What Does Olympian Michael Phelps Eat?

One of the most prolific swimmers of all time is Michael Phelps. The 31-year old American just won his 25th Olympic medal at the games in Rio.

So what does an athlete of this caliber eat everyday?

Phelps has said he doesn’t eat the same as he did before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he still eats quite a lot. Before the Beijing Games, Phelps had said he was eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day, or 4,000 calories per meal. He did admit later on that he may have been exaggerating.

Today Phelps is down to a two-to-four hour a day training schedule and says he is a fan of Mexican food and grilling hamburgers, steak, chicken, and hotdogs.

After winning a gold medal on Sunday for his part in the men’s 4×100 freestyle, Phelps said he had a whole pound of pasta.

With the amount of exercise swimmers get, a pound of pasta wouldn’t affect them the way it would a couch potato. When you’re burning that many calories, eat up.