On easy, low-intensity training days, you'll want to build a well-balanced plate at each meal. You should include foods and beverages from each major food group. About half of your plate should consist of vegetables (both raw and cooked), vegetable-based soups, and fresh fruit. Approximately one-quarter of your plate should consist of lean protein sources. This may include poultry, beef, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, soy, nuts, and legumes. The remaining one-quarter of your plate should include whole grains like pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, bread, or legumes. You should get about one teaspoon of fats that come from avocado, nuts, seeds, cheese, butter, or oils. A good meal plan might include granola or oatmeal for breakfast, turkey lettuce wraps for lunch, and blackened chicken or fish with quinoa for dinner. On moderate-intensity days, you'll want to increase your lean protein and whole grain sources. However, you should still balance each meal with a proportional serving of fresh fruits and vegetables. Approximately one-third of your plate should consist of vegetables. These may be raw, cooked, or in soup. About one-third of your plate should consist of grains. These include pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cereal, and legumes. The remaining one-third of your plate should consist of lean protein sources. You may include poultry, beef, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, soy, nuts, or legumes. Add at least one to two servings of fruit. Your fruit can be fresh, stewed, or dried. You should also aim to get about one tablespoon of fats that come from avocado, nuts, seeds, cheese, butter, or oils. A good meal plan might include a frittata for breakfast, a salmon pasta dish for lunch, and a casserole for dinner. On high-intensity training or competition days, you'll want to increase your consumption of carbohydrates. You can do this by eating more whole grains, but make sure you still round out each meal with adequate portions of lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. About half of your plate should consist of grains, including pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, and bread. Approximately one-fourth of your plate should consist of vegetables. These may be cooked or raw, or served in soups. Approximately one-fourth of your plate should contain lean proteins like poultry, beef, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, nuts, legumes, or soy. Get at least one to two servings of fruit (fresh, stewed, or dried). You should also get two tablespoons of fats in the form of avocado, nuts, oils, seeds, cheese, or butter. A good meal plan might include quinoa power pancakes for breakfast, sweet potato quesadillas for lunch, and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. When you have snacks between meals, it's important to weigh your caloric intake against your training for that day. Talk to your trainer or a nutritionist to determine which snacks would suit you best on a given training or performance day. Some common snacks that Olympic athletes may go for include: fruit and yogurt granola and almond butter balls roasted chickpeas low-fat peanut butter cups chocolate bark, cookies, or brownies
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One-sentence summary -- Build a balanced plate for easy days. Plan your meal for moderate days. Prepare for hard training or race days. Choose the right snacks.

Procuring the pork belly can be the hardest part of the entire homemade-bacon process since most grocery stores don't carry it. Try a local butcher or a restaurant supplier in your area to find the pork belly. Local butchers tend to have better quality pork bellies available than a restaurant supplier. Also, a restaurant supplier may only sell in bulk quantities much larger than what you need. Once you get the pork belly home from the butcher, rinse it thoroughly to remove any blood or anything else on the meant. Pat the pork belly dry and then transfer it to a resealable two-gallon plastic bag. After you've cleaned and patted the pork belly dry, the surface will feel slightly tacky. You may also want to trim any thin edges off the pork belly if it has any. You want to place roughly a long rectangular piece into the plastic bag. To make the spice rub, mix the kosher salt, pink salt, brown sugar, honey, red pepper flakes, paprika, and cumin in a bowl. Mix until everything is spread evenly throughout the honey. This recipe is just one of a near endless variety you can use to create unique flavor profiles for your bacon. Other spice rub examples include: 2.5-3 pounds skinless pork belly, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 2 teaspoons pink curing salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Bourbon, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and hickory smoke during the smoking process (whether actual hickory wood in your smoker or hickory liquid smoke roasted in your oven). 2 1/2 pounds skin-on pork belly, 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, a tablespoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon fennel seed, 1 teaspoon caraway seed, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 clove garlic, finely chopped. 1 pound of pork belly, 1 1/2 teaspoons Morton's kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pink curing salt, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon powdered ginger, 1 teaspoon powdered garlic, 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce, 1/4 teaspoon 5 spice powder, and 2 tablespoons water. You'll have enough of the spice rub to evenly coat the until piece of pork belly. Roll the mix around with the pork belly in the plastic bag until everything is coated. Seal the plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator. You'll flip the bag once a day to keep the even coating, and the process will take approximately 7-10 days. The duration ultimately depends on the thickness of the pork belly. A thin belly (around 1.5 inches thick) will take seven days while a thicker belly (2-3 inches) will take the entire ten days. You can test how cured the pork belly is by touching it when you think it's close to ready. The cured meat will be firm to the touch all over like a cooked steak. If it still feels spongy and soft, then it needs more time. Once the meat has cured, you can remove it from the bag and rinse it thoroughly. Discard any solids from the rub on the meat as well. Pat the meat dry once you have rinsed it well. After thoroughly rinsing the meat, you will need to refrigerate it again. Refrigerate it uncovered for a full forty-eight hours.
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One-sentence summary --
Purchase the pork belly. Rinse the pork belly thoroughly. Make the spice rub. Coat the pork belly. Refrigerate the pork for 7-10 days. Rinse thoroughly. Refrigerate for forty-eight hours.