Michael Phelps Diet is 12,000 Calories a Day; Food Facts at London Olympic Games 2012 : World Starz : ENSTARZ

Michael Phelps of the U.S. reacts after winning his men's 200m butterfly semi-final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre July 30, 2012.
(Photo : Reuters)

U.S. gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps poses for a portrait in New York

U.S. gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps poses for a portrait at the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx borough of New York February 7, 2012. Picture taken February 7, 2012. (Photo : REUTERS)

Michael Phelps of the U.S. leaves the pool deck after winning the silver medal in the men's 200m butterfly final during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre July 31, 2012. Phelps, who was bidding to became the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three Olympics, led all the way but messed up his touch, allowing South Africa's Chad le Clos to get his hands on the wall first. (Photo : Reuters)

Michael Phelps' diet was previously rumored to consist of an amazing 12,000 calories a day. The extraordinary claim was once made by the Olympic champion, and goes a long way to explain how he can keep up his energy levels to compete at the top level days at a time.

However, he is not the only one who is rumored to have a shocking diet at the Olympics. Yohan Blake, who is being touted as the biggest threat to sprint favorite Usain Bolt, has admitted that he eats an amazing 16 bananas every day.

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Another Japanese athlete has admitted to eating about 50 pieces of sushi after his training sessions, according to CNN.

So how do these Olympians maintain their extraordinary diets at the London 2012 Games? Obviously having thousands of Olympians ordering deliveries into the Olympic village would cause all sorts of problems. So that's why organizers at the Games created one of the most astonishing food courts ever seen.

The London Games food court is open 24 hours a day, can serve 5,000 athletes at a time, and serves approximately 60,000 meals a day.

The Olympic dining hall provides different foods from all over the world to suit its hugely diverse range of athlete "customers." There is even a McDonalds at one end of the dining hall that will provide athletes with as many burger and fries they wish. Near that there are soft drink machines offering all kinds of beverages for every type of taste bud. Oh and yes, all the food is completely free.

Organizers at the Olympic village have admitted they expect about 25,000 loaves of bread, 232 tons of potatoes, 75,000 liters of milk and more than 330 tons of fruit and vegetables will be consumed by the time the Games finish on August 12. That equates to about 1.2 million meals. A small army of chefs and dining hall staff keep the place sparkling clean and are on foot to provide every need of competitors. Running 24 hours a day without a break, dining hall staff are probably looking forward to August 12 when the Games close. Oh but then come the Paralympics too - and some of the athletes competing are said to consume as much if not more than the present group of Olympians!