Katie Ledecky had an epic run during the 2024 Olympics in Paris: She came home with four medals (including two golds), adding to her collection of 14. She's currently hoping to make the 2028 Games, which would make her a five-time Olympian.
But making history isn't easy: To keep winning races, Katie has to fuel her body with good food.
“My food philosophy has always been to eat healthy and to treat my body right,” Katie tells Women's Health. “I know that my body is what gets me from one end of the pool to the other."
In short, Katie says she’s “very focused” on nutrition, but doesn’t let it occupy too much of her mind’s time. “I’m not overly focused on it either, if that makes sense,” she explains. And yes, it totally does. Life is all about balance, even for Olympians.
Curious what Katie Ledecky eats in a day, especially when she’s training for a big event? Here's what Katie's breakfast, lunch, and dinner looks like.
Breakfast
On a typical training day, Katie wakes up pretty darn early for her various workouts—around 5:30 or 6 a.m., a.k.a. the crack of dawn. In order to get some fast-working carbs and energy in her system, Katie prefers to munch on oatmeal topped with banana, peanut butter, berries, and a splash of milk. Yum.
Snack Break
After breakfast, Katie heads to the pool for a swim. Once she’s done with her pool training around 10:30 a.m., she’ll typically make her way to the weight room. As she’s heading there, you'll probably find her chugging a chocolate milk and eating a granola bar.
“I’ve been drinking chocolate milk after races since I was 13 years old,” says Katie, which is why she teamed up with Got Milk? to share her love for the recovery drink. “I was told from a young age that it was a great way to get protein and carbs right after a practice. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it tastes good.”
If she's in need of some protein, she'll grab a Core Power chocolate shake to replenish her nutrients. The drinks were kept on-hand in the Olympic Village, thanks to Team USA. (Her favorite flavor? Chocolate, of course.)
"I had to make sure that I was getting that in my system really quickly and just jumpstarting the recovery process," she tells Women's Health.
To her, recovery is a major piece of her training. “Training isn’t just the hours we put in the pool,” Katie says. She actually defines her training as all-encompassing: It's not just about her workouts, but also what she’s eating and drinking, and how she's sleeping, stretching, and more.
“Those all really make an impact on my performance and my ability to attack the next workout or the next race, and it gives me the confidence knowing that I've done everything that I can to be at my best when I step up behind the blocks,” Katie says.
Lunch
Katie usually goes for an early lunch around 11. “It’s kind of an in-between time where it’s not quite lunch, but it’s not quite breakfast, but I need to eat.”
For her, lunch might look something like eggs, either over easy or scrambled, with some veggies. And she’ll throw a piece of toast and avocado on her plate, too.
Snack Break
After waiting a little while before her next training session, Katie will have another “large snack.” She fuels up for the next bout of work with a yogurt parfait filled with berries and granola. “I just love granola,” Katie says. “If I need something that’s sweet but healthy before practice, it would be granola.” Noted.
Katie Ledecky's Favorite Snacks
Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Candy
Horizon Organic Shelf-Stable 1% Low Fat Milk Boxes
Quaker Simply Granola Honey & Almond
Bob's Red Mill Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats
Dinner
After her training, Katie recovers by drinking another chocolate milk, and then she'll squeeze in dinner within an hour of her afternoon practice.
That dinner typically entails a well-balanced plate that includes carbs like rice or pasta mixed with vegetables. Then, she’ll add in chicken, salmon, or steak as a main source of protein.
But Katie says she also likes to mix it up. For example, she won’t turn down a good taco recipe. (Relatable.)
Dessert
Katie says she enjoys treating herself to the things she loves to eat and drink regularly. “I love Reese’s peanut butter cups," she says.
Katie’s also a fan of baked goods, and when she’s not training super intensely, she actually enjoys making sweets like banana bread, cookies, and brownies. “I love a good banana bread,” Katie says. (And don’t we all?) Sounds like a pretty good self-care routine to me.
Madeline Howard is a writer, editor, and creative based in Brooklyn. Her work has been published in Esquire, Nylon, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. Among other things, she was formerly an editor at Women’s Health. Subscribe to her newsletter ‘hey howie’ at madelinehoward.substack.com.
Charlotte Walsh (she/her) is an associate news editor with Women's Health, where she covers the intersection of wellness and entertainment. Previously, she worked as a writer at The Messenger, E! News, and Netflix. In her free time, she enjoys reality television, tennis and films starring Nicole Kidman.
