There are few people on this planet in better shape than Olympic athletes. It's literally their job to exercise, and to do it well. So what could we, mere mortals who certainly won't be competing any time soon - but could probably do with eating a bit healthier and getting a bit fitter, learn from an Olympian's daily diet?

We asked heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who's competed for Team GB alongside the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill in both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics, to give a little bit of insight into everything she eats in a day, and here's what we learned:

1. A high protein diet is a must for having energy

For breakfast, Katarina will either have a smoothie or eggs on toast. "If I haven’t got very much time I have a porridge-y oat shake with protein powder, frozen fruit and milk," the athlete told us. If she's got a bit more time in the morning before training, she'll opt for eggs on toast. "I’m very much an egg person," she said.

And the one thing these two breakfasts have in common? They're both protein-based. "As an athlete you need a lot of protein," Katarina explained, adding: "I try to have 70g of protein a day so I try to add it in to every meal where I can."

2. Carbs are a big YES

At the moment, Katarina is living in France, training six days a week and generally living the good life. But with France comes bread (obvs) and you'd be mistaken if you thought even an athlete would turn down some of the baked stuff. "For lunch, when I’m cycling back to my apartment I’ll usually just grab a quick sandwich or something from the shop on the way back," said Katarina, who added that she's a particular fan of the ham and cheese variety.

And while some of the sprinters Katarina knows don’t eat very many carbs, she definitely does. "I train six times a week, sometimes twice a day, so I can’t afford to cut back on carbs. I am very much of the view of everything in moderation; you can’t cut out a major food group," the heptathlete said.

sandwich, baguettepinterest
Getty Images
Omg

3. Snacking is a good thing

More good news! It's okay to snack, but just make sure it's on the right stuff. "I try to snack before a training session and also get snacks in afterwards as well," explained Katarina. "When I’ve got a particularly heavy day I will snack on fruit like a banana, or even some cereal before a big training session. Afterwards I try to get the protein back in, so I have a protein shake or bar, or some peanut butter with apple or something like that to make sure I recover properly," she explained.

4. You need your nutrients

Katarina gets hers through orange-flavoured vitamin tablets she takes every day with sparkling water. "It just prevents any sickness," she explains. "You want to be at your optimum when you’re training and you don’t want anything holding you back. It seems to work – I’ve not had many illnesses this year."

Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jessica Ennis-Hillpinterest
Getty Images
Katarina competed alongside Jessica Ennis-Hill in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics

5. You can stop obsessively counting calories

"Calories aren’t a thing," Katarina bluntly put it when talking about her own diet. Instead, her food is "mainly just weighted. I make sure I get so many grams of carbs and so many grams of protein in per day," she said, explaining how this helps her to achieve a more rounded, nutritious diet.

6. You don't need to complicate things

Basic is best where Katarina's concerned. "I’m really bad for cooking," she admitted. "The one dish I can cook is chicken with either rice or noodles, and I try to get two vegetables in like broccoli, carrots or parsnips".

7. Balance is everything

Here's something we're definitely going to take on board from our chat with Katarina: it's okay to have the odd vice, because even Olympians do. "I’m a big crisp person," Katarina confessed. "The red packet of Doritos are really addictive, they definitely call out to me sometimes" she said, adding that she tries to avoid these until she's off-season.

Balance in her diet is vital for an athlete like Katarina, though, which includes the odd sweet treat every now and again. "When I I try to cut things out of my diet I just end up hitting a wall and eating everything. [If you deprive yourself], you’ll get one of those nights when you just eat everything in sight. The cravings are real," she told Cosmopolitan UK.

Everything an Olympic athlete eats in a daypinterest
Getty Images
THESE.

8. You should try to eat immediately after exercising

While Katarina's mealtimes are fairly relaxed - she tends to eat at roughly similar times every day, but not with any kind of regimented schedule - she is strict about when she eats post-training. "Ideally I’ll eat within half an hour of finishing my training to refuel, otherwise your muscles start to break down," she said. "You need to refuel your body as soon as possible really."

Katarina is an ambassador for QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday 21st October at Ascot Racecourse. Visit the website for more details.

Follow Cat on Twitter.