Yelena Isinbayeva shared her current training diet this week. Yelena Isinbayeva is the Russian pole vaulting champion who won Olympic gold in 2004 an 2008.
She was also named Female Athlete of the Year 3 times by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Yelena Isinbayeva was born in 1982, she is also the ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games. She was the first woman to jump over 5 meters and in Beijing 2008 she jumped to 5.05 meters.
Her diet is designed to give her a combination of fast and slow release carbohydrate, protein and fats. Plus coffee for that extra boost.
She shared her diet this week as part of her role as ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games.
It is her way to show younger athletes how easy it is to eat properly while training without compromising the enjoyment of food. Coffee and chocolate are both allowed.
Breakfast: Bread, butter, cheese, coffee
Breakfast is simple, black coffee, white bread and a selection of cheese with some tomatoes. The coffee gives a good energy boost in the morning meaning that you work harder. It is a safe, natural and a legal booster.
The white bread, which is high GI, releases its energy very 
quickly. It is not good for weight loss, but excellent for getting glycogen into the blood quickly.
Do not eat the white bread if you are not training that morning, as it will just turn to fat. The cheeses and tomato provide a little protein and some fats that are required for proper body function.
Breakfast on her day of competition: bread, cheese, nuts
On competition days she changes her diet slightly so that there is more slow release carbs in the form of nuts. The nuts contain slower release energy and essential oils too.
Walnuts also combat unhealthy fats and walnuts also help to preserve the elasticity and flexibility of the arteries which means that the cardiovascular system stays in top shape.
Lunch: Pasta “Bianca” – olive oil, cheese, tomatoes
Pasta is an athletes favorite food when it comes to muscle fuel. Pasta is a very healthy source of carbohydrate so long as it is prepared and served correctly.
Overcooked pasta with creamy sauce contains elevated sugar levels.
The healthiest pasta is wholemeal pasta cooked al dente style and served with a dressing of olive oil with cheese and tomatoes.
Dinner: Chicken, carrots, broccoli, potatoes
Dinner contains a balanced meal of protein to help repair and build muscle with healthy carbohydrate sources in the form of vegetables. Note that the emphasis is on the carrots of broccoli with just a few small potatoes.
There is no sauce and the portion is small. Note that just because she has been training hard all day does not mean she is allowed to eat more food.
The extra energy will cause weight gain, even if you are exercising hard.
Competition Day Snack: On the day of competition Yelena says that her secret of success is chocolate
Chocolate is an excellent source of energy. Yelena only eats dark chocolate that provides health benefits. The coffee provides an extra boost before competing, again a healthy and legal boost that can increase performance.
If you are trying to get fit, coffee really is a good choice of drink simply because it means that you work yourself harder without having to take on board more sugar, fat or protein to do so.
Professional athletes are always very slim. Many people assume that this is because of their workouts, but really it is because being slim gives them a competitive advantage. They are more athletic by being slimmer than their opponents.
The workouts leave athletes such as Yelena Isinbayeva feeling hungry at times, but she cannot just eat whenever she feels hungry as this will lead to some weight gain. If you are trying to jump higher than any other person in the World a few extra pounds is enough to cause you to fail.
Remember that Yelen’s requirements are not going to be the same as yours and that every athlete has different needs. But this daily diet does provide a blueprint for your own diet that you can modify and change.
The key elements are to eat few high GI carbohydrates. Eat protein, give yourself some natural caffeine boosts and adjust your diet slightly on competition days.
Yelena Isinbaeva 30 seconds Interview
Source: Youth Olympic Games on Facebook
Main photo source: Flikr / az1172
Published on June 1st, 2010 and edited on April 18th, 2011.