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Dancers have long been counting calories in attempts to gain a sense of comfort in micromanaging the amount they’re eating. But with popular diets recommending calorie targets that are much too low for even the inactive non-dancer, counting calories can be a gateway into more severe disordered eating. If you’re tired of the constant calorie calculations and want to break free from this restrictive habit, here are five steps to help.

Marketing is a powerful tool in shaping our purchasing decisions. But when it comes to food and nutrition, it is crucial to be aware of marketing phrases that are particularly deceptive. Those that might seem harmless, but in reality, mislead us into developing restrictive food rules, food guilt, and worse, disordered eating. In this blog post, we’ll explore the most common marketing phrases that dancers should recognize and steer clear of in their mealtime decisions.

The staying power of a meal or snack refers to how long it keeps you satisfied and energized before feeling hungry again. Simply put, your meal’s staying power helps to support feelings of fullness— at least until your next opportunity to eat. In this article, we’ll uncover specific tips for leveraging your meal’s staying power to support energy and metabolic functioning.

How do we measure a healthy body weight? Body weight, as a measured number, encompasses a spectrum of components of body composition.

For dancers, balanced hormones support strong bones. These ten foods will boost your hormone health. If you’re looking to support hormonal balance, start by adding these foods to your next grocery list.

Dancers are known for their discipline and dedication to their craft. Maintaining a strong, agile body is essential for their performance on stage. However, undeniable food and body ideals can lead dancers to explore drastic measures, such as cleanses and detoxes, in pursuit of rapid weight loss or supposed “detoxification” methods. In this blog post, we will explore why dancers should avoid cleanses and detoxes, and uncover how to embrace a more inclusive approach to nourishing their bodies, along with The Healthy Dancer® Diet Detox [FREE] 5-Day Challenge.

For an aspiring dancer, attending a summer intensive can be an exhilarating and transformative experience. Some of my favorite dance memories come from the various intensives I was fortunate to attend. But there are certain things that, in hindsight, I wish I had known before embarking on this exciting journey. I’ve previously discussed how dancers […]

Using oil as a cooking medium or ingredient isn’t an uncommon practice for dancers. Edible oils are vegetable oils—this includes seed oils. Common examples are olive, canola, grapeseed, avocado, coconut, soybean, palm, corn, flax, and safflower. In order to extract the oil from the seed. But recently, cooking oils have received a ton of criticism. In this article, we’ll uncover the claims and debunk the fears surrounding this nourishing mealtime addition.

Food sensitivity tests have gained significant popularity as a means to identify potential triggers for various health concerns. These tests claim to pinpoint specific foods that may cause adverse reactions in individuals. Some believe that testing for food sensitivities provides the knowledge needed to guide treatment— oftentimes, elimination diets to remove the potentially triggering food. But there are major limitations to these protocols and as a registered dietitian, I don’t support their use.

Dining out can support all realms of a supportive relationship with food for The Healthy Dancer®. Dining out can be a wonderful experience, filled with the anticipation of creating fun memories, catching up with friends, and savoring delicious food. But for many dancers who are in the depths of disordered eating or even well into their journeys of building supportive mealtime habits, dining out can elicit feelings of overwhelm and stress.

For many dancers, hypermobility can feel like a plus in the studio. Aesthetic ideals often depict lines that boast hyperextension. There are several different subtypes of hypermobility, with some being less problematic than others. According to the Ehlers-Danlos Society “…hypermobility that does not cause pain…[asymptomatic joint hypermobility] does not need to be treated.” But when hypermobility presents alongside joint instability, problems arise.

Food thoughts bear a heavy impact on our relationships with food. Feelings like “I shouldn’t be eating this” and “I’m so bad for wanting this!” often come alongside food guilt, paving the way for challenging eating experiences. If you’ve ever ridiculed yourself for eating “too much” and/or eating the “wrong” foods, then it’s possible that you’re struggling with restrictive food thoughts or restrictive thinking. Restrictive thinking is a type of food restriction that may or may not involve an actual caloric restriction or food avoidance.

If you’ve ever examined the packaging of a standard snack bag then chances are you’ll notice a label touting “Non-GMO.” Dancers who struggle with clean eating often find themselves questioning the safety of processed foods and since nearly 80% of processed foods contain at least one genetically modified ingredient, it’s imperative that we unravel the […]

Intuitive eating— especially for dancers, cannot be the first and only step in your journey towards building a supportive relationship with food. A supportive relationship with food can look different for every dancer, but generally, it allows for food to be pleasurable while honoring the options that are accessible to you. Part of the intuitive eating paradigm is to support adequate nourishment— this means relying on flexible meal planning. But if your goal is to transition out of such a flexible meal plan, then you’ll want to first assess whether or not you’re ready. This article uncovers 5 key identifiers to support your readiness for intuitive eating.

Mindless eating is often scrutinized as a behavior that needs to be intervened upon to avoid “over”-eating. But mindless eating can provide us with good feedback— a sign that our bodies are needing something to move through distress. This article will discuss the most common reasons why dancers might mindlessly eat, and offer actionable steps to navigate the experience.

The benefits of protein are vast: protein is essential for rebuilding and repairing muscle tissue, which undergoes a natural level of wear and tears from intense activity (like dancing). Because dancers are more vulnerable to perfectionism and disordered eating, I don’t encourage them to calculate nor track daily protein intake. If concerns exist, such as a dancer feeling worried that they are eating too little (or too much) protein, then it’s recommended they consult with a licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Generalized recovery to support your day-to-day dancing. Similar to how pre-performance meal planning supports your energy, prioritizing post-performance recovery plays a major role in the longevity of your dancing. In fact, chronic fatigue, excessive soreness, and the inability to focus can all be linked to subpar recovery efforts.

Dancers might experience food anxiety for a number of reasons. Many (but not all) relate to past experiences with food deprivation. Food anxiety can feel like a major obstacle that limits your ability to heal your relationship with food. This article will discuss the most common reasons why dancers feel anxious and how to overcome it.

Dietitians are trained to work with dancers at the individual and institutional levels. Dietitians can support dancers’ performance potential and help them rebuild their relationships with food. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) can support dancers in a variety of ways, this article will explain how.