When you think of Olympics you don’t always think of food. But with rigorous training and intense competition, athletes have to eat.
So how many calories are the winter Olympic athletes consuming daily?
According to a chart by former senior sport dietitian, Nanna Meyer and current senior sport dietitian, Susie Parker-Simmons, here are some of the numbers:
- Ski jumping athletes consume between 1,300 to 2,500 calories a day
- Figure skaters eat around 3,000 calories a day
- Cross country skiers consume between 4,000 and 7,000 calories a day
For reference, 7,000 calories would compare to eating six-and-a-half Big Mac Meals from McDonald’s in one day.
One Big Mac meal with a medium fry and medium drink has a total calorie intake of 1,080 calories.
Even though eating six and half Big Mac Meals in a day may sound appealing your doctor may say otherwise.
Keep in mind that a cross country skiing athlete will be skimming through nearly 10 miles of snow – uphill, downhill and on flats – and burning around 800-1,000 calories per hour, which we are guessing is a bit higher burn rate than the average Olympic broadcast viewer.
