Tara Davis-Woodhall Swears By This High-Protein Dinner

Just last month, Tara Davis-Woodhall became the Olympic long jump champion, securing her first gold medal in the sport for Team USA. Now, she cheers on her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall, who aims for his own gold in the 400m men’s track and field event.

Davis-Woodhall gives a lot of credit to Celsius energy drinks for her and her husband’s success on the track, a big reason why she has partnered with the brand. And through this partnership, we were given the incredible opportunity to chat with the gold medalist about her diet and routines leading up to the Paris Games.

Learn more about the snack Davis-Woodhall stocked up on before the Olympics, her least favorite foods, her philosophy on eating well and more in this exclusive interview.

EatingWell: What are your favorite foods and drinks that you have throughout your day that help keep you fueled and energized?

Davis-Woodhall: Nutrition is a big part of my success right now. Hunter and I, we stick to steak, sweet potatoes and whatever greens we have on deck. But my favorite meal is pasta and I eat that the day before competition. It doesn’t really matter what type of pasta, it just gives me some carbohydrates and I need all the energy I can get, and that starts from the night before. And I mean, of course it’s Celsius in the morning. We gotta get the energy flowing.

EatingWell: Why partner with Celsius?

Davis-Woodhall: We were drinking Celsius before the partnership even happened. It came organically, and I’m a big believer in healthy energy drinks. I feel like Celsius fits our vibe and fits our energy—no pun intended. I really respect their way of supporting their athletes and supporting their ambassadors.

EatingWell: Do you have any favorite snacks that you always have on hand?

Davis-Woodhall: Usually I have some Sour Strips in my track bag. And I’m obsessed with beef sticks, so I have these beef sticks that I get from our local butcher back in Fayetteville. I literally brought 20 of them to Paris with me so I wouldn’t run out.

EatingWell: Walk us through your morning: what’s your routine that you stick by?

Davis-Woodhall: For a competition, it’s a little bit different than being at home. I always try to scope out what my routine is going to be a couple of days before so I can have a good routine to wake up with. It’s usually with a coffee, a light breakfast and then I’ll end up doing a shake out four hours before my competition just to get my body warmed up a little bit, a little prepared. Then we’ll do the makeup, we’ll do the hair, get dressed and head out. It’s pretty simple.

EatingWell: How do you like your coffee?

Davis-Woodhall: It depends on the location. Either I’m doing a straight espresso, or from Starbucks, I’ll get a vanilla latte. But from any type of boutique coffee shop, I’ll usually do a honey, vanilla and lavender iced latte, and it is so good. It is honestly my favorite.

EatingWell: We know you’re the long jump champion, but if you could win a gold medal in a random everyday task, what would it be? 

Davis-Woodhall: I would probably win a gold medal in procrastination. I am not the best, “you need to do this on time” person. I will wait an hour before to do it or the day of.

EatingWell: Do you have a least favorite food? What is it and why?

Davis-Woodhall: I’m so picky with certain things. I definitely don’t like squash or zucchini. None of those fancier vegetables. I don’t like tomatoes, but I do like a caprese salad. Which is weird. I don’t like them on my sandwich or my burgers or anything else. It has to be red and hard, not that soft and mushy tomato. I can’t get behind that one at all.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Davis-Woodhall: I have IBS so I’ve been trying to learn from that for the past four or five years of what I can and can’t eat. So as an ingredient type, eating well means no seed oils, no processed foods. Those cause a lot of inflammation for me.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.