What Olympian Ariarne Titmus eats in a day as a gluten-free athlete

Aussie swimmer Ariarne Titmus is the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle, having won both events at the Tokyo Olympics.

The athlete knows a thing or two about what it takes to perform at your best, including how to fuel her body. Though that comes with a few challenges as she has to eat a gluten-free diet to manage her medically diagnosed gluten sensitivity.

To give us an insight into how she does this, Titmus shared her typical day on a plate with 9Honey Coach.

READ MORE: Nutritionist reveals pros and cons of popular diets

Breakfast

My pre-training breakfast is two pieces of gluten-free toast with vegemite (the gluten-free one of course) and a cup of black coffee.

My post-training breakfast is gluten-free porridge topped with yoghurt, honey, kiwi fruit and berries.

Lunch

Lunch is usually either a chicken or ham, cheese and salad gluten-free wrap or sandwich.

Snacks

My morning pre training snack is a gluten-free protein bar and a cup of black coffee.

Between swimming and workouts at the gym, I usually have a protein shake.

Dinner

Dinner varies every night, but I always make sure it includes a good mix of meat, carbohydrates, and vegetables. During times of the year when I'm training and competing, I keep my diet quite basic, so that I can keep my weight as stable as possible.

An example of my training dinner is steak with roast potatoes and a Greek salad, or satay chicken stir fry with loads of veggies and rice.

On competition day, what changes do you make to your diet?

On competition day you need to have maximum glycogen stores to race, but you also aren't expending as much energy as you would during a big training session.

So, with this in mind, I usually have my usual gluten-free porridge for breakfast, eggs and avocado on gluten-free toast for lunch, a pre-race snack of yoghurt and gluten-free muesli and fried rice with chicken for dinner.

READ MORE: Nutritionist reveals what premier league footballers eat before a game

When training, how do you like to fuel your body?

During a training session I have a bottle of water and an energy gel to hand, to help me through the session in the pool. Between swimming and workouts at the gym, I usually have a protein shake.

How does your diet vary during the off-season?

The off-season is the period that I can let my hair down a bit with my diet.

However, I don't want to let my body composition change drastically, so I still try to maintain healthy eating habits with smaller portions because I'm not spending as much energy as I would be when training. I do eat out a lot more and allow myself a drink with my family and friends.

Titmus has recently stepped into a role as an ambassador for GluteGuard.