by A great mix of different cultures from all over the world in one place. That’s one of the selling points of the Games Village at every Olympic Games as ‘THE place to be’ for those two summer weeks every four years. That mix of different cultures gives a wide variety of cultures to meet the customs and cultural needs of more than 12,000 athletes from more than 200 countries and nations. While the opportunity to have that variety in foods is undoubtedly tempting, it can cause a lot of confusion and uncertainty for many athletes, especially with a measured diet plan to stick to in pursuit of a peak. -exercise.
That is certainly the case for many Indian athletes.
“Athletes and their support staff have reported cases from the Asian Games or other global events where the athletes come across new dishes and are not familiar with them, so they do not know what is in the food they eat or choose they there. lots of desserts,” says Aradhana Sharma, chief nutritionist of the Indian contingent at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
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Sharma’s appointment is India’s first ever at the Olympics. For a long time, sports nutritionists have been an integral part of the contingent of larger and more successful Olympic nations, and India is now showing signs of catching up and filling the missing pieces in the backroom.
During our conversation, Sharma, head of India’s two-member nutrition team in Paris, was quick to clarify that her job as chief nutritionist was not to dictate what the athletes could or could not eat at the Village. That is the prerogative of personal nutritionists of athletes, from those appointed by the national federation for their particular sport, by sponsors who support certain athletes, or simply a nutritionist who works full-time with an athlete on their payroll. Sharma’s team was the binding force tasked with ensuring that food was the least of the athletes’ worries.
“We were there mainly to supervise whether they were following the plans laid out by their nutritionists and also to help them with new problems or confusion about food that would arise in Paris,” said Sharma. “If athletes weren’t sure about anything or just wanted to try something new but were hesitant, we would advise them on the best time to eat that particular food, be it before or after training .”
It is easy to overlook details such as the right time to eat certain foods and the quantities consumed as well as the nutritional composition of meals depending on training and competition schedules. But these factors can have major consequences, especially at this level when such fine margins are involved. So it is even more important that a specialist or guide is present.
Aradhana Sharma, chief nutritionist of the Indian contingent at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
To make life easier for Indian athletes and to raise more awareness among the group on the science of sports nutrition, the IOA has further launched a mobile application. Among the guidelines such as anti-doping regulations and medical support, and all the other necessary details the delegation would need while in Paris, the app included nutrition details as well as the food menu for the entire duration of the games , including many vegetarian. and vegan options – an important requirement for many Indian athletes that ensured they did not have to rely on Indian restaurants outside the Village. In charge of the diet and nutrition section of the app, Sharma and her team ensured that there was a good list of nutritional content of the food items available in the Village, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc. athletes aware of what foods can be eaten in larger or smaller quantities, foods to avoid altogether, and foods that may be ideal or harmful given the time of day, all through their regular diet plans and keep food intolerances in mind.
“The benefit of an app with this detailed information is that athletes know well in advance what they can expect to eat and what they should or shouldn’t eat on a day certain rather than walking in and trying to figure something out. It’s much more efficient for them,” explained Sharma.
Even then, nutritionists clearly advise athletes not to experiment with food at all very close to their respective events. “It’s a rule of thumb in sports nutrition – stick to your normal diet before your competition,” Sharma said.
It’s not that simple though. Closer to events, many athletes rely on ‘comfort food’, which often includes foods that are not part of nutrition plans. The challenge for Sharma and other sports nutritionists is to help athletes find the comfort they are looking for while also ensuring that anything athletes eat does not negatively impact their performance.
“We also have to take it case by case,” Sharma said. “Sometimes, if we know an athlete’s comfort food isn’t going to help them perform much, it still wouldn’t hurt to let them eat it in small or well-measured quantities.”
Comfort food is an even bigger factor for female athletes, especially those who are in the middle of their menstrual cycle during the games. Sharma provides insight into how menstrual cycles affect not only the desires but also the needs, in terms of food and nutrition, for women.
“For female athletes, plans can change depending on the phase of the (menstrual) cycle they are in,” Sharma explained. “And accordingly, their energy, protein and micronutrient requirements may change. But they are familiar with this because they have been working in a high performance setting for a long time now.”
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India’s Manu Bhaker (2nd left), who won two medals in Paris, in action during one of his shooting events.
On the other end of the spectrum is pre-competition anxiety, which hinders proper food intake. Many athletes are often unable to eat at all, let alone comfort food, on the day of their event. That’s where the presence of someone like Sharma can be a big help.
“In cases like this, we make sure that the food they eat the night before their event will give them enough energy during the competition…So if they can’t have a good breakfast in the morning, it’s possible we are still doing well.”
Of course, there are other variables involved, such as extra care, especially when it comes to food intake for boxers, weightlifters and wrestlers, among others who compete in sports that follow strict weight requirements every day of competition. The disqualification of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on the morning of his final match at the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight was one of the biggest talking points of the Games. Although it is still unclear whether the miscalculation of food intake caused her to put on more weight than she could lose in one night, it shows how challenging and complex a job is the nurturer.
“We are what we eat” says the old saying. While awareness of the science of sports nutrition and its benefits has grown significantly at the elite level of sports in India over the past decade, Sharma keenly emphasizes the importance of spreading the message at the grassroots level. and ‘teach them young.’
“The younger you teach your child, the more likely you are to be able to change or improve their (eating) habits … I always pay a lot of attention when I work with children like that when we can nutrients easily. establish good habits,” said Sharma.
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