United States Paralympic cycling star Oz Sanchez understands the need to maintain a highly refined diet in order to compete at the highest level of athletic competition. His dieting strategies, though, are somewhat more unique than other athletes, and in part is due to restrictions he places on the kinds of foods he regularly eats.

American Ninja Warrior champion Daniel Gil does not need extra motivation to train his hardest in order to succeed on the obstacle course. He is always excited to improve himself. These workouts, though, are dynamic and often unknown in advance, so adapting to these arduous routines requires an enthusiasm for tackling the challenges such exercises pose.

Cyclist Ayesha McGowan does not follow a strict diet, but is very clear about what types of foods she strives to avoid.

Powerlifter Naomi Kutin lives in a household where only healthy foods are permitted.

“My mom is a nutritionist, so to begin with in my house, we don’t have junk food or anything,” the 16-year-old nicknamed ‘Supergirl’ revealed with a laugh. “Pretzels are considered junk food in my house. We also have a lot of protein. I make sure to have protein with every meal, which can be challenging sometimes when I just want some cereal. My parents say, ‘No, you need to get some protein,’ so I have to end up having fish or something.”

Kutin started lifting at the tender age of 8, and broke her first record when she was 9. Her father was a powerlifter for over 30 years, and her brother also competes in the sport.

The documentary Supergirl about Kutin’s life aired on PBS in December and details her struggles and successes balancing family life and lifting. The film can also be rented or purchased on several video/streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play.

Free diver Kerry Hollowell maintains a strict diet to prepare for practices and competitions, and she revealed it all in an exclusive interview with uSports.

Hollowell, 41, said she picked up some great diet tips from a nutritionist she met while competing in Greece this year.

“So far, what we’ve learned is an alkaline diet is good to combat the burning in the legs, which is related to the acidity of your blood as it rises,” she explained. “If you have a diet that pushes your acid base levels and your blood closer to the base side, even though it might be just a little bit, it helps with your comfort level in the water.”

Hollowell continued: “Carbohydrates — loading before dives is important. When I start diving really deep I have to take supplements, amino acids, and I have to take iron because otherwise I get really tired pretty quickly.”

Hollowell also works as an Emergency Medicine Doctor in her home state of North Carolina. A former Division I track athlete at NC State, she did not begin deep-sea diving until she was in her 30s. Hollowell can dive up to 75 meters deep and can also hold her breath for over 5:38 minutes.

uSports Diet: Brandon Figueroa Diet Advice by uSports

Brandon Figueroa may just have two years of boxing experience, but he already seems to have a good idea of what foods are the best for him to eat in order to gain just the right amount of weight.

“With weight, I honestly don’t struggle all that much, so I just have chicken, vegetables, rice… You know, just the regular boxer diet,” the 20-year-old fighter told uSports. “Weight for me is really easy.”

The 5-foot-8, 122-pound Figueroa is the younger brother of 2014 WBC lightweight champion Omar Figueroa Jr., who defeated Robert Guerrero in the main card of a Premier Boxing Champions event on July 15 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The undefeated Brandon Figueroa (13-0-0, 9 KOs), a Weslaco, Texas, native nicknamed “Heartbreaker,” last beat Fatiou Fassinou via unanimous decision in an eight-round bout on July 15 at Nassau Coliseum. Over 57 rounds he has boxed in total, Figueroa boasts a 62 percent knockout rate.

SAN ANTONIO,TX – DECEMBER 12: Francisco Muro(R) takes a right from Brandon Figueroa in a Bantamweight fight at AT&T Center on December 12, 2015 in San Antonio,Texas.  (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Harlem Globetrotter Moose Weekes On His Diet by uSports

If there’s one professional athlete who enjoys eating healthy, it’s Harlem Globetrotter Alex “Moose” Weekes. 

In an exclusive interview with uSports, Weekes — who studied wellness and exercise science at Middle Tennessee State — said he is often ribbed by his teammates because of his salubrious eating habits.

“Sometimes I get teased for being so ‘health-oriented,’ but I really always try to take care of my body and identify something that’s wrong with me if I’m not feeling my best,” the basketball star said with a smile. “I can always tell when one hair is out of place but outside of that knowing when my body feels a little off and how to address it immediately, I can get back on track to being the Moose everyone is accustomed to seeing.”

Weekes boasts a strange list of dietary habits. According to his bio on the Globetrotters page, the 6-foot-8 forward traditionally eats bee pollen and drinks coconut water before games. He also claims he is willing to eat pizza with any kind of topping except for onions.

The father of one also said he is a fan of organic foods. “I was always told that if you ask, you shall receive,” Weekes said. “So I might try to change the menu when I order, but you never know it unless you ask. Sometimes they might say ‘We just have salmon,’ and I’ll say something like ‘Is there any way I could get that blackened?'” the Gobetrotter said this last phrase in a very comical way reminiscent of a food snob, albeit with an expression that hilariously parodies this subgroup of people.

With regards to his diet staples, Weekes simply explained: “My upbringing has always been kind of within the realm of holistic healing, natural health and eating clean.”

The Globetrotter cited his grandfather, aunt and mother as his influences for eating healthy. Weekes recalled fond memories of drinking carrot juice with his grandfather despite what nearly everyone he knew said about how distasteful this sounded, or of eating fruits like mango and fresh pineapple with his mother, who hails from the island of Trinidad.

Weekes confirmed his love for coconut water, given his family comes from an island, but said bee pollen was no longer much a part of his regular diet.

“I found other things, that bio is from a few years back. Been out here a while,” the basketball star said, smiling. “There’s always new things in health and wellness, so I try to keep up with the times and find what’s best for me.”

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 12: Alexander ‘Moose’ Weekes #45 of the Harlem Globetrotters performs before an exhibition game against the World All-Stars at the Thomas & Mack Center on February 12, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Michal Smolen, US Canoe/Kayak Olympic Star… by uSports

Michal Smolen, a member of the U.S. Olympic Canoe/Kayak Team who will be competing in the Games in Rio this August, discussed among other things how he generally stays healthy with uSports at the 100-Day Countdown celebration in New York’s Time Square on April 27.

Michal Smolen, US Canoe/Kayak Olympic Star, Discusses His Diet And More

“For us the key is to get enough sleep to be able to perform,” Smolen said. “We also travel a lot, so our sleep schedules are often irregular and we have to make sure that we eat healthy and just take the necessary precautions that you have to take when you travel into foreign countries.”

Although raised in Gastonia, North Carolina, Smolen was born in Krakow, Poland. The 22-year-old is coached by his father Rafal Smolen, who was on the Polish National Team.

Following his third-place finish at the 2015 ICF (International Canoe Federation) Canoe Slalom World Championships in London in September, Smolen not only qualified the U.S. an Olympic quota slot in the men’s single kayak (K1) event, he also took a dominating lead in the U.S. Olympic Team selection processes. At the first U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Charlotte, NC, Smolen solidified his spot on the US Olympic Team for the first time.

The young Polish-American athlete was also the 2014 U-23 World Champion, and won the bronze medal at the Canoe/Kayak World Cup that same year. He also won the gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, as well as the bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships.

Smolen, who is nicknamed “Meesh,” boasts Nantahala Outdoor Center, Galasport, Sandiline, and PowerZone Trading as sponsors. His hobbies include mountain biking, climbing, and playing the guitar. His role model is Scottish slalom canoeist Campbell Walsh, 38, who has competed since the mid-1990s and whom Smolen calls a “little beast.”

“After so many years of setbacks and things I have had to overcome I finally feel my hard work and perseverance paying off,” Smolen wrote in his bio. “I finally feel content about all of the times I’ve kept going after I’ve felt like the world was telling me to give up. If there is one thing you take away from my journey as an athlete, please let it be the fact that I didn’t let anything get in the way of my success.”

He then continued: “I faced my challenges head on and didn’t let my fears, health problems, or the fact that I wasn’t ‘American enough’ stop me to continue chasing my dreams. No matter what you do in life, you will make your own path and don’t be surprised when obstacles get in your way. Success will come in one way or another if you’re willing to turn your weaknesses into strengths and learn from your every experience.”

PHOTO: LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Michal Smolen of USA in action during the 1st Run Kayak (K1) men at Lee Valley White Water Centre at Lee Valley White Water Centre on September 18, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Harry Hubbard/Getty Images)

Celebrity Trainer Jorge Cruise on What Foods… by uSports

Celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise, author of the new book Tiny and Full, recently sat down with uSports to explain the basics on what foods you need to eat now to stay slim and fit.

Soccer Star Alex Morgan on Her Healthy Diet by uSports

Whether you’re a world class athlete or just trying to survive the week, giving your body the proper fuel to power through is essential. For someone like the United States Women’s National Team’s Alex Morgan, eating the right foods and making smart choices is the key to keeping her energy levels at the highest level.

Autumn Calabrese Explains Her ’21 Day Fix… by uSports

uSports recently sat down with 21 Day Fix creator and Beach Body fitness trainer Autumn Calabrese. In the first video of our three-part exclusive with the famous fitness guru, Calabrese talks about the importance of a nutrition plan and how her 21 Day Fix system “is not a diet, it’s a way of life.”

Mike Chang: The Perfect Six-Pack Abs Diet by uSports

Chances are if you have searched the Internet for fitness or health tips, the name Mike Chang has popped up. After moving past the confusion of the similarly named Glee character, one sees that Chang has carved a fitness empire through his YouTube channel, “Six Pack Shortcuts.”

Through his charm and dedication, his company has over three million subscribers, making it the most subscribed fitness channel on YouTube: this stupendous success has enabled Chang to branch out, creating workout supplements like the Afterburn Fuel and Six Pack Sleep.

uSports recently got the chance to sit down with the fitness guru to talk about his success as well as the best dieting and lifting tips. And in this first of a two part interview, Mike Chang talks about the importance of a stable diet and how moderation is a weight lifters best friend.

“I was one of those guys, you know hardcore lifters… [that] just would eat whatever. I’d told myself the same thing: I’d lift weights, I can burn it off and eat whatever. What ended up is number one, I wasn’t lean… barely had abs,” he told uSports. “If I did a whole bunch of cardio, maybe a couple abs would pop out, but then it disappears — but what I realized is that inside I wasn’t even healthy. Just because somebody has big muscles and their strong doesn’t mean they’re healthy.”

For more insights like this, stay tuned for part two of this interview.

At 35, Brendan Hansen, Olympic Swimmer… by uSports

Brendan Hansen, University of Texas grad and Olympic gold medal, winner has proven that at 33 he can still swim with the best. This ultimately means that for years he has stuck to a strict training and diet regiment, which has kept his body in peak condition to compete. “I pretty much can’t go a day without having a protein shake. I think it’s the easiest way to supplement protein without the fat and make sure you get the calorie content… My calorie content per day is almost 6,000, and so that’s a lot. But we want to graze all throughout the day and that seems like the best way for us to eat.”

Brendan Hansen Power Diet Tips:

-Protein Shakes as an after workout supplement.

Dana Vollmer, U.S. Olympic Swimmer, On… by uSports

Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer was originally believed to have Long QT Syndrome: a life-threatening heart condition that causes the heart to erratically beat after intense activity, she did not believe she would ever get to swim again. It was eventually deemed fit for her to return, as long as there was a defibrillator kept poolside. If that wasn’t enough of an obstacle, she also happens to be gluten intolerant.

So she had to dramatically alter her Olympic diet. “So having to take all of that out of my diet definitely took a lot of foods out,” Volmer told uSports. “But I’ve found so many different foods that I love. Quinoa is one of them.” How does she keep her diet during meets? “I’ll definitely be packing some food with me. I always try to travel with it, and luckily whenever we go to sporting events, they tend to have pretty good array of food for us. But definitely lots of fruit and vegetables and rice and [I] just eat as healthy as I can.”

Sanya Richards-Ross, Gold Medalist Olympic… by uSports

Sanya Richards-Ross is one of the most exciting track and field athletes to date: in the last three Olympics she has won four gold medals and one bronze. But after all this time, how does she stay on track and keep to a regiment diet? “I’m big on juicing. My dad prepares this ‘Popeye’s Power’ that has spinach and carrots and beets and all this stuff I drink a lot of the times before workouts, and that kind of makes me feel super and ready to train.” However, being on the road for events often throws her diet plans out of whack, but she usually strictly stays healthy with her meals. “Sometimes I’ll get grilled chicken or salmon or fish,” she said simply.

Sanya Richards-Ross Dietary Tips:

#1 Juicing is a great energy source

#2 Daily Fruits and Vegetables intake