With two goals, the US Women's soccer team defeated Japan in yesterday's game, capturing gold—for the third time in a row. One player, Abby Wambach, has been part of it all (in fact, she scored the winning goal against Brazil in the 2004 games). She's been a staple player during all the US Women's soccer team highlights throughout her career, but at 32 years old and with three gold medals, there's one question on every fan's mind: What's next?
While Wambach hasn't talked much about retirement (she's even been quoted as saying that she wants to play in the 2015 Women's World Cup), she did open up to us about her post-soccer career plans: She wants to open her own restaurant in Portland. "It will be café-esque with eclectic food," she says. "I'm just a huge connoisseur of food, people and fun and I think [it] would be so cool to own a restaurant that can kind of create that environment for people." And if her recent success is any reflection of her eating habits, she may be on to something.
"As an athlete, I need the right kind of food in my system so that my muscles can last throughout a 90-minute game," says Wambach. "Fuel is so important—it plays an important role not only in a professional athlete's life, but in the regular person's life." And there's one fuel that Wambach, regardless of fad diet or popular consensus, will never cut out: Carbs.
Rebecca Scritchfield, R.D., a dietitian in Washington, D.C. agrees: "Carbohydrates are gasoline for your body. The more active you are, the more fuel you need," she says. That said, the amount and quality are key, says Scritchfield. The low end (for a lightly active person) is between 150-200 grams a day, while a heavily training athlete like Wambach could easily consume 500 grams a day or more.
Wambach focuses on getting her carbs through fruits, vegetables and whole grains. "White bread is so 1985," she says, "I'm a huge fan of Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread [Wambach is a spokesperson for the company]. Scritchfield agrees again: "Whole grains are a great source of carbs because they also contain fiber, which helps with digestion," says Scritchfield who recommends brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur wheat, whole-wheat couscous, and whole-wheat cereal like oatmeal and shredded wheat. Other great carb sources include fruit, beans, starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, parsnips, and squash.
Wambach typically opts for a sandwich with tomatoes, avocado, a protein like turkey or ham and cheese and Siracha hot sauce for a spicy punch of flavor. Not up your alley? Try one of these healthy sandwich recipes. Just be sure to include a protein, says Scritchfield. "That pairing will keep your blood sugar from spiking as high as it would if you just ate carbs alone, because protein takes longer to digest," she says. So, say you eat a banana by itself. You digest it much faster than you would if paired with peanut butter (a protein and fat rich food).
At the root of these restaurateur passions, Wambach has a simple goal: To share what she's gained from her balanced, and inclusive, eating philosophy. "If you start eating healthy, you'll feel better, she says. "You'll be more energetic and you'll have the opportunity to have a more successful and fulfilling life."
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