or even make cinnamon rolls,” Biles told Women’s Health in 2020.
Her other “less healthy” foods of choice include pizza and fettuccine Alfredo.
Biles is married to another top athlete, Jonathan Owens, who plays football with the Chicago Bears. Both of them focus on their physical nutrition when they eat.
“Jonathan cooks either, like, salmon, chicken,” Biles said about dinner, according to E! News. “We eat a lot of chicken, either with broccoli, and like potatoes or mac and cheese, but always veggies with it and we kind of wind down for the night.”
How Simone Biles trains
On training days, Biles is at the gym for about as long as an average American is at their work desk, according to a 2016 interview with Women’s Health.
She described having two three-hour practices each day in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympics and using her free time to cook, eat, go to therapy and squeeze in some time for relaxation.
Biles has also incorporated mental health therapy into her training routine. In multiple interviews before and during the 2024 Olympics, she’s credited therapy with helping make her strong.
“After all these years of putting in the mental work in, it’s paid off. So I’m super excited to be on this stage again,” she said Saturday, per CNN.