I think there is a wide range here. I know Alissa's mom told me she is very careful what she eats...I know after reading Frozen Teardrop there are specific diets that can do many things, like delay puberty till one is 26. I have heard rumors about what certain Chineese skaters are allowed to eat but that is only hearsay. I doubt very much if the USFSA would spring for a sports nutricianist to tell skaters what they SHOULD eat to keep fit and in shape.
Chris on the see-food diet.
I believe at Champs Camp (for the USFS skaters with Grand Prix assignments), proper nutrition usually is one of the topics covered and sports nutritionists are available for private consultations.I doubt very much if the USFSA would spring for a sports nutricianist to tell skaters what they SHOULD eat to keep fit and in shape.
I agree about these two couples, but I read an interview with Zhao once where his description of their diet was painful. I remember as it consisting of lettuce leaves. Obviously there's something wrong with that recollection, but they were definitely hungry for more than gold.On the other hand, some of the Chinese skaters (and even more so the girl gymnasts) look as if they might mature by the time they're thirty. They look underfed and barely grown. I have no idea what's done to them, but it's been painful to watch Pang and Tong skate, much as I love them. Shen and Zhao seem all right to my inexpert eye, but Pang and Tong seem as though their every mouthful is carefully doled out.
I remember reading that Yagudin would forego food on the day of competition so he'd be lighter for his jumps.
So someone on a vegan diet would just be eating fruits and veg throughout the day and their main source of protein only comes from nuts? Would they eat nuts for every meal then? I would think that might get boring after awhile.
So someone on a vegan diet would just be eating fruits and veg throughout the day and their main source of protein only comes from nuts? Would they eat nuts for every meal then? I would think that might get boring after awhile.
I think Plush only had a banana the day of the 2010 olympics?
I would imagine that one of the things cut out would be fats, especially animal fats. It's partly the balance of body fat that triggers puberty in girls, at least. I also wonder whether Chinese trainers have researched foods that are typically produced with hormones (in the U.S., often that's dairy foods and chicken) and forbid those to their skaters. Dairy isn't a food usually eaten in China to begin with, of course.
Some of the Chinese skaters (and even more so the girl gymnasts) look as if they might mature by the time they're thirty. They look underfed and barely grown. I have no idea what's done to them, but it's been painful to watch Pang and Tong skate, much as I love them. Shen and Zhao seem all right to my inexpert eye, but Pang and Tong seem as though their every mouthful is carefully doled out.
The sad thing is that the years of development taken away from a girl can't be given back. It's not as though they stop the body clock and then resume it again when the child retires. The growth plates in the bones are screwed up, bone density may become abnormal, and the person's predestined adult height may never be reached. It's an eating disorder imposed from outside. Shame on any coaching system, east, west, or on Mars, that depends on that for success.
I'm going to have to disagree with your negative assessment of people utilizing those diets for success. The point of athletic competition is to use your body in whatever way it takes to win and if someone is only using natural means to achieve those goals, then they can not be faulted for it. They may be "messing up" their bodies but that is not for us to pass judgement over; for the most driven people those are the kinds of sacrifices that are worth it for personal satisfaction.
My issue is if the Chinese government is forcing kids into doing it (yes). Everyone deserves to have a choice and everyone deserves to be informed. The other issue, of course, is if they are receiving injections to delay growth. That would fall under the category of unfair drug usage.