Like many other athletes, Tara Lipinski’s training and pre-game routine when she was still competing included carb-loading. In an interview with Bustle back in 2018, the Olympic figure skater, now 40, said that carbs gave her the energy she needed for her intense regimen.
And what was her go-to carbohydrate-packed meal? Pasta. She said she ate it every day, she loved it then, and she still loves it now. “I think since I grew up training in ice skating, and it was carb-loading that gave me energy all the time, it became a comfort food,” she explained.
'My Competition Meal'Lipinski added that she loved all kinds of pasta. “And I mean of any sort — whether it's penne, spaghetti, linguine, or even a sort of ravioli, with arrabbiata sauce, tomato sauce, vodka sauce, pesto… I can eat that meal every day,” she said. “Before competitions too, it was my competition meal, so I think that's another reason why I like it so much.”
Pre-Game Spaghetti
The Olympic gold medalist recalled that eating pasta pre-game became a sort of ritual for her.
“Before competitions, I would always eat spaghetti,” she said. “Always. It never changed. I started off eating spaghetti before competitions and training. Maybe it was a little bit of a superstition — I feel like there was probably a little bit of that, because I was starting so young. I just ended up thinking, ‘OK, well this is just my pre-game meal.’”
Her Other Go-To Meals
That’s not to say Lipinski doesn’t make healthier choices or eat a more diverse diet. In an interview with Elle, she said she keeps “romaine, spinach, grilled chicken, and other veggies at home” all the time and would “always have a salad with grilled chicken or grilled salmon for lunch.” She added, “I think I'm just a big grilled chicken, grilled fish, sushi, salad girl.”
For breakfast, meanwhile, she eats eggs almost every day. “I'll make sure I switch it to egg whites [sometimes]. I also grew up on complete bran cereal so there are many mornings when I fall back into that,” she said.
Her Workout FuelsThe figure skating icon may have retired but she still exercises like an athlete. She revealed to Elle what her favorite snacks are before and after her workouts.
“I do like to make smoothies,” she shared. “I love almond butter. Typically after a workout, I stop by Juice Press for a Harvey Wallbanger smoothie. Growing up skating, I also always went to the rink with a banana in hand, so when I'm working out I'll grab a banana. A lot of times I'll also just snack on granola.”
]]>The Inquisitr
