Kids find perfect Olympic food
Would an Olympic runner go faster after eating chocolate or drinking green tea?
During the Rio Games, a group of children from Ross Intermediate’s Gifted and Talented class set out to find out what foods help performance, and to design a perfect snack for Olympic runners.
Jenna Shapleski, Kristal Burgess and Emily Williams investigated media reports of athletes’ foods, and looked at foods that release energy effectively.
‘‘From the news we found out they eat tacos and salads,’’ Williams said. ’’They eat a lot!’’ Jenna said. ‘‘Food’s very important - if you don’t eat something you’re going to start falling over half way through [your race].’’
They found that foods which helped athletes perform included green tea, banana cake, oats and carrots. ‘‘We thought we definitely needed oats because they give you loads of energy and it doesn’t go quickly - it keeps giving you energy and more energy,’’ he said.
So they found a recipe with oats, apricots and chocolate and made an Olympic slice.
‘‘We were hoping it would be a pit stop for a sprinter, so they could sprint past and get one and go nom nom,’’ Jenna said.
They made sure their Olympic slice would suit all athletes by choosing a recipe with no pig products, being sensitive to the dietary needs of Muslims, and also by asking about allergies.
Their classmate Oscar Hodgson had also designed and made his own medal. After researching medals from the Olympic and Nobel Prize ceremonies, he decided the medal should be for peace. He had the medal’s inscription translated into four other languages, he said.