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In land of ‘gorengan’, athletes weighed down by poor diets
One of the hardest parts of being an elite athlete is diligently adhering to a strict and healthy diet
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One of the hardest parts of being an elite athlete is diligently adhering to a strict and healthy diet.
Living in a food-obsessed society like Indonesia, where junk food like instant noodles and assorted gorengan (fried snacks) —from bananas to tofu — are ever present, can be a challenge for athletes.
Unfortunately, for many Indonesians, instant noodles and gorengan are both comfort and staple foods.
Former national swimmer Albert C. Sutanto struggled to resist temptation during his heyday. Albert, who won nine gold medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from the early 1990s to the 2000s, recounted that he frequently ate fried noodles, a favorite snack, during his career.
“At that time, there was not a program [for managing the athletes’ nutrition intake],” he said recently.
“Compared with athletes from other countries, Indonesian athletes lag behind when it comes to nutritional management — as I myself loved to eat gorengan. It’s not about the training program, because we have a similar program to the rest of the world,” he added.
Nutritional management is also a problem for Indonesia’s volleyball players.
One volleyball player said recently that healthy eating was not a priority at the national training camp in Sentul in Bogor regency, West Java, highlighting the abundance of fried food on the camp’s menu.
“How can we stay fit with food like this,” said the athlete, who requested to remain anonymous.
Sports nutritionist Emilia Elfiranty Ahmadi said most Indonesians gave little consideration to nutrition.
“Here, we just eat. We eat three times a day and [we eat] anything that fills our stomach. Oftentimes, we choose whatever food we want,” she said. “The thing that holds our athletes back is their diet.”
Emila likened athletes to high-performance vehicles.
“Racing cars are never filled up at random gas stations. If we demand [the country’s athletes] perform at an elite level, we can’t give them just any food.
“For athletes, eating is part of the job. It takes commitment to supply their bodies with proper food, which requires [nutritional] supervision.
“It doesn’t matter if they like the food or not. That’s the job,” added the nutritionist who has 25 years of experience.
Even the world’s top athletes can struggle with their diets, including tennis legend Venus Williams, who has won seven grand slam singles titles.
As CNBC reported in October, Williams said she used to feel very ill “eating badly” during the off season.
The former world number one, who was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes fatigue and joint pain, in 2011, now sticks to a raw vegan diet to maintain her health and stay competitive at the
age of 39.
On the bright side, however, Indonesian ace swimmer I Gede Siman Sudartawa, 25, has stayed fit as a fiddle by following a disciplined eating regime for the past two years.
Siman, who has been sponsored by Japanese food seasoning brand Ajinomoto since 2017, has access to healthy and nutritious food through his sponsor’s Kachimeshi (Winning Meals) program, a global program that promotes eating well.
However, despite the strong support, Siman still finds it challenging to stick to his diet and fights hard to resist the temptation of savory dishes, which are his favorites. He said that while some of the food in his diet program did not whet his appetite, he had to eat it to stay healthy.
“Some [food] is tasteless, while some is good. But I still need to eat it as it gives me fuel for my training.
“Eating is part of my training program because [our ability to] recover comes from food,” said the 2019 SEA Games gold medalist in the men’s 50 meters backstroke.
Siman’s coach Albert said a proper diet was crucial for the swimmer to be able to recover quickly from injury. Siman dislocated his shoulder at the ASEAN University Games in Myanmar in 2018, impacting his preparations for the Philippines SEA Games.
However, his strict diet, which includes brown rice, chicken, tofu and vegetables, helped him regain his fitness.
Emilia, who assists Siman with his diet, praised the swimmer for his commitment.
“Even on [cheat day] Sundays, Siman always contacts me to ask what food he is allowed to eat. He sends me photos of the menu and asks for advice,” she added.
