`I`m An Olympic Figure Skater—Here`s What I Eat In A Day`

....Food has always had a difficult role in the figure skating community. Eating disorders have long been an issue, in part due to the sport`s emphasis on aesthetics (like in ballet) and because a lighter frame may make performing easier. "At a certain point, a smaller, lighter body is just easier to jump up in the air. That’s science," Ashley says. Combine this reality with the high-stakes pressure of elite athletic competition, and you often get athletes facing immense pressure to weigh a certain amount. "I’ve had super old-school coaches who would weigh me once a week," Ashley says.....

....However, Ashley thinks the sport is changing. “You can’t just be thin now, you have to be so strong. In order to get that strength, you have to keep fueling your body properly,” she says. Ashley says her own eating attitudes have changed as a result. "If I feel sluggish one day, I say to myself, ‘Girl, you need to go home and have some pasta.’”.....