Elana Meyers Gained Gold. This is What She Eats When Coaching.

The daughter of an athlete, Elana Meyers Taylor, appeared destined for sports activities. At 11, she held a torch on the Atlanta Video games. A long time later, she’s claimed six Olympic medals. Most lately, she took residence her first gold medal within the girls’s monobobsled occasion on Monday, February 16, on the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics—her fifth Video games.

Not solely is she essentially the most embellished feminine bobsledder in historical past, however she’s additionally essentially the most embellished Black winter sports activities Olympian.

Days earlier than the Winter Olympics, I needed to ask: What fuels an athlete competing at this stage? Taylor’s reply was refreshingly sensible. Because the mother of Nico (5) and Noah (three), she gravitates towards a meal the entire household enjoys—one thing she will make wherever on the planet.

What Does the Most Adorned Feminine Bobsledder Bask in to Gasoline? Pasta.

Taylor, alongside together with her total household, travels when she competes, so, along with getting her physique prepared for the video games, she’s additionally caring for her two boys. “Through the coaching season, we’re in a distinct location nearly each week,” says Taylor. On the time of this interview, they’re all settled in Milan, Italy, as she will get able to compete in her fifth Olympics.

She constantly turns to at least one explicit dish to energy her journey: Bolognese pasta. “I can discover the substances wherever on the planet, and it’s obtained every part I would like in it.”

Bolognese sauce is an Italian staple, which Taylor loves; she’s the daughter of oldsters with Jamaican, Panamanian, and Italian American roots. She follows a basic Bolognese recipe, floor beef stewed in an fragrant tomato sauce, however she provides spinach so she will “sneak veggies in.”

She can be gluten-free, so whereas she loves this Bolognese dish, she all the time makes certain to seize her favourite Barilla chickpea pasta as the bottom. “Since I’m in a pace and energy sport, I would like carbohydrate to finish my meals,” she provides.

Plus, her two boys find it irresistible. “If mother’s obtained a bowl of spaghetti for them on the finish of the day, they’re going to be blissful,” Taylor says.

I share those self same sentiments. Not less than as soon as per week, I make a Bolognese. However I’ve by no means tried it with chickpea pasta. I made a decision to offer Taylor’s Olympian-approved meal a attempt to see if it may gas my exercises simply by making a tiny swap in the principle substances. I additionally linked with just a few vitamin consultants to get their tackle whether or not this meal can energy high-intensity exercises. Learn on for his or her take, and my ideas on this dish.

How one can Make Elana Meyers Taylor’s Bolognese Pasta

Serving: 6

Substances

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 pound floor beef
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons recent oregano, minced
• 1/4 cup recent basil leaves, minced
• 2 cups spinach
• Salt, freshly floor black pepper, and crimson pepper flakes, to style
• 1 lb of chickpea pasta, similar to penne, rotini, or spaghetti (I used this one by Barilla)
• Elective: Parmesan cheese for garnishing

Recipe

1. In a big pot, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the onion and garlic, cooking till the onions are translucent, about six minutes.
2. Add the carrot and floor beef, stirring typically, till the meat is now not pink, about ten minutes.
3. Stir within the tomatoes, oregano, and basil. Cut back the warmth to low and simmer for half-hour.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and crimson pepper flakes to style. Add the spinach and prepare dinner till wilted, about two minutes.
5. Whereas the sauce simmers, convey a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook dinner the chickpea pasta in response to bundle instructions.
6. Prime the cooked chickpea pasta with the Bolognese sauce and a beneficiant grating of Parmesan.

The Verdict: Taylor’s Pasta Dish Hits Totally different

I’m married to an Italian-American, so pasta is a weekly custom in our family—and we’ve undoubtedly side-eyed legume-based pastas within the grocery retailer. Going into this recipe, I used to be skeptical: Would chickpea pasta style good, or would it not derail the entire meal?

I used to be pleasantly flawed. The chickpea pasta was so delicate that it basically disappeared beneath the Bolognese sauce.

The true check got here the subsequent morning. I’d eaten the Bolognese pasta for dinner the night time earlier than, and after I awakened for my barre class, I had sustained power all through all the exercise—no crashes. That’s after I realized this pasta would possibly truly be a game-changer for my health routine.

How one can Get the Most Out of This Meal, In accordance with Nutritionists

Olympic athletes want a well-balanced meal to remain fueled: lean protein, advanced carbohydrates, and greens, says Yvette Hill, a registered dietitian nutritionist primarily based in Boulder, Colorado. This pasta delivers all three.

The chickpea pasta serves as a superb carbohydrate base, says Claire Rifkin, a registered dietitian nutritionist primarily based in New York Metropolis. “The chickpea pasta will give her carbohydrate base to replenish muscle glycogen shops in a single day, which might be particularly useful for a sport that requires actually explosive actions, like bobsledding.” Every 3.5-ounce serving of Barilla chickpea pasta packs 15 grams of fiber and 21 grams of protein, which is greater than many conventional pastas.

The bottom beef provides much more protein, which is crucial for muscle progress and restore. The meat and spinach additionally ship iron and B nutritional vitamins important for power manufacturing. This issues particularly for feminine athletes: iron straight impacts oxygen supply to working muscle tissues, and many ladies athletes have to be vigilant about their iron standing, says Rifkin.

For much more efficiency advantages, Hill suggests including hydrating substances like zucchini to the sauce. “Even delicate dehydration could cause lowered power, which might impression efficiency,” she explains.

On the identical time, Rifkin emphasizes: “The opposite factor that stands out to me is that that is clearly a meal she enjoys and is aware of her physique handles properly. Typically we get so centered on optimizing each little factor that we neglect an important issue is definitely consuming sufficient meals that digest properly and that an athlete will constantly eat.”

As for me, I’ll proceed making this Bolognese pasta and be reminded of Taylor’s feats each time I take a chunk.

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