Once an Olympian, always an Olympian!
As we sit glued to our screens cheering on the Australian Dolphins swimming team on the quest for Olympic glory starting on Saturday, July 27, don’t forget to refuel and recharge to make it through the Games.
Who better to ask for healthy recipes than Aussie Olympic swimming titan, Ian Thorpe? Incidentally, he won five Olympic gold medals, first grabbing our and the world’s attention when he took out the 1998 World 400-metre freestyle in Perth at age 15, becoming the youngest world champion in history.
Since his retirement, this super fish has become a best-selling cookbook writer with his ‘Eat Well Now’ publication – Ian found his usual high carb and high protein diet he was consuming to substitute the 40-plus hours of training in the pool, was making him gain weight excessively and feel sluggish.
He gave his eating habits an overhaul, choosing the right food to suit his body type and energy intake requirements. Here are four of Ian’s recipes that your body will thank you for later:
Breakfast is the one meal of the day that Ian bases on carbohydrates and for him this is usually oats.
"I am a big fan of porridge in Winter, but too much of anything can get a little boring after a while. Using quinoa is a great alternative as it is packed with essential nutrients and has the flavour and filling qualities of a grain, even though it's actually a seed in the spinach family."
Pad Thai is normally made with flat rice noodles, but Ian likes to cut his own ‘noodles' from the squid. This brings down the carbohydrate content of the dish and adds the extra nutrition of seafood. Krachai, also known as lesser ginger, is a long, thin, finger-shaped rhizome that adds an earthy, authentic flavour to Thai dishes like this one. Look for it at Asian grocers – but if you can't find it, it can be omitted.
"Don't let the long ingredients list intimidate you. This dish isn't hard to make – there's just a bit of chopping to get through, but then the cooking is quick. I like to make Pad Thai when I have friends over and I can delegate some of the chopping to them!" Ian says.
"You can buy quail breasts at some good-quality butchers and they are worth seeking out, being so much more convenient than boning them out yourself! My rule for this dish is that you must make it with two chillies so it is nice and spicy. The ‘butter' is actually made of yoghurt, which always helps to cool things down," Ian explains.
This is Ian’s absolute favourite dessert. For him, if there is panna cotta on the menu, he finds it hard to go past, even though there is not much about it that is good for you (except in this case the accompanying berry coulis and fresh berries are healthy).
"So, just enjoy it! I believe everyone should allow themselves an indulgence, but just make sure it's not too often!”
