In my personal experience, optimal nutrition creates what I would, in jest, refer to as "superpowers". When I compare my mental and physical state under optimal conditions to under poor conditions, there is a dramatic difference in me.
This, to me, is also why for many athletes, their performance doesn't begin on the field but rather it begins with their food intake.
I don't trust the data he provided because it isn't rigorous, reviewed or even analyzed at all.
Disagree. Many elite athletes are not super scientific about their food choices [1]. Instead they eat what they crave. The human body is pretty good at figuring out what it needs nutritionally.
That being said, there is a lot that is important off of the field (e.g. sleep, stretching, etc). Just nutrition is fairly low on that list.
As much respect as I have for triathletes, they aren't really representative. Food choices are incredibly important for athletes in weight class-limited sports (eg wrestling) or where muscular hypertrophy is important (eg powerlifting). Gymnastics is another one. Believe me when I tell you that coaches have diet absolutely dialed in for many classes of athlete.
This, to me, is also why for many athletes, their performance doesn't begin on the field but rather it begins with their food intake.
I don't trust the data he provided because it isn't rigorous, reviewed or even analyzed at all.
But I'm curious, regardless.