What does a top triathlete have to eat to survive one of the toughest tests in sport – the Hawaii Ironman?

To find out we did not have to look any further than Bermuda's own Tyler Butterfield who finished 28th in last month's Ironman World Championships.

Mr. Butterfield, who competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and has set his sights on flying the flag for Bermuda at the 2012 London Olympics – surprisingly doesn't eat huge meals.

But he does have up to six meals a day!

"It is all about balance for me," said Mr. Butterfield from his Colorado training base.

"Before an Ironman I eat more fat. You definitely do not want to cut the fat out because your endurance system uses that. I basically eat a very balanced diet. Over the years that is how I found what works best for me – and I have done everything. I have done low fat, low carbs, high protein diets. I have tried everything since I was 19 – eight years ago.

"It is amazing how much your body needs a little of everything – even sugars especially during high intense activities and training. Your body craves that sugar – and it is actually good for you.

"Having said that you don't want to be giving kids (a lot of sugar) especially if they are not active. The main thing is balance and moderation – as with any diet really."

Mr. Butterfield, who won a bronze medal for Bermuda at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico this summer and has had one of his best years ever on the pro circuit, jumps in the pool first thing in the morning to start his training.

But before he does that he eats only a bagel and drinks a latte.

"I wake up and have a bagel and a latte and then go straight to a swim session for an hour. Depending how hard it is, I may have a sports drink after the session."

His sports drink is a mix of "slow sugars and fast sugars".

"For instance Gatorade is all fast sugar although it does have electrolytes. But it is really just like a Sprite.

"If it is just normal workout – one of my easier days – I won't have anything directly after to recover but I will go and have a second breakfast. That would often be an omelette with bread – whole wheat toast – and an orange juice and another latte. I don't really use any protein drinks but I do drink a lot of skim milk."

After his omelette, Mr. Butterfield gets on his bike. "My training in Colorado is swim first, then bike and then run. In Australia I would ride first, then swim and run.

"Depending on how I am training and what for, I will get on the bike for two to three hours. The shorter the ride, the harder I will make it. On my bike I have one water bottle and one sports drink. The first hour of the ride is getting the food down. When you are training for an Ironman the body has to learn to digest while you are training."

After getting off his bike, Mr. Butterfield has a turkey sandwich and a salad and maybe a bag of chips if he has really gone hard and long. Sometimes he will head straight out for a run. "If I am doing only two sports in that day I will rest in the afternoon.

Try and take a nap because that is the biggest recovery. There are all sorts of things you can do today but the best is simple rest and sleep. I struggle with forcing myself to sleep but then the girl who won in Hawaii last month (Australia's Mirinda Carfrae) lives down the road from me and she naps almost every day. You have to learn to switch your body off. However some people do not nap much. It depends on the person."

For dinner Mr. Butterfield, who is married to former top Australian cyclist Nikki, will have meat. "Depending if I have had a five-hour training day, I will have pasta, a lean steak or chicken. I eat a lot of chicken, turkey, steak and pasta."

And Mr. Butterfield said that it is good to vary things up a bit.

"It is all about moderation. You do not want to flood your system with the same thing day in and day out – you want variation – different types of protein, different minerals. However you do not want to vary your diet every single day. It is a balance – your body loves consistency but it also likes variation. Also if you had the same thing every day you would get bored."

He does eat some fruit but added: "Not too much because it can mess with my stomach. I will have a banana though. And when I am training on my bike for a four or five hour ride I will have a couple of sports bars – rice based or wheat based."

While many athletes go in for protein shakes, Mr. Butterfield only has one once in a while. "If I have done a seven-hour ride I will make a protein shake. But I have to be careful with shakes and recovery. If you are going to have a shake and a meal you are probably overdoing it. It may be better having a shake and a snack. Or just have a meal."

And a glass of wine does no harm as well at night. "It is not for me but the World Champion (Mirinda Carfrae) has a glass of wine most nights."

Top athletes also have to beware of having too much protein powders. "There have been cases in recent years of people getting positive drug tests from protein powders. There are things that the general public can take that are healthy for them – but those same things we cannot take because we may get a positive test back. Also things like cold medicine – the public can take them but we can't because we may get a positive test.

"When I get sick, I could be healthy in one week (if taking the proper medicine) but I will have to wait two weeks because I cannot take that medicine."

One example of that came back in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics when Bermuda Tornado sailor Glenn Astwood came down with a case of the flu – but couldn't take any medicine because it would have given him a positive test.

"Also if you are a triathlete you do not want to take too much protein powder anyway because of the muscle mass – if you are a body builder I would say yes, take more protein. The latte is where I get my protein from."

While Mr. Butterfield has a balanced diet, he said that some of the diets of the best triathletes in the world are 'shocking". He said: "I have trained with the best in the world. Some are shocking! But we burn it off. Some like a lot of ice cream and candies. One guy who has won in Hawaii has chocolate milk and a donut midway through his training rides. The first thing he does after about two and a half hours riding (during training) is have some chocolate milk and a donut. Another guy has chicken and chips halfway through a five hour ride! Sometimes your body craves fat and you have to give it. However those guys don't have that every time."

When he is actually competing in a race, Mr. Butterfield does not eat anything.

"During the Ironman I did not eat anything. I did have have a drink and gels," he said.

Mr. Butterfield completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and full marathon (26.2 miles) in eight hours, 46 minutes.

"Some people take solid food with them. If I was going to finish the race and feel comfortable I would definitely eat a bar or two on the bike. But I am not there to feel comfortable. I am pushing the limits," he said.

Right now Mr. Butterfield is in his off season – and he is also looking forward to having his first baby next month with wife Nikki. When the baby is six weeks old they plan to travel to Australia to see Nikki's family and that is where Mr. Butterfield will start his competitive year again with a couple of triathlons Down Under and then a couple more in Japan before returning to the US.