Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It    takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that    includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In    this series, GQ takes a look at what pro athletes in    different sports eat on a daily basis to perform at their    best. Heres a look at the daily diet of pasta-loving Olympic    track star Christian Taylor.  
      Christian Taylor was on top of the world after winning his      first gold medal in triple jump at the 2012 London Olympics.      Then, knee issues put into question whether the USA Track and      Field star would ever be able to jump at a competitive level      again. But instead of just hanging up his spikes, Taylor and      his coach devised a plan: No more pasta. No more pizza. No      more carbs, which were causing inflammation in his joints.      That change, combined with a new jumping pattern, allowed      Taylor to go on and win a second gold medal in Rio. We caught      up with the gravity-defying champ while training in the      Netherlands to discuss how his new diet reinvigorated his      career and why so many Olympians love McDonalds.    
      GQ: Youve now won back-to-back gold medals at the      Olympics. Is there a celebratory meal that has become a      ritual for you?    
      Christian Taylor: Its pretty cool to be able to      have that conversation. [Laughs] In 2012 I went to a      burger place with my parents and I just had a regular      cheeseburger with avocados, bacon, literally the works. In      Brazil, I just had a rack of ribs and some fries. Nothing in      particular, but its that point where youre no longer eating      to eat. You can finally enjoy food and not feel guilty about      things. I actually was eating McFlurries before the London      Olympics, though.    
      McFlurries from McDonalds? Seriously?    
      It was my first Olympics. I was so nervous that I actually      was having a lot of McFlurries while I was in the Olympic      Village. Going into the London games I was so strict on my      diet and watching all of my calories and everything that I      just had to find something that would help ground me a little      bit. So I figured maybe a little ice cream here and there      would calm my nerves down and make me feel regular again,      because I was so strict going in.    
      Ive actually heard before that there is always a      McDonalds in the Olympic Village, but I just assumed no      Olympic athlete would be touching that stuff after working so      hard to get to this point. Are you guys really chowing down      on McDonalds?    
      Oh, yeah! McDonalds is probably the most popular food source      at the Village. Especially in Brazil. The food was a little      different and so I think people wanted to play it safe. Also      in Beijing, I was hearing so much about McDonalds.      McDonalds is probably the hardest line to get into because      everyone is eating there.    
      Thats insane. In your experience between London and      Rio, how was the food aside from the McDonalds at the      Olympic Village? Did you typically get all your food from      right there, or were you able to explore off-site and      experience some of the local establishments? Or maybe you      just bring a ton of your own food in?    
      Both London and Rio had the cafeteria setup where you can go      and get almost everything. Theres pizza stations and carb      loads, meat loads, things like that. Ive grown fond ofin      London and in Brazil it was almost like an outdoor grill      setting where you could get grilled chicken, grilled fish,      even shrimp. But in London especially I was exploring a lot.      The Tube is super easy to get the hang of and everyone speaks      English. I would just go around and say, Hey, what would you      recommend around here? Everyone would have the best spot.      So in London I was exploring a lot. Brazil, with the safety      issues I was a little I just wanted to play it safe and      didnt explore so much. And when I did, I was going to the      Nike hospitality or the USA house, places like that.    
      I think most people often forget that track and field      athletes are competing in different championship events all      year long, and its not just the Olympics every four years.      But does your diet change at all once you have the Olympics      approaching?    
      For me, its all about consistency. Im very mindful of the      things that I am putting into my body. My coach is really big      on lowering the carb intake because I have bad knees and bad      joints. The carbs really sit and cause a lot of inflammation      in my joints. So focusing my diet on getting meats,      vegetables, and fruits is really important. Dont get me      wrong, I do have my cheat days. After a hard Saturday      workout, say it was a really solid week, Im going to have a      slice of cake. Im going to have something to reward myself.      But I cant say that my diet would change in an Olympic year      as opposed to the year after or the year before. The only      real difference would be the week or two weeks before where      Im going crazy mentally with stress or anticipation and I      say, Let me have an ice cream to bring me back down.    
      Between the London and Rio games, you started dealing      with some knee issues and ultimately ended up completely      reversing your jumping pattern. Were there any dietary      changes that coincided with the leg switch?    
      Actually, that was the point when I found out that the carbs      were interfering with my total recovery. When I say I love      carbs, I love pizza. I love pasta. I love sandwiches. They      fill me up and I prefer that over eating chicken and fish and      things like that. But when I was eating so much of that, I      couldnt recover as well. Thats when we found out that my      joints were becoming so inflamed that if I jumped on a      Monday, I couldnt jump again until Friday because my knee      would swell up or my ankle would swell up. Thats when my      coach said, Let's try to alter your diet a little bit and      see what response we get. He saw me eating at lunch a big      plate of pasta. At dinner I would have a ton of fries and      maybe a steak or something like that. He said instead of      having the pasta, maybe we could do a salad. Instead of      having the fries, maybe we could do asparagus or a zucchini      mix or something like that. And that ended up being way      better for me. When I was jumping on a Monday, by Wednesday I      was ready to go again. I was definitely missing the pasta and      stuff, but I told myself that if Im going to compete at a      high leveland now with changing legs I was given this second      chancehow am I going to make the best out of this? If thats      the biggest sacrifice I have to make, Im willing to do it.    
            "I find the prettier            the dinner can be, the more colors that are involved,            the better it can be."          
      Take me through your day-to-day diet. Are you a      lunch/breakfast/dinner kind of guy, or do you prescribe to      another method?    
      On a typical training day, for breakfast I would have two      eggs with spinach. It doesnt matter how I do it. Some days      scrambled, some days over easy, others an omelet. I love      avocado so I try to incorporate avocado in three to four      meals out of the day. Some fruits. Bananas, pears, apples.      Something thats not too heavy but can also fill me up for      the two hours of training I have. Then between my running and      jumping session I have an hour to and hour-and-a-half before      my weight session. Thats when I would have a protein shake      and lunch. Lunch would consist usually of a salad with some      kind of meat or eggs. If I know I have a bigger lifting      session afterwards I would usually have chicken, beef, or      lamb. I always try to get a little protein in there but the      salad keeps it light. Again, Ill have fruit in my salad.      Some strawberries, peaches, mangoes, pineapples. Some      sunflower seeds. I love feta cheese, so I throw some feta      cheese in there. After weights I usually have a protein bar      and banana. Just something to get me over the hump between      lunch and dinner. Plus Ill try to load up on water, trying      to replace all the water that Ive lost throughout the day.    
      With dinner, its very important to keep in mind whatever the      session I have the next day. If I were having a lot of      running the next day then I would usually have fish or      chicken. Something that could break down a little quicker,      versus if I know that I have a slower tempo day or something      thats not so intense. Then I would have some kind of steak      or lamb again, because I dont need to feel super light the      next day. Then just a ton of vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers.      I try to get some color. I find the prettier the dinner can      be, the more colors that are involved, the better it can be.    
      Youve already mentioned your love for ice cream. Are      you ever indulging in some dessert?    
      My dessert would be some fruit. Pineapple is usually very      sweet. Coconut, things like that are usually my dessert.    
      Youre currently training in the Netherlands. You      lived in London. Youve lived in the States. Youve travelled      all over the world competing. You seem like a good person to      askwhere is the best place in the world to get      food?    
      I would have to say Barcelona, hands down. I mean, they love      seafood. It just seems so fresh. And the spices! No matter      what kind of mood Im in, Ive had really good experiences      there. Whether its the lobster, whether its the prawns. I      was there two weeks ago and I was just in heaven. Barcelona,      Spain would be my number one choice. Second would be Tokyo.    
      When you have an event in those cities does it make      it that much harder to stick to your diet?    
      Absolutely. When you know its right outside the hotel or      right outside the Village, you can always find an excuse to      go and enjoy yourself. The good thing is when Im wearing the      USA gear it does remind me what Im there for. This is not a      holiday. This is work.    
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The Real-Life Diet of Christian Taylor, Who Ditched Carbs and Feels Fantastic - GQ Magazine