Here’s a glimpse at what some of the world’s best athletes reportedly nosh on to perform (and feel!) like winners.
Lindsey Vonn: Avocados and Ice Cream
Avocado is also on the menu for dinner, tucked into a veggie-packed quinoa salad alongside steak or salmon. For lunch, Vonn said she eats a plate of chicken with rice, broccoli, and steamed vegetables.
While her eating plan is generally healthy and balanced, she told Self that she does indulge in dessert. Vonn said her comfort food is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — specifically, the Half Baked or Mint Chocolate Cookie flavors.
Ilia Malinin: Chocolate Bars
The gravity-defying, world-champion figure skater will compete with Team USA for the first time this year, bringing his quad skills to the global stage.
Malinin told Northern Virginia Magazine in January 2023 that he prefers eating home-cooked dinners with his family over dining in restaurants. If he does go out to eat, though, he said his favorite spots are Five Guys and Carraba’s Italian Grill.
One indulgence he doesn’t miss out on is chocolate. Malinin has said he always eats a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar before he takes the ice to compete.
“When I was younger, I always liked sweets and Hershey’s chocolate was my favorite,” Malinin told NBC Olympics in December 2025. “Now, it’s become a thing that takes a little bit of the nerves off my competition. It changes how I feel, so it helps me compete better.”
Chloe Kim: Protein-Packed Foods
Now, Kim told Women’s Health in January that a typical training day starts with a smoothie, including frozen bananas, peanut butter, almond milk, and protein powder. As an after-training meal, she’ll have soft-scrambled eggs, sourdough toast with avocado, bacon, and hash browns. For dinner, she favors Banza chickpea pasta with chicken and a protein-packed homemade pesto.
Berries, papaya, and hummus are her go-to snacks, Kim told Women’s Health, and for a boost, she often reaches for an iced oat milk matcha with a splash of maple syrup.
Jordan Stolz: Pizza and Pasta
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in February 2022 that the speed skater “eats pizza every day before training.” But Stolz told People in January that this was an exaggeration.
“It’s not every day, but it’s frequent,” Stolz said of his pizza habit. And he admits he doesn’t shy away from carbs in general. “It’s usually pasta or pizza,” he said of his pre-training meals.
The 21-year-old Stolz has a sweet tooth, too. For dessert, he told People that he prefers his mom’s homemade cheesecake topped with Hershey’s fudge.
Jessie Diggins: Complex Carbs
The highly decorated cross-country skier has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder in the past. These days, though, she can often be found talking about the importance of food as fuel for performance and health.
When it comes to what fuels her, Diggins spotlights protein and complex carbohydrates, noting that she purposefully increases her caloric intake in the winter when she’s training and racing.
“When we’re racing two to three times each weekend in the cold, I need to be sure I’m giving my body enough energy from food to sustain that amount of skiing,” she told Outside in October 2022.
Alongside coffee in the morning, Diggins has a breakfast of oatmeal with berries, yogurt, almonds, and honey. Her morning snack is often carb-heavy — an energy bar or muffin — and then lunch is two pieces of toast topped with mustard, cheese, and fried eggs, with a salad on the side. For an afternoon snack, she’ll have yogurt, granola, and a banana. For dinner, it’s often salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, and a kale salad with feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, and lemon dressing, along with dark chocolate for dessert.
In general, Diggins told Outside, “I like to eat a wide variety of fresh vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes, bread, quinoa, rice, farro, [and] pasta.”
Mia Manganello: Fresh Fruit and Juice
The speed skater fuels herself with clean, wholesome meals before competition. She revealed to Delish in July 2021 that her pre-practice breakfast consists of oatmeal with orange juice; lunch is avocado toast with an egg; and dinner is teriyaki salmon with white rice and sautéed veggies. She will also snack on fruit before her afternoon practice, according to Delish.
Shaun White: Beef Jerky
“If I’m in a pinch, I just stir it in some water. But typically I use oat milk or almond milk, add in a banana or a little avocado, then blend it together,” White told the publication.
Another snack he keeps on hand? Beef jerky. “It is the perfect chairlift snack: There are only so many that I can bring on a mountain that don’t fall apart when I’m riding,” he told The Strategist. “And you can only eat so many bars. I keep some in my backpack when I skateboard, too.”
Read the full article here
