A peek into an elite athlete’s diet

By Flannery Dean


What’s the difference between the diet of an elite athlete and a mere mortal? Absolutely nothing, says three-time Iron Man champion and 24-hour treadmill distance world record holder Christopher Bergland.

According to the extreme distance runner and triathlete, all of us are faced with the same choices at the supermarket—meat, dairy, potatoes, rice, pasta, grains, fruits and vegetables. But few apply a common sense strategy to eating.

Bergland looks at the diet and athletic performance dilemma simply.

“Fat don’t fly,” he says. “I do not want to be fat because I will go slow. I want a high ratio of lean body mass (muscle) to fat, so I balance my calories in to my calories out, and I make sure to have enough fuel to push my body to the limit.”

Even during the most intense training, deprivation isn’t an issue.

“If I catch a glimpse of hot delicious pizza in the window and crave a slice, I eat it because I trust my body to guide me towards what it needs,” offers Bergland. Surprisingly, the athlete puts little stock in high performance dieting, and really trusts to rules of moderation and simple math.

“It comes down to calories in/calories out. The more energy you use to move your muscles the more you have to eat. But the body is a very efficient machine—don’t work out and then pig out. You only really burn about 600 calories doing an hour of cardio, and you can scarf that down in about 5 seconds at Ben and Jerry's. Get to know your BMI (how much energy your body needs to use to sustain life) and then gently cut back on intake and gently nudge up on output and you'll maintain ideal weight, or maybe lose a bit.”

You won’t find this triathlete downing a sports drink or digging into a sports bar either after a workout.

“I haven't consumed an ounce of sports nutrition outside of athletic performance in about 10 years. It's all marketing. [These products are] basically just cheap sugars and amino blends. If given the chance I only eat real food.”

For Bergland, who is also the author of The Athlete’s Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss food quality, quantity, and basic nutritional knowledge play the most significant role in achieving health and fitness goals.

The following principles make up Bergland’s common sense approach:

* Eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible--the less processed the better.

* Watch quantity. Portion control is key

• Have a basic knowledge of proteins/carbohydrates/fats and make sure to consume foods that are calorically dense in moderation.

• Never forbid a food; just don't be a glutton when it comes to foods with super high fat contents. Use common sense: eat a balanced diet.

• Get to know your own body. See where you're cravings on 'unhealthy' foods are and incorporate them in half-portions whenever you feel the urge. If you eat the whole thing just eat it and forget about it--or run for 10 more minutes in the morning. This is not exercise bulimia. It's pragmatic: calories in/calories out.

* Never diet. Make minor changes in energy expenditure and energy intake and you'll be A-OK for the long haul.

Eating a variety of fresh foods from all the food groups while watching calories, fat and portion sizes isn’t exactly a get-lean-quick theory, but it’s the surest way to make a healthy diet part of your lifestyle. Unlike fad diets, which frankly prolong the inevitable.

"I have been a vegan, macrobiotic, [I've done the] all protein/no carbohydrate [diet] and then a month later [did] all carbs and no protein. Oh yeah, and then it was protein at one meal, carbs at another.... It goes on and on. Argh! It's such a waste of time," says Bergland.

According to Bergland, it’s better to trust grandma’s way of thinking when it comes to meals.

“My grandparents had it right. [All you need is] a plate with a little protein, some carbohydrate and a vegetable. Four square meals a day, small portions—no super sizing—a sliver of cake for dessert... They didn't have a glutton mindset—they lived through WWII and saved tinfoil.”