During the summer months when the snow’s not flying, the U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes are still hard at work at the Center of Excellence and beyond. Athletes use the summer to focus on building a solid strength and endurance foundation to prepare them for on-snow camps in the summer and fall. So, what does it take to fuel an elite-level female speed athlete (aka “Speed Unicorn”)? Building a strong foundation means consuming a high-calorie, high-iron diet.
We sat down with the USSA’s High Performance Sports Dietitian, Allen Tran, and High Performance Chef Megan Chacosky to get the scoop about what it takes to fuel a women’s speed team athlete through a day of strength and endurance training.
Allen Tran stands in the USSA Center of Excellence kitchen. (U.S. Ski Team)
“With two workouts per day, one of them at a strenuous intensity, that means a range of 2,800-3,300 calories for a World Cup-level female speed skier,” recommends Tran. “That sounds like a lot, but you need a lot of fuel to be able to keep up with the training volume and continue to gain strength. Female athletes also have to think about adequate iron to have maximum energy and avoid anemia. So high-iron foods like beef, spinach, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas are staples.”
If you’re a club athlete looking to eat like a speed unicorn on a morning strength and afternoon endurance strength and conditioning program, here’s a typical “day in the life” diet from the experts:
Daily Supplements:
- Multivitamin
- Fish Oil
- Vitamin D
Breakfast:
- Two egg omelet with spinach, smoked salmon and goat cheese
- Sweet potato hash
- Berries
Morning Strength Snack (to be consumed within 30 minutes of workout):
- Smoothie with bananas, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, chocolate whey protein powder and ice
Lunch:
- Power Salad – kale, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, dried cranberries and lemon vinaigrette dressing
- Protein Powder Muffin – Chef Chacosky recommends the Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Muffins. Recipe for 12 muffins:
o 2 cups Kodiak Cakes mix
o 1 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk
o 1 egg
o 1/3 cup brown sugar
o 2 ripe bananas, mashed
o 1 tsp. cinnamon + ½ tsp. nutmeg
o 1 tsp. vanilla extract
o ½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper or grease with oil. Combine all wet ingredients into a large bowl and mix well; once mixed, add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fill muffin cups about ¾ full and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center of a muffin.
Afternoon Endurance:
- Right before: 1 Clif Bar
- During: 20 oz. water with 1 serving electrolyte mix (at least 20g of carbs from the drink)
Post-Workout Snack (to be consumed within 30-60 min of workout):
- Hard-boiled egg with Sriracha sauce
- String cheese
- Fresh peach
- 8 oz. glass chocolate milk
Dinner:
- Beef carne asada tacos with grilled peppers, onions, tomato salsa on corn tortillas
- Rice and beans
Pre-Bed Snack:
- 6 oz. tart cherry juice (to help you sleep and recover; it’s a natural source of melatonin)
- Chobani coconut Greek yogurt
