9 Ways To Eat Like An Olympian

Grab your Olympic-sized fork, we've got work to do. Liberty Mutual is proud to sponsor the incredible athletes for Team USA who've trained for an opportunity to compete in the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

1. The Swimmer's Diet

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All you have to do is consume 12,000 calories every day. Piece of cake. Well... a thousand pieces of cake.

2. Pickles to the Rescue

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Most Olympians know that after an intense workout, there's nothing like a cool glass of sodium-rich pickle juice to help prevent muscle cramps. Yum.

3. Get Milk

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If sour pickle juice isn't your thing, some gymnasts swear that chocolate milk helps you recover after an intense workout.

4. Carb Your Enthusiasm

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When your body is exerting an Olympic level of energy, it needs fuel. Carbs play a vital role in the training process. That said: It might not be a bad idea to try cutting out gluten whenever you can.

5. Cram Some Yams in Your Diet

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If you've ever watched the Olympic runners, you've probably seen a human-shaped blur in a Jamaica uniform streak across your TV. But did you know that the world's fastest man attributes his speed to all the yams he ate as a child?

6. Mini Meals for Mega Results

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Sure, you're trying to load up on carbs, but try not to do it all at once. We've been trained to eat three meals per day, but try to eat less more often. Some Olympic swimmers eat up to six meals a day!

7. Beet-juice, Beet-juice, Beet-juice

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If you want to get oxygen to your muscles in a more efficient way, try slurping down a cold glass of beet juice after your workout. Olympians are all about the beets.

8. Have You Tried Not Eating?

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If you're looking for the most counterintuitive dieting regimen, look no further than one of South Korea's top gymnasts. In preparation for the Olympics, she eats a tiny breakfast, a tiny lunch, and no dinner.

9. Eat Organic

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This seems like a no-brainer and... well... yeah, it is. Most Olympic athletes avoid eating foods that have chemicals in them because duh.

Learn more about what it takes to be an Olympian hopeful and read U.S. Athletes' stories here.