Stress eating happens. As you navigate this new world amidst a global pandemic, it’s perfectly understandable that you might be feeling stressed. Anytime we feel uncertain, it’s stressful. Well, this is uncertainty on a global scale and that is scary.

Add in social isolation and it’s a perfect storm of emotions. 

If you went into this time with an unhealthy relationship with food and your body, it’s likely the stress is making it worse. It’s possible to minimize the stress eating with some positive practices.

Feel the feelings:

Earlier this week I had a group call with some dancers and something I found myself repeating was, “feel the feelings.” This is important all the time but especially now.

It’s ok to be…

sad.

scared.

lonely.

uncertain.

stressed.

The most important thing is to allow yourself to feel it all. Don’t push it down with food or ignore what’s coming up for you. Instead of pretending to be Miss Positivity all the time, feel what’s coming up then search for some good to focus on.

Stress eating happens most often when we’re looking for a distraction. Feeling can be uncomfortable. We eat to numb ourselves and to try and ignore the emotions bubbling up.

To let the feelings out you might cry, talk to a friend, journal, meditate, connect to your body, sing, dance…the possibilities are really endless. Find the release that works for you.

Find the good:

Focus on what’s going well. Create a plan for now and for the future so that you feel this time was well spent.

Remember that this is also a very tough situation and if getting through it is the best you can do, that is enough.

What are some positive things you can focus on?

By looking to the light you’ll be less likely to turn to food for comfort. Feeling gratitude for the good in your life will allow you to move past the stress.

What’s going well right now? Ask yourself that question at least once a day.

Stress Eat:

Seriously. Don’t beat yourself up if you eat a big bowl of pasta because you find it comforting. It might in fact make you feel better. If  you consciously choose to use food for some comfort it’s OK.

The emotional/stress eating we want to avoid is the kind that’s reactive. When you’re absolutely blinded by the pain and fear that you’re feeling and you start eating without intentionality, it’s damaging.

If you choose to eat for some comfort you should be able to savor and enjoy the food. The piece of cake might in fact serve you.

When I was in my worst place with food and my body, I was living alone. I had walls up – not willing to share my emotions or to let other people in emotionally. That’s when my worst binge/stress eating happened. I’d order a whole (vegan) pizza and eat it by myself and feel completely awful afterwards.

That’s the sort of thing we want to avoid.

Acknowledge the Uncertainty and Fear:

This time is extra scary if you were hoping to get a job in the coming weeks. It’s all uncertain and it’s OK to be fearful. We don’t know what’s going to happen next. Dance companies will each have to approach this time in their own ways. Some may still be hiring. Some may not.

Summer intensives will have to shift their approach if dancers haven’t been in the studio for months. Things will be different.

A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. We can try to control the uncontrollable by looking for security and predictability, always hoping to be comfortable and safe. But the truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty. The not-knowing is part of the adventure. It’s also what makes us afraid.

Pema Chodron, Comfortable with Uncertainty

Keep a list of alternative activities by fridge:

If you find you’re stressed AND bored and the boredom is leading you to the fridge, keep a list of other calming activities near the fridge. That way when you walk into the kitchen you’ll be confronted by the list and can create a little pause in the action.

That pause could be enough to get you onto something else. Something that’s more supportive and calming that might actually allow you to process the stress more healthfully.

Some ideas include: knitting, sewing, dancing, drawing, coloring, doing a puzzle, putting together legos, playing a game (alone or with a friend), singing, engaging with social media (not mindlessly scrolling but finding ways to actually connect).

Keep a list of healthy snacks by the fridge:

If you are in fact hungry and want to avoid going crazy with the indulgent food every time you want a snack, keep a list of healthy options by the fridge. You might even end up doing some stress eating with healthier options you enjoy and remember, that’s OK.

Some snack ideas include: hummus + veggies + crackers, trail mix, dark chocolate (maybe put it in your trail mix), yogurt (greek or dairy free) + fruit + a sprinkle of granola, half a smoothie or frozen fruit based ice cream.

It might help to have a list of sweet + savory options so you can satisfy cravings more easily and healthfully.

Conclusion:

This is a challenging time. Processing your emotions is the most surefire way to avoid stress eating. Remember that you are not alone and please reach out if you need support.

Photo by Eaters Collective on Unsplash

The post Stress Eating Strategies appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

In the past, I’ve gotten into the idea that those “What I Eat in a Day” posts are worth taking with a grain of salt. You might look to them for some inspiration but you shouldn’t give them too much weight and you definitely shouldn’t copy them outright.

Over the Summer, my point was magnified when I saw some dancer shares on Instagram stories. There was a little trend of sharing a “day in the life” at Summer Intensive, including daily food intake.

Without getting into specifics, because I don’t want to perpetuate the negative message, some dancers shared food intakes that were at anorexic levels. A banana and saltines are not a sufficient lunch for a high level dancer!

I was kind of shocked and considered direct messaging the dancer. I hope that someone in her circle (a parent, friend, teacher) did confront her. She wasn’t taking in anywhere near enough food to fuel a day at a Summer Intensive.

Whether you’re a young dancer, pre-professional, or pro, it’s possible that seeing that sort of food information makes you question things. Are you in fact eating too much? Do you really need to under eat to meet your body goals? Does she know something you don’t?

The short answer is no.

The more complex answer is that food intake can and should be different for everyone but no dancer should be severely under eating or restricting calories to meet body goals. If you want some thoughts on what a dancer should in fact eat in a day, check out this video on The Whole Dancer YouTube channel – subscribe while you’re there!

To the dancers thinking of sharing “What I Eat in a Day” details, please take pause.

If you think you’re a healthy example but you’re not sure, air on the side of caution. It’s really dangerous for other dancer’s to see clear examples of under eating. For the young ones the damage can be lasting. For the older dancer’s it can still make you question things.

Before you share your food, really ask yourself, “Am I eating a full, complete and healthy meal?”

“Is this something I would feed to my future daughter (or son) and be confident that I’m nourishing them?”

“Did I make this meal with the intention of loving and supporting my body and dancing?”

If you can answer yes to all of those questions then sharing is OK. Sharing healthy eat’s for the sake of inspiration can be a really awesome thing. With all sharing online I think we need to remember the impact we can have.

Your influence might be much further reaching than you even realize.

When you’re a viewer, take the time to consider the information you’re taking in as well. If a dancer you admire is casually sharing what she’s eating for lunch, it still doesn’t mean it’s what you should eat.

If you suspect that maybe a dancer isn’t eating enough, trust your instincts and don’t copy what she shares!! Also, remember that you might not be getting the full picture.

When someone shares their food, they might only show the “pretty” parts. They can leave out components of the meal if they don’t think they’re healthy enough.

In Conclusion…

The mentality that you approach your food choices with is key. If you allow too much influence from dancers (especially when they’re not nutrition professionals) you’re on a dangerous path.

You might be inspired to under eat or miss out on essential micro or macro nutrients.

Instead, find a professional to work with or do your own research (in reputable, science based books, not the internet)!

The post The Danger of Copying Meal Plans appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Chamonix Bas

Where do you dance? Share a bit about your journey in dance.

My journey in dance has been somewhat unconventional. I grew up doing competitive swimming, but unfortunately I quit when I was 11 because my parents, who both worked full-time, were unable to get me to the more advanced swim team practices. They still wanted me to do an extra-curricular activity though, and since my mom was interested in starting adult ballet, I started taking lessons once a week at the same studio.

Since our family didn’t have much experience with the world of dance, the studio I started at seemed great, but as I got older and started attending summer intensive auditions, we quickly realized that it did not provide the quality of training I was looking for.

I am SO fortunate because right around the time I decided to change ballet schools, my mom was also able to start working from home. This allowed her the flexibility to be available to drive me to ballet at any time and start homeschooling me, especially since I didn’t have the skills to move away to a dance school with housing.

I started dancing at Southland Ballet Academy in California when I was 14, and have trained there for 2 years.

What’s a challenge you faced in pursuing dance professionally? How did you overcome it?

I’m not a professional dancer yet, but starting so late with poor training has been one of the hardest challenges. Sometimes it’s hard not to compare myself with people my age who have had excellent training since they were three, but I have to remind myself that everyone blooms at a different time. Some dancers are ready to go professional after high school, but others are ready in their 20’s.

Even through dance is challenging, I love how there is always so much room to constantly grow and improve, and I do think being a late-starter has some perks. I feel that I have a greater appreciation for dance since it hasn’t always been a part of my life.

What does it mean to you to be a “whole” dancer?

To me, being a whole dancer means being a person first and a dancer second. I think it is especially important to find your own worth as a human being, and not just a dancer.

Of course, as dancers, we spend a majority of time dancing or doing other dance-related activities, but I think it’s necessary to cultivate other areas of our lives as well and recognize what we excel at. Not only can this prevent burnout, but also give us a fresh perspective when we approach dance.

Do you have any special self-care rituals that help you feel balanced?

Some of my favorite self-care rituals include soaking in Epsom salts, reading, and cooking while watching an interesting movie. I especially like cooking because it allows me to do something relaxing and creative, and also allows me to have some great, healthy food available during the week when I don’t have time to cook!

What role does cross-training play in your life?

I’m still figuring out cross-training. I used to do the elliptical or swim for a few hours a week, which I think was a little extreme in addition to my dance schedule. I also tried pilates at a studio for a year, which did get expensive.

Now, I mainly walk my dog every day, do specific pilates/floor barre exercises I need for strength at home (there are SO many great exercises that don’t require a reformer or special equipment!), and sometimes do another form of cardio.

How do you keep a positive relationship with food and your body in the face of aesthetic pressure in dance?

I think this question goes back to the concept of finding my worth as a person rather than just a dancer as well as creating balance in my life. Even though aesthetic pressure is a real problem in the dance world, finding things I like about my body as opposed to picking it apart, and focusing on technique rather than how I look in the mirror really helps.

There are consequences to abusing your body. Realizing that my primary goal is to be the best, strongest, and healthiest dancer I can be rather than the smallest, and possibly not-as-great dancer makes me want to take good care of the body I have.

Do you have a favorite recipe to share?

When I was younger, I thought all salads were boring and unsatisfying, but I have really discovered a love for them after I learned how great then can be with the right ingredients! Having a great dressing, some more filling ingredients, and your favorite combination of vegetables can make a salad exciting.

Here is the recipe for my favorite salad and dressing combination.

Find Chamonix on Instagram @aballerinasfood

The post Chamonix Bas – Healthy Dancer Feature appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Whether you’re a student or pro, it’s possible this question has entered your mind. It’s also possible you’ve searched for answers in those “what I eat in a day” posts from fellow dancers. It’s not a bad thing to look for inspiration and to gain insights based on what others are doing BUT it’s so important that you find the unique way that works for you to fuel yourself.

You are active. No question there. With that in mind, you definitely need to make sure you’re getting enough to support yourself. From a caloric standpoint you can’t be restrictive.

I want you to meet your goals in a sustainable way and avoid injury. This means it’s essential that you’re eating enough! Check out this video for more:

Are you making food choices to support your body? Stay aware of the quality of your food. That’s the most important piece. It’s way more essential that you eat high quality foods than eating “less”. Staying under some restrictive caloric number but just eating twinkies is not going to support your dancing.

Make staying at a healthy dancing weight (whatever you decide that is for you) enjoyable and easy.

In this video I touch on some food plans and practices that could work to help you reach your body goals. There are some specific food suggestions to help you see how it can actually be simple to craft a meal plan around whole foods. Should you be strict with calories and serving sizes? I don’t think so. Find out why in this video!

If you’d like to stay up to date with the content at The Whole Dancer, subscribe to the YouTube channel and sign up for The Whole Dancer Email list! You’ve got this!

The post What “should” a Dancer Eat in a Day? appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

I’ve been a health coach since 2013 and a health nut for as long as I can remember. Before my nutrition science interest really blossomed, I was diet trend obsessed and searching for the quickest fixes I could find. That meant a constant influx of new supplements and books on different diets.

Luckily, my diet obsession was before social media so I wasn’t also overwhelmed by influencers promoting health products and trends. The trends in health, wellness and fitness are really overwhelming and I say that as a Certified Holistic Health Coach!

A recent trend I can’t ignore because it’s literally everywhere is the Medical Medium Celery Juice trend. Anthony William, Medical Medium, promotes drinking 16oz. of straight celery juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. He says people can experience, “relief and healing from all kinds of acute and chronic illnesses and symptoms, including digestive issues, skin conditions, migraines, fatigue, autoimmune illnesses, brain fog, and hundreds of others.”*

And this is great – I’m honestly not knocking the trend. If you are able to achieve any of those benefits by simply incorporating fresh celery juice into your morning routine – more power to you!

However, it’s trends like this that make “healthy” seem unattainable and expensive.

Organic celery costs $2-3/bunch and you’d probably need 10+ bunches a week if you’re drinking celery juice every morning. For most, adding $20-30 to a grocery bill every week is asking a lot. Juicing celery also obviously requires a juicer and time in the morning to clean the celery, juice it and clean up afterwards.

I’ll note here – I don’t make excuses about taking time to prepare healthy meals but dancers are strapped for time so asking you to add something like this to your AM routine is a lot. Most would find greater benefit if they spent that collective time on meal prepping and shopping for health food bargains rather than juicing celery.

For most, there are dietary shifts that will prove more beneficial in the long run than celery juice alone. It’s not a quick fix. If you’re drinking celery juice in the AM but still end up binging on sugar at night or don’t spend the time putting together proper meals then your health won’t be at it’s peak.

A focus on whole, plant-based foods and crafting consistent meals around them will have a greater long term impact on your health.

You don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan but you do need to prioritize plants! 

As I mention a lot at The Whole Dancer – even before you can refine the meal plan it’s essential that you address your relationship with food and your body and get those things on a positive track. Dietary changes won’t stick if you’re struggling with emotional eating and binge eating habits.

As the seasons change, it’s a great time to recommit to incorporating healthy whole foods into each and every day.

No celery juice required.

The post No Celery Juice Required appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

The following recipe is a great snack for between training for instant energy or just as a healthy snack alternative to chips, chocolate and so on…

You can add also other dried fruits such as cranberries since they’re made of dried fruits. The quantity of each ingredient depends on your taste, if you add more nuts, it will become crunchier, if you add more dates more juicy but also more sticky.

Ingredients:

dates; fresh or dried

Figs

almonds or cashews

coconut flakes (optional)

Instructions:

If the dates are very dry, soak them first in water, hot water works faster If you use sh dates though, you can skip this step!

Cut the figs in smaller pieces pint the dates and fill everything into your food processor. Mix it until it becomes a sticky mass. Now you take it out and form it to balls with your hands, make them small so you have more… Now you can roll them in coconut flakes, but this step is optional. If you put them into the refrigerator they get a little crunchier which is very tasty as well!

About Tamara:

I was born in Zurich, Switzerland. I started ballet at a very young age and at the age of 16 I went to St. Petersburg, Russia to graduate from Vaganova academy. After graduation I worked for 4 years at the Lithuanian national opera and ballet theatre, after that one year in Moscow at the classical ballet theatre of Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliov and for 6.5 years I’m at the Bucharest national opera. Since about 5 years I’m holding a summer course in Zurich for professional and non professional dancers. Since 1.5 year I’m also teaching here in Bucharest ballet and ballet inspired workouts.

Find Tamara on Social Media

Instagram: @tamaraaniko or Tamara Grimmer

Facebook: Tamara Grimmer

The post An easy, energy-packed snack for Audition Season appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Lori’s social media accounts on instagram are:

The post Vegan Lori’s “Peppermint Cinnamon Bars” appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Health Bars, Protein Bars, Snack Bars are easy snacks to throw into your dance bag to give you fast easy fuel to dance. Dancers are constantly on the go and don’t always have time to home-make rehearsal snacks. But the long list of ingredients sometimes makes you wonder: is this actually healthy for me? Is this helping my body, giving me enough energy for my day? Or is it hurting?

We asked our dancers in The Whole Dancer Facebook Group (click here to join our Facebook Community) what bars they throw into their dance bags. From there, we made a list and researched the most popular bars. For each brand we picked two or three bars that are a fair example of the brand. For each bar we list the first four to six ingredients. The first few ingredients can be very telling about how healthy a bar really is.

In this post you’ll see The Whole Dancer Intern Jessie’s thoughts/questions about these different bars AND a nutrition take/assessment from The Whole dancer founder, Jess.

Clif Bar

Jessie’s Take:

Chocolate Chip

First Four ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rolled Oats, Soy Protein Isolate, Organic Cane Syrup

The rest of the ingredients include different syrups or have soy somewhere in the title.

Blueberry Almond Butter– part of the new Nut Butter collection

First Four Ingredients: Nut Butter Blend (almond butter, cashew butter), rolled oats, oat flour, pea protein

The first four ingredients are healthier than the chocolate chip bar, but after the first four ingredients there are two oils and three syrups. All of the ingredients are organic.

Strawberry Banana– part of the new smoothie filled collection

First Four ingredients: oat flour, nut and seed butter blend (cashew butter, sunflower seed butter), rolled oats, brown rice syrup

The ingredients for the smoothie part are not until later on the list which consists of banana powder, strawberry powder, dried cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries. It does use date paste as a sweetener, which is better than other sugars.

Jess’s Nutrition Insight:

Definitely not the best choice. Clif bars have a lot of sugar ingredients. It’s a clear example of the fact that just because something is “organic” it doesn’t make it healthy. Always consider the quality of the ingredients in something and ignore front of package marketing.

Luna Bar

Jessie’s Take:

Luna Bar– the cousin of Clif Bar. It’s created by the same company as Clif bar. All of their bars are gluten free and non-GMO.

Lemon Zest

First Four Ingredients: Protein Grain Blend (organic rolled oats, soy protein isolate, organic rice flour, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour), organic brown rice syrup, organic can sugar, chicory fiber syrup

What’s crazy is the lemon concentrate doesn’t appear until the bottom of the list and that’s the flavor of the bar! Yes everything is organic but everything in this bar is a sugar or a syrup.

Nuts Over Chocolate

First Four Ingredients: Protein Grain Blend (organic rolled oats, soy protein isolate, organic rice flour, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour), organic brown rice syrup, organic cane sugar, organic peanut butter.

Reading all of the nutrition labels of these bars makes we wonder if having the word organic in front of an ingredient actually makes the item healthy.

One of their other bars is called Chocolate Cupcake. How can a bar be healthy if it’s the flavor of a chocolate cupcake? If you want to eat a cupcake, just eat a cupcake as a fun treat and eat something more nutritious for a rehearsal snack.  

Jess’s Nutrition Insight:

Just like Clif Bars, these are mostly sugar. It’s important to be wary of protein powders contained within bars because in many cases you should assume that the company is using the cheapest form of protein they can find. Soy protein isolate is an ingredient you should be mindful of as it comes with the risk of metal contamination and pesticides.

LARABAR

Jessie’s Take:

On all of their bars they advertise how many ingredients are in the bar, which ranges from two to six ingredients. It’s nice how simple and easy to understand their ingredients lists are.  

Peanut Butter & Jelly

All Ingredients: dates, peanuts, unsweetened cherries, sea salt

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip

All Ingredients: almonds, dates, semi-sweet chocolate chips, apples, cocoa powder, sea salt

Strawberry Spinach Cashew – Part of their fruits and green collection

All Ingredients: strawberries, spinach, cashews, apricot, unsweetened apple

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

I’m a fan of the Lara bar. They have minimal ingredients and are based in whole foods. The sugars from dates can provide good, quick energy that’s also slowed by the fat/protein content of these bars. I’d avoid the ones with chocolate chips except for an occasional treat!

RX Bar

Jessie’s Take:

They list the first four ingredients on the front of their bars. All of their bars have no added sugar, no gluten, no dairy, and no soy.

Blueberry

First Five Ingredients: Egg whites, almonds, cashews, dates, blueberries

Apple Cinnamon

First Six Ingredients: Egg Whites, almonds, cashews, dates, apples, cinnamon

Mint Chocolate

First Seven Ingredients: egg whites, almonds, cashews, dates, chocolate, cocoa, mint

All of the bars include natural flavors, which are never completely explained which raises some questions. It is good that the bar is sweetened with dates and fruit not unnatural sweeteners.

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

RX bars are very popular and I totally understand why dancers see them as a good option. You’re getting the protein that you might desire from a Larabar and it’s coming from a whole foods sources ingredient in egg whites. My concern with RX bars is the quality of the eggs used. Since RX doesn’t say anything about sourcing their eggs from pasture raised egg farms, you have to assume that the egg whites are coming from factory farmed, overproduced, antibiotic injected chickens. If ethically sourced animal products are something you prioritize, then this isn’t the best bar.

Kind Bars

Jessie’s Take:

Dark Cherry Chocolate Cashew & Almond

First Four Ingredients: cashews, cherries, chicory root fiber, sugar

You can recognize every ingredient in this bar, but it isn’t good that sugar is the fourth ingredient.

Crunch Peanut Butter- Protein Bar Collection

First Four Ingredients: peanuts, chicory root fiber, soy protein isolate, honey

The rest of the ingredient list is oils and syrups. This bar has literally zero nutritional value.

Almond Butter Protein- Breakfast Bar Collection

First Four Ingredients: oats, cane sugar, canola oil, soy protein isolate

Later on in the ingredients there are more recognizable ingredients such a quinoa, buckwheat, and cinnamon. But it can’t be good that the first four ingredients have very little nutritional value.

Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt – Healthy Grains Collection

First Four Ingredients: oats, tapioca syrup, canola oil, cane sugar

The rest of the ingredients are random oats and different syrups and oils. The only remotely healthy item on the ingredient list is the pumpkin seeds.

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

Kind bars are delicious – I’m not going to deny that! However, with a lot of soy and sugar ingredients they’re not the best choice. In a pinch – ok…I’d suggest going with the traditional kind bars in a flavor that isn’t drizzled with chocolate or caramel.

Perfect Bar

Jessie’s Take:

The original refrigerated protein bar.

Peanut Butter

First Four Ingredients: Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Honey, Organic Nonfat Dry Milk, Organic Dried Whole Egg Powder

What is dried whole egg powder? Is that a dried out egg that can be put into bars to add protein/nutritional value?

Mocha Chip

First Four Ingredients: Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Almond Butter, Organic Honey, Organic Nonfat Dry Milk, Organic Dark Chocolate

Everything in these bars is organic, but they are mostly made of powders of real food. It makes me wonder if it’s a powder of the original food or if it just tastes like the original food.

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

With perfect bars, there are 2 – non dairy flavors : Almond Coconut and Chocolate Walnut Brownie. These flavors don’t include things like milk powder and egg powder and instead use healthy plant proteins (Pea and Hemp). I’d suggest going with one of those. Perfect bars, while delicious, do need to be refrigerated so they’re not always  the most convenient option!

Evo Hemp

Jessie’s Take:

Cashew Cocoa

Ingredients: Organic Dates, Organic Cashews, Organic Apricots, Organic Hemp Protein Powder, Organic Hemp Seeds, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut Nectar, Organic Blueberries

It took me a minute to track down the nutrition label for these bars. I like how everything is clear ingredients that you can pronounce, with no extra added sugars, syrups, and oils. Also, hemp is a nutrient dense food that will help fuel you through a long rehearsal day.

Cookie Dough

First Six Ingredients: Cashew Butter, Hemp Protein, Monk Fruit Blend, Chocolate Chips, Insulin Fiber, Pea Crisp Blend (Lentil, Chickpea, and Pea Flour and Pea Fiber)

What the heck in insulin fiber or this pea crisp blend? Are they a good thing or a bad thing?

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

To respond to Jessie’s questions – inulin fiber is a natural, soluble dietary fiber derived from chicory root and the pea crisp blend is just like puffed rice but instead crisps are made from lentil, chickpea and pea flour and fiber.

Evo hemp bars are a good option. I’d stick to the Apple Pecan, Mango Macadamia, Cherry Walnut, or Cashew Cacao flavors as they’re the ones with the fewest and cleanest ingredients.

Nakd bar

Jessie’s Take:

These bars are gluten, wheat, and dairy free.

Berry Delight

Ingredients: Dates (49%), Cashews (31%), Raisins (17%), Raspberries (3%), a hint of natural flavoring

The ingredient list is good, but I wonder what goes into the natural flavoring that their website purposely does not list.

Cocoa Orange

Ingredients: Dates (40%), Cashews (40%), Raisins (14%), Cocoa (5%), a hint of natural flavoring

The motto for this website is giving into your sweet tooth while still being healthy. All of the flavors are cake or dessert names. With that in mind, I’m not sure this would be good rehearsal fuel, but it’s fine for an occasional treat.

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

These look like a great rehearsal option – all the ingredients are recognizable and they have a good mix of natural sugar, healthy fat and protein. For all the activity you’re doing in a day a little extra energy intake from natural sugar (dates, raisins) is good.

Epic Performance Bar

Jessie’s Take:

Gluten Free, Paleo, Grass Fed Protein bars

Peanut Butter

Ingredients: dates, peanuts, cage free egg whites, peanut oil, sea salt

Lemon

Ingredients: dates, almonds, cage free egg whites, sea salt, lemon oil

These bars are definitely not vegan (especially their meat bars, a completely different thing from their performance bars), but still a good performance fuel. You can see and understand all of the ingredients.

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

I appreciate that they designate their egg whites as “cage free” (not as good as pasture raised, but a step in the right direction). It’s always important to question oils contained in bars. Peanut oil is high in pro – inflammatory Omega 6 oils so it’s best to be avoided.

NuttZo Bold Bites Bar

Jessie’s Take:

Peanut Butter + Collagen

First Four Ingredients: Peanut Butter, NuttZo ProBased Butter (Cashews, Almonds, Flaxseeds, Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Celtic Seasalt), Honey, Egg White Protein

Should/Can you eat collagen? I thought that was something they put in face creams that are constantly advertised on TV. This bar also has pea protein crisps in it. Is that good for you?

Jess’s Nutrition Take:

I always take issue (in case you haven’t noticed) with the random egg whites/egg white protein. I love NuttZo nut butter but the bars might have too much going on. Regarding Jessie’s question on collagen – the jury’s out. Some people are big advocates/supporters of collagen. The scientific research on collagen is in the early stages but some does show that it’s beneficial to improving the appearance of skin.

Summing up with Jess:

There are so many bar options! During crazy times of performance – Nutcracker or otherwise, they can be life savers. Bars can make your life easier and can indeed provide some good energy for you and your dancing. Always be sure to buffer bar consumption with lots of nutrient dense vegetables and well rounded meals.

When choosing a bar, the most important factor to consider are the ingredients. Read the ingredients and question them! Research the weird things and try to figure out if they’re going to support your dancing or not. Do you have a bar or bar recipe that you enjoy and would like to share with us?! Please comment below.

The post Protein + Health Bar Review appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Grocery shopping- the chore you either love or absolutely despise. Dancers (and everyone for that matter) need food to fuel themselves, therefore making grocery shopping inevitable.

In the suburbs grocery shopping is a simple task: you drive to the store, park your car, go shopping, put your groceries into you car, drive home, and then carry the groceries inside. However, living in a large city (such as New York), grocery shopping is not as simple, especially if you don’t have a car.

Price Shop

Be smart and price shop. There’s nothing wrong with going to a grocery store and just looking to see what they offer. Check prices on your staple items that you buy each week. Calculate if this grocery store helps you stay within your weekly or monthly food budget. Larger chains have their items and prices listed online so you can price shop from home.

You might learn that some grocery stores have better prices on produce while another one has a better natural foods section. Be open to having more than one go-to grocery store. Also, don’t be afraid to frequent the produce vendors on the street (in NYC). They have low cost produce that is very fresh. Just remember that they only take cash.

Budget

Make a food budget for the week or month and stick with it. Food can be expensive in any major city – so don’t let your food expenses get away from you. Jess wrote a great article about food budgeting for dancers, which you can check out here.

Grocery Shop on Your Way Home

Kill two birds with one stone- go grocery shopping on the way home from class, rehearsal, work, the gym, wherever. It just makes life easier and saves time so you don’t have to make a separate trip. Also, there can sometimes be better grocery stores where you work than where you live. For example, there’s a Trader Joe’s a block from my part time job. It’s so easy to grocery shop after work and then jump on the subway to go home.

Use and Reuse Reusable Bags

Reusable bags are you best friend when living in a large city. No only do you have a piece of mind that your bag won’t break – spending your produce flying, apples rolling, and eggs smashed – but you’re saving the planet as well. Reusable bags are much easier to carry on the subway (or any form of public transportation) than plastic or paper bags. It keeps everything contained to one or two bags. Plus, it’s a good arm workout on the way home.

Don’t Shy Away from Using the Granny Cart

For larger grocery shopping trips or errands, consider using a granny cart (or as they call it in the UK: shopping trolley). Using a cart is an easy way to prevent straining your arms and back while carrying your groceries home. However, it might be a pain getting the cart up and down the stairs in the subway if there is not an elevator or escalator at your stop.

Another option is a reusable bag with wheels. It rolls up so you can throw it in your dance bag and then wheel it home full of groceries later that day.

Granny carts are also a great way to take your laundry to the Laundromat if you don’t have a washer or dyer in your building.

Basket > Cart

Very few grocery stores in Manhattan or anywhere in New York City offer grocery carts to shoppers because their stores are too small to maneuver full size carts. (This is where having a granny cart can really come in handy!) If you are going to carry your groceries home, carry them (in a basket) throughout the store. There is nothing worse than loading up a cart and then realizing you’ll never be able to carry your groceries home on your own.

Be Open to Making Multiple Trips Per Week

Some weeks it’s just impossible to carry your entire week’s worth of groceries home in one trip. Be open to doing a 2-3 small trips during the week that are easier to carry home. More frequent trips to the store also means a more constant cycle of fresh produce in your home.  

Use a Grocery Delivery Service

This is a great option for people who feel that they don’t have time for grocery shopping or don’t want to carry their groceries home. There are several groceries services, but availability will depend on your location.

Peapod from Stop and Shop is popular service. Keep in mind that they do have an order minimum of $60 and their delivery charges are based on your order amount and location. They are prompt with delivery; giving you a two hour window they will deliver your groceries.

Trader Joe’s delivers as well (in Manhattan), but keep in mind their delivery charges range depending on how far your home is located from the store you ordered your groceries from.

Amazon recently launched their Amazon Fresh Program. It’s available to Prime Members in certain cities in the United States for $14.99 a month in addition to your current Prime fees. Currently there is an offer than you try Amazon Fresh free for a month. Orders under $50 incur a $9.99 delivery fee. You can schedule your delivery for that day or the next morning.

In the end, don’t be afraid to shop around until you find your favorite grocery store- or what stores are good for certain items or how shopping fits into your schedule.

The post Grocery Shopping in a City appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

For dancers, some of the most common questions are about meal prep, quick meals and short cuts to healthy eating. I’m all about making healthy eating as simple as possible. There are times when it’s really just a matter of building the habits to prep and have the healthy food available.

Other times, like when you’ve got performances or your schedule is just packed it’s best to take a simpler route. Obviously, meal delivery services are about ease but many of them are not quite as concerned with quality of food and healthy options.

Splendid Spoon goes against the grain by prioritizing nutrition packed foods, nutrients and even principals of intermittent fasting.

My favorite plan from Splendid Spoon is The Program 2.0. It includes smoothies, soups and blended soups and can help you to get back on track if you’ve felt like your eating habits have gotten out of whack. While I’m usually a “soup only in cold weather person” I’m also super aware that the summer can easily take your healthy eating habits off track.

When I tried Splendid Spoon in the Spring, I used it to supplement my cooking. I always have time to do some cooking but I don’t always have time to cook 3 meals a day. With Splendid Spoon I was able to use the meals when I needed. This meant, I’d sometimes have a smoothie for lunch or one of the soups for lunch or dinner.

The blended soups I’d usually heat up at home then take with me on – the – go, in a travel mug, as a snack or just to energize me through midday. There are so many ways to integrate Splendid Spoon into a healthy lifestyle and the time it will save you is amazing. When we have 1 less thing to think about it really frees up some space to focus on our goals!

If you can’t fathom soup in the summer, try a smoothie delivery option – hellooooo time saver! Even just one meal being pre – made for you can save you time and mental energy. Did you know that the average adult makes nearly 200 choices about food in a single day? With Splendid Spoon you can eliminate a good number of those choices and know you’re making good decisions for your body.

For dancers, during the busy season you may require more food that a day’s allotment from Splendid Spoon. In that case I’d suggest adding some healthy whole foods that will nourish you and sustain you through rehearsals, classes and performances. There’s really nothing worse that being distracted by hunger when you’re trying to perform at your best.

If you’re in a good place with your mentality around food – you feel like your practices with food are generally balanced and healthy but you’re having a hard time reaching a body goal. Or maybe you’re looking for a little pre – season detox of sorts to get your body and eating back on track, The Program 2.0 from Splendid Spoon could guide you in the right direction.

The daily mean plan includes 1 smoothie, 1 blended soup (which they call their “soup cleanse”) and 1 regular soup.

From Splendid Spoon : “Our Program is the culmination of over five years of diet and fasting research, customer feedback, hundreds of thousands of meals, and a whole lotta hard work. It’s a foolproof wellness plan that keeps your body fitter, stronger, and cleaner. Beyond the body, we provide the mindfulness training and support that help you take ownership of your well-being. Together, these are the small changes that make a big impact on your health.”

I would caution that if you are an emotional eater, binge eater, or feel like you have a negative relationship with food and your body than you’re better off participating in a program like The Dancer’s Best Body Program before giving any sort of meal delivery service a try.

Trying any diet, meal plan or pre – determined food plan if you haven’t first worked through your relationship with food (as silly as the concept of a relationship with food might seem) will not yield long term body changes.

Also remember that any temporary plan – 1 week of Splendid Spoon eating – won’t transform your body unless you take what you experience forward. How can you use a delivered meal plan as a stepping stone to take healthier eating forward?

If you’d like to try Splendid Spoon – please click here and you’ll get $25 off your first 1 month starter or 9-5 box!!!

The post Splendid Spoon – For when you have NO time to think about food. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.