5 Diet Rules of Cirque du Soleil Artist

A 5-minute article that will help you become healthier and feel great.

Hello, Oleksiy Kononov is in touch.

In live chats, I often get questions about nutrition. What do you eat? How often? Do you use sports supplements? Do you eat meat?

In this article, I'll share 5 nutritional rules that helped me perform on stage at Cirque du Soleil in 10 shows a week — and feel confident and great the rest of the time.

These rules will help you build better eating habits, give you more energy, and help you eat the way that actually suits your body.

Rule 1: Food Is Not a Drug

Since childhood, I've imagined myself as a sports car that needs high-quality fuel to win the race. I have no gastronomic expectations from regular daily meals. I deliberately separate: food for recharging and food for pleasure.

At Cirque du Soleil, food became an even more ingrained professional tool. When working at the limit of human capability, the quality and quantity of food plays a vital role — just like technique.

When I look at food, I see:

• ⛽ Fuel — carbohydrates (cereals)
• ⚙ Small parts — proteins (meat)
• ☘ Grease — fats (oils, nuts)

My father, a driver, taught me: only the best goes into your favorite car. During the week I eat simple, "bland" food to recharge. Once a week I go to a restaurant with my family — and there I open all the taste chakras.

Rule 2: Eat Products a Person Keeps Away From Ruining

I read a book called "The Body from God" about 10 years ago, and it hit the target. The author's idea is simple: your body assimilates products created by nature well, and products created by people — not so well.

For example:

• ✅ Real meat — better than sausage
• ✅ Grilled or boiled fish — better than canned fish
• ✅ Fresh vegetables — better than pickled ones
• ✅ Fruit — better than sweets
• ✅ Nuts — better than chips
• ✅ Porridge — better than bread

I label products in my head with colors:

Green ✅ Useful. Vegetables, fruit, greens, porridges, fish, meat, eggs, nuts, natural oils, water.

Yellow ⚠️ Empty. Neutral. Sports nutrition, bread, pickles, milk, dark chocolate, sausage, juice, espresso.

Red ❌ Harmful. Shawarma, fast food, alcohol, candy, cakes, chips, soda.

The body constantly works to maintain a balanced blood pH. Green products are mostly alkaline — they help the body maintain this balance. Most red and yellow products are acidic — they force the body to work harder to compensate.

This principle became my main criterion for choosing food — not a diet, just a direction for ongoing improvement.

Rule 3: Consistency — 3 + 2

If you want to get to your destination, keep the tank filled. I eat 5 times a day: 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus 2 snacks (second breakfast and afternoon tea).

This helps me avoid energy pits during the day — extreme blood sugar drops — and prevents overeating afterward. I eat more on days with heavy training and performing, and less on weekends.

Rule 4: The Pyramid

I fill my plate based on the time of day. In the morning, I eat more carbohydrates — to energize and stay as active as possible through the day. I also eat carbohydrates after training, to restore energy for the continuation of the day.

At lunch, my plate is balanced: carbohydrates and proteins in roughly equal proportions. Closer to evening, protein priority increases. I'm preparing building material for the recovery process during sleep.

One note on protein: you can only absorb roughly 30 grams per meal. Excess protein doesn't store for later — it just overloads the body.

Rule 5: You Can Never Have Too Much Water

When I arrived in Montreal in 2009, I was amazed: everyone at the Cirque du Soleil studio carried a water bottle like a smartphone — even with coolers in every corner. Then I learned why.

60% of the human body is water. Muscles — 70–80%. Brain — 90%. Eyes — 99%.

My coach once asked: "Do you know how dried apricots differ from fresh ones?" Dried apricots are apricots without water. Since then, I've had a burning desire to stay like a fresh apricot as long as possible.

Summarizing my approach: I eat regularly, focus on products created by nature, calibrate quantities to my activity level and the time of day, and drink a lot of water.

Try these simple principles and you'll feel: you can always do more.

Good nutrition works best when paired with a clear training structure. Before starting any program, the Fitness Checkup gives you the baseline data to match your nutrition and training approach to your real body — not someone else's.

FAQ

How do you avoid overeating if you eat 5 times a day?

Eating 5 times keeps blood sugar stable throughout the day, which is what prevents extreme hunger and the overeating that follows it. The key is keeping each meal appropriately sized — not five full meals, but three main meals and two smaller snacks.

Do you need to count calories?

Not necessarily. The color-coding system (green/yellow/red) works as a simpler, more practical filter. If most of what you eat is green, the quantities naturally regulate themselves without obsessing over numbers.

Why eat more carbohydrates in the morning and less in the evening?

Carbohydrates are fuel for active work. In the morning and around training, the body can use them immediately. In the evening, when activity drops, unused carbohydrates are more likely to be stored. Prioritizing protein in the evening supports muscle recovery and repair during sleep.

Is sports nutrition (protein shakes, bars) useful?

It's neutral — useful in specific situations like traveling or when there's no time to eat a proper meal, but not necessary for most people who eat regular balanced food. Real food should always come first; supplements fill gaps, not replace quality nutrition.

Keep Reading

• 5 Rules an Athlete Should Know and Follow — nutrition is Rule 2 in the athlete's daily system
• Unlock Better Sleep — recovery and nutrition work together; neither works without the other
• The Best Training Algorithm — what to do with all this fuel once you've built good eating habits
• Why Your Heart Adapts to Your Lifestyle — how nutrition, movement, and recovery are all part of one system
• How to Lose Weight? What to Begin Training With — food habits in the context of a complete fitness foundation