As a dietitian, one of my favorite aspects about smoothies is the opportunity for customization. Smoothies allow dancers to build a combination of ingredients that suits their taste preferences. For dancers, smoothies can provide a convenient way to consume a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In this blog post, I’m sharing 20+ smoothie recipes for dancers.
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5 Healthy Granola Bar Recipes for Dancers
Granola bars are a healthy snack for dancers, offering a quick source of energy due to their carbohydrate composition, which is extra beneficial for dancers who need bursts of energy during rehearsals or performances. With countless options available for purchase, granola bars can be incorporated as part of a variety of snacks within a dancer’s well-rounded meal plan. To mix things up, this blog post will offer my favorite D.I.Y recipes to build a bar in 20 minutes or less. Each highlights a custom combination of ingredients to support sustained energy and performance.
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Dancers and discipline: a recipe for success or for disordered eating?
As a former dancer turned Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I can attest to a few common traits that, for most dancers at some point in their training and careers, feel relatable. Self-discipline is one and preliminary research even suggests that a relationship exists between one’s degree of self-discipline and some forms of physical activity. For much […]
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Healthy Recipes for Dancers
Enjoy these favorite power combos from The Healthy Dancer and To The Pointe Nutrition (TTP) Ambassadors! We offer delicious meal and snack options for busy dancers, including healthy, delicious recipe ideas and ways to meal plan for the week ahead.
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15+ Plant-Based Breakfast Recipes for Dancers
For dancers choosing a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, focusing on abundance and variety helps to ensure that that you’re eating enough to support your performance. But for some dancers, choosing a lifestyle that is 100% plant-based can risk vitamin and mineral deficiencies (if not well-planned) and even trigger disordered eating (if not implemented with the help of professional support). Here are our favorite vegan breakfast recipes!
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20+ Healthy and Delicious Snack Recipes
What exactly is a healthy snack? Convenience, variety, flexibility, and balance. With busy schedules, snacking is a must for dancers. Here are our 20+ favorite snacks to prep and pack for your week!
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20+ Healthy and Delicious Dinner Recipes
Dinner is a great time to pause, enjoy the family (or alone) time, and reflect on your day. Incorporating a balance of macronutrients sets you up for tomorrow’s success. In this article, we’re sharing over 20 favorite healthy, easy, and delicious recipes to try!
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20+ Healthy and Delicious Lunch Recipes
While time is often limited during a busy day, building a balanced lunch is key to surviving long afternoons. Prioritizing quick and easy nutritious meals can help to maintain your energy levels to beat that midday hump. But without a doubt, busy schedules often get the most of us.
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20+ Healthy and Delicious Breakfast Recipes
What does a healthy and easy breakfast look like? Building a nutritious breakfast starts the day with the tools your body needs for an energized and productive morning. The following recipes are a compilation of favorites to enjoy. Bookmark this page as we’re adding new recipes to the list monthly!
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The Best Bruschetta Recipe
Serious question: do you call it but-SHETTA or bru-SKETTA? I’ve been making this recipe for my family since that trip in 2012 and now I’m sharing it you. So many elements come together: the tang from ripe summer tomatoes, the crunch from a rustic baguette, the spice from fresh garlic, and of course, the aromatic but subtle hint of sweetness from fresh basil. There are a few secrets that I’ve learned since, which sets this recipe apart from your standard bruschetta.
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The Healthiest Breakfast Muffin Recipe
These delicious muffins are packed with nutrition from Greek yogurt, avocados, flax, and even carrots! Prep in advance and enjoy as the perfect on-the-go snack or meal!
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A Dancer’s Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving Day Survival
Holidays can be stressful for dancers. Depending on your food relationship, you may experience stress with restrictive food rules or dealing with potentially triggering conversations about dieting and weight. Consider these tips to get you through your Holiday and Thanksgiving free from stress, anxiety, and food guilt.
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Dinner Hack for Busy Dancers: Potato Boats
Potatoes, whether mashed, fried, or baked, are a classic comfort food adored by many. But misinformation and circulating food fears often leave dancers wondering if potatoes are an okay addition to their meal plans. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the benefits of potatoes and share unique recipes that showcase their potential as a convenient and balanced meal.
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The daunting realities of cooking for dancers
If you’re a dancer who has or is struggling with disordered eating, or perhaps you’re attempting to abide by strict “clean” eating rules, then cooking can easily become a daunting task. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why cooking can be an unexpected challenge for dancers, and how to rekindle this activity in a way that feels joyful and supportive.
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Vegan Diets for Dancers – An Ultimate Guide
We can all benefit from including plants on our plate, but what about a dancer who is aiming for a lifestyle that’s 100% plant-based? A dancer’s, especially an adolescent dancer’s, nutritional needs are higher than the average person’s. Is it doable to follow a vegan diet and meet these extensive nutritional needs? You’ll also grab actionable tips for implementing your vegan diet in a supportive and non-restrictive way.
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Plan for Nutcracker: Your Balanced Nutrition Meal Plan
The holiday season is especially busy for dancers. Add Nutcracker to the list and you’ve got what feels like an overwhelming month-long marathon. This article will discuss common pitfalls when fueling for Nutcracker and help dancers formulate a meal plan that supports the high-energy demands of this extreme (and busy) performance season.
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Diet for Dancers: Carbohydrates
Some dancers might restrict carbohydrate intake as a result of misinformation surrounding goals to achieve an “ideal” (often lower) body weight. Others might choose to restrict their carbohydrate intake in hopes of abiding by “clean” eating lifestyles, reducing inflammation, and supporting “health” goals. Dancers benefit from the macronutrient mix— I refer to this as a dancer’s fuel mix. A dancer’s fuel mix resembles a combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in each meal. While all three macronutrients contribute to a dancer’s metabolic functioning, carbohydrates, and fat provide the fuel for a dancer’s working muscles. In this blog post, we’ll explore why carbohydrates are essential for a dancer’s body.
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Dancers and Perfectionism: Tackle An All-or-Nothing Mindset
With body ideals at the forefront of the industry, dancers are especially vulnerable to perfectionistic behaviors surrounding both food and body. High expectations and striving to perfect the imperfect create an environment prone to obsessive tendencies and comparative behaviors. As a recovering perfectionist, I’ve learned to utilize a proactive effort to shift superhuman ideals into sustainable (and realistic) goals. For this blog post, I’ve teamed up with licensed psychotherapist Amy Pope-Lantham to explore five strategies that can help dancers tackle the all-or-nothing mindset and find a healthier balance in their dance journey.
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5+ “Clean” (Diet) Foods To Start Enjoying …Again
I once thought that a veggie-loaded salad (dressing on the side) was sufficient for lunch. Not only did it check the boxes of a “healthy” meal, but it also filled me physically and, according to what I thought was right for a dancer, gave me the reassurance of control— the hope that if I continued […]
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Asking AI For Nutrition Advice- What You Should Know
Artificial intelligence (AI), as a mainstream medium for information, is quickly becoming the norm not just for everyday life, but also, in healthcare. AI for nutrition advice, from calorie targets to meal plans, has gained popularity due to its accessibility. But AI comes with major risks and limitations. This article will uncover everything you should be aware of when relying on chatbots, ChatGPT, and other AI-driven tools for nutrition advice.
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