Diving Into the Sweet Secrets of Olympic Swimmers

Ariarne Titmus of Team Australia and Katie Ledecky of Team United States compete in the Women's 400m Freestyle Heats on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, on July 27, 2024. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Australian and U.S. gold medallists did not just conquer the water in Paris, but also indulge in guilty pleasures that would make even the strictest nutritionist choke on their celery sticks.

Emma McKeon and Caramel Milkshakes

Emma McKeon, the Australian aquatic wonder with 14 Olympic medals earned in her career, is not just a legend in the pool; she’s also the undisputed queen of the dairy aisle.

While she’s busy shattering records, she’s also making a beeline for the nearest caramel milkshake with the same determination that she shows in the water.

Breakfast at Emma’s is a tale of contradictions. She starts her day with a wholesome spread of peanut butter toast, Weet-Bix drizzled with honey, and a cup of coffee strong enough to revive a sunken ship.

Then she’s already halfway through a banana at the crack of dawn because why not start the day with a bit of fruity rebellion? Cooking? Emma admits her culinary skills begin and end with pasta.

Ariarne Titmus Loves Her Black Coffee

And then there’s Ariarne Titmus, another of Australia’s gold medal aquatic amazons, who takes breakfast to new heights with a slice of toast slathered in Vegemite and a cup of black coffee that could wake the dead.

Her morning tea is a masterpiece worthy of at least a few hundred Instagram likes: a vibrant bowl of oats, topped with a fruit salad that looks like it was arranged by a fruit ninja with OCD.

Lunch? Just your average wrap stuffed with enough avocado, eggs, and veggies to make a rabbit weep with envy.

Ariarne’s afternoon tea involves another round of black coffee accompanied by either rice cakes or a bowl of rice cereal, just to keep things interesting.

Dinner is a more sensible affair of meat or fish with a side of carbs and a mountain of veggies, because even Olympians need their greens.

The Science Behind Olympic Eating

All this eating isn’t just for fun—there’s science behind it.

Kate Sweeney, the nutritionist with a calculator for a brain and a firm belief that too little food equals too little speed is armed with stats to prove that swimmers need to chow down on at least 2,500 calories a day to avoid turning into human sloths.

Apparently, those who skimp on carbs and opt for rabbit food are doomed to swim at a pace that would embarrass a manatee.

Carbs, she insists, should make up a whopping 55–65 percent of their daily intake, because nothing says “Olympic champion” like a plate of pasta the size of a small country.

Private Chef to the Australian Swim Team

Meanwhile in the background like a culinary wizard is Chris Jarmer, the private chef to Australia’s Olympic swimming team, who’s whipping up eight kilograms of fresh berries and 90 poached eggs every morning.

Not to be outdone in the breakfast stakes, Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter is spicing up his breakfast yogurt with a pinch of cayenne pepper, because apparently, even breakfast needs a bit of heat.

Katie Ledecky and Chocolate Protein Shakes

U.S. swimming legends such as Katie Ledecky loves a hearty bowl of oats, and peanut butter and banana—a combo so power-packed it’s practically a gold medal in a bowl.

Lunch for Katie is a simple eggs on toast, occasionally jazzed up with spinach or tomatoes. And when the afternoon slump hits, Katie reaches for a chocolate protein shake.

Dinner is where Katie really shines, turning into a culinary chameleon who likes to mix things up.

One night it’s chicken, the next it’s steak, or maybe a salmon fillet—all paired with a salad, rice, or a medley of veggies. And just like her Aussie rivals, she’s a berry fanatic, declaring her love for the little fruits like they’re the secret to her swimming success.

Michael Phelps: The Human Hoover

The legend himself, Michael Phelps, a man who’s practically a human Hoover, was known to vacuum up an eye-watering 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day.

With 85 kilograms of pure muscle and just 8 percent body fat, he’s not just swimming; he’s practically parting the waters like a modern-day Moses.

His breakfast consisted of three fried egg sandwiches, chocolate-chip pancakes, a five-egg omelette, and more sugar-coated French toast.

Lunch and dinner were equally epic, with half a kilo of pasta at each meal, sandwiches slathered in mayo, and enough energy drinks to fuel a rocket launch.

When you’re churning through water like a deranged dolphin, clocking up 13 kilometers a day, six to seven days a week, you’d be forgiven for indulging in a few little luxuries.

It turns out that behind every gleaming gold medal, there lurks a stash of peanut butter, berries, bananas, and oats—plus, for the truly reckless, a scandalous sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Who knew that the secret to aquatic excellence involved a breakfast that could double as a small explosive device?