As Lance Armstrong pedals through a punishing 2,100 miles in his farewell Tour de France, his racing speed is the result of rigorous training on the road, in the gym and at the kitchen table.

Armstrong eats like a champion so he can perform like one.

According to sports nutritionists, so can you.

The diet that helped Armstrong win the Tour de France time after time and survive cancer can help power ordinary people through a Sunday morning hike or a day of work, laundry and mowing the yard.

So how does Armstrong eat?

For starters, nothing like the athletes of old who drank raw eggs for power.

Armstrong eats foods that provide the top-notch fuel needed for training and race day, according to his trainer Chris Carmichael, whose recently published "Fitness Cookbook" (Putnam, $16.95) contains 80 recipes created by Mark Tarbell, a newspaper columnist and restaurant owner in Phoenix.

"The concept is simple. When what you're burning for fuel and what you need for optimal performance change, you need to change your nutrition program accordingly," Carmichael explains in his book, the sequel to the best-selling "Chris Carmichael's Food for Fitness."

Although the new book offers precise eating plans for the four basic stages of training for elite athletes, in many ways it also offers a healthful eating guide for the masses.

"Athletic training has become a science, and so has feeding athletes. But, for most of us, it's about eating whole, nutrient-rich foods loaded with vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes. It's basic, simple nutrition," says fitness center owner Chibuzor "Uzor" Onwori. "Athletes are proving that how you perform is the result of what you put in your body."

Sports nutritionists agree that the top-grade fuels are complex carbohydrates — those derived from foods including pasta, whole-grain breads, brown rice, beans, vegetables and fruits.

Experts recommend that 60 percent to 70 percent of an athlete's calories come from complex, not simple, carbohydrates. In addition to complex carbs, nutritionists advise eating balanced proportions of protein and fats, a message not much different from the government's new dietary guidelines and food pyramid.

Between 15 percent and 18 percent of the diet should be protein, with fats making up 20 percent or less. Lean meats, chicken, fish and low-fat dairy products are good sources of protein. For vegetarians, good protein sources are lentils, tofu, low-fat dairy products, whole-grain bread, greens, pasta and corn. Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin.

Fish should be a regular part of every athlete's diet. It contains omega-3 oils, or heart-healthful polyunsaturates.

In today's protein-crazed society, these proportions might seem skewed. But experts say protein-heavy diets zap athletes' energy and take away their mental edge. Carbohydrates fuel the brain as well as the body.

The same nutritional advice holds true for those whose physical challenges range from an aerobics class to walking the dog.

"We wanted a book with easy-to-follow recipes that could help someone training for a marathon or someone who just wants to be healthier," Tarbell says. "And because I am a chef, I know the importance of taste. It often surprised people that healthy food can be tasty."

His recipes use nutrient-dense foods such as spinach and other dark green vegetables, sweet potatoes, whole-wheat pasta, legumes, nuts, cranberries and citrus fruits.

Selecting the right foods is only part of a healthful eating plan. Nutritionists recommend eating at the right times.

"You do not want to eat right before you exercise, but you do want to eat right after you are done. It's important to repair muscle, keep your blood sugar level and replenish the energy you spent while exercising," says Gay Riley, a Texas-based dietitian who operates NetNutrition ist.com, a Web site for nutrition and sports.

"A big salad filled with green leafy vegetables, topped with walnuts and grape tomatoes will do the trick."