Definition of holistic: characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

The Whole Dancer is about supporting you as a whole person. As a dancer, yes, but you can’t allow your dance pursuits to take precedence over your well-being. For 2022, I’m hoping there can be a greater awareness of holistic nutrition for dancers.

Holistic nutrition for dancers, as shared in this post, is about looking at the big picture. No food is always good for everyone. What might be nourishing, supportive, and enjoyable to you may not work at all for someone else.

Your food values and dancer nutrition.

While it’s incredibly important to work towards the mentality that “all foods can fit” into your dancer eating plan, it’s also a great benefit to consider where your food comes from and what’s important to you in that respect.

Does it matter to you if the meat or other animal products you consume were produced in a certain way (e.g., pastured eggs or “humanely” raised meats)? Does it matter to you if your food traveled a long way thus using human or other resources? Would you prefer that your food be organic or non-GMO, or are conventional production methods OK with you?

The food system in the US is severely flawed. It is the responsibility of all of us to consider our food and grocery choices and the impact of those choices. Do some research, decide on your food values, and move forward adhering to those values to the best of your ability.

Primary Food vs. Secondary Food

This has always been one of my favorite concepts in Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching. Your primary food includes career (this may be dance even if you’re at the pre-professional level), physical activity, spirituality, and relationships. Each of these areas is tied in pretty closely to The Dancers’ Best Body Course because the food you eat really is secondary.

If you’re disconnected from any of your primary food areas, it’s extremely likely you’re struggling to feel calm, balanced, and confident in your food choices. This is where the balanced life wheel comes in.

The balanced life wheel exercise.

Within The Dancers’ Best Body Course, one of the most popular exercises is the balanced life wheel exercise. It looks at even more life areas than your primary food categories and asks you to consider fulfillment in each area (the actual worksheet and journaling includes a visual wheel with each area on a different spoke of the wheel).

• Home environment
• Social life
• Joy
• Health
• Career
• Creativity
• Finances
• Education
• Spirituality
• Home environment
• Relationships

It’s perfectly natural (and OK!) that you’ll go through phases of feeling more fulfilled in some areas than others. Balancing everything in life is a challenge! But the exercise of reflecting, considering each area, and deciding on specific actions to improve fulfillment in the areas that need it is a great benefit to your overall well-being.

Your secondary food: the food you eat…

Now you might be wondering if the food you eat is even a consideration. Yes, it is. However, it’s truly and appropriately secondary. There are some pretty simple things to consider when it comes to your actual food choices.

Create a balanced plate. That looks like including protein, carbohydrates, and fat. It also requires you to consider hydration (drinking half your body weight in ounces of water is the general rule though you may need more if you sweat a lot when dancing).

At each meal, consider including fruits, whole grains, vegetables (those dark leafys are all-stars), protein, and fat. Your fat sources can be whole food sources like nuts, seeds, or avocado. Other fat sources might be oils, sauces, or dressings. 

Balancing hormones with food

It’s essential to acknowledge that food has a big impact on the secretion and production of a number of hormones. Your hormone levels have an effect on your energy, stress levels, sleep, weight, and levels of hunger or fullness (and more!). They play a huge role in your everyday, normal functioning.

For so many, stress hormone (cortisol) levels wreak havoc on feelings of balance and well-being. Elevated cortisol can be a symptom of insufficient sleep, excessive exercise, inability to cope with stress, challenging relationships, and an eating plan lacking in nourishment. “What’s more, one study found a diet high in added sugar, refined grains, and saturated fat led to significantly higher cortisol levels compared with a diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and polyunsaturated fats.¹”

Relationship to food

Holistic nutrition for dancers isn’t just about the food you eat. It’s about how you’re relating to that food. If you’re stressing, obsessing, and overthinking every bite, it’s time to address your relationship to food. If you’re feeling guilty or regretful after eating something, then it’s time to address your relationship to food.

So much of your food relationship is based on habit, family experiences, and messages you’ve gotten from the media, dance teachers, and friends over the years. It takes a lot of intentional thought and reflection to shift the way you view and relate to food. However, it’s 100% possible, and for dancers especially, it’s essential.

The dancers I work with and the goal I hope to support all dancers in achieving is confidence in your food choices. When you are able to stop questioning each bite and move through a day, week, month, and year making food choices with ease, you’ll gain an assured feeling that can truly calm your mind. Food should not be stressful!! It should be fueling, fun, carefree, joyful, and nourishing.

Connection to your body

The thought and reflection that’s needed in your food relationship is needed for many dancers in the body department as well. It sometimes still surprises me (though I also totally get it because I’ve been there) that you can expect so much from your body in dance and yet remain so disconnected from it.

Dancers are masters at ignoring body signals and cues. It makes sense. You’re taught to ignore the pain. To push through the challenges. Many dancers are still given the very harmful message to ignore your hunger. 

To reconnect to your body, try yoga (no mirrors allowed), meditation, mindful eating, honoring your pain (emotional and physical), or intentional breathing. These are just a handful of ideas to get you started.

If you’re ready for the deep dive into a more holistic approach to nutrition for dancers, sign up for the free Holistic Nutrition for Dancers virtual workshop and consider The Dancers’ Best Body Course + Group Coaching Program. Now Enrolling.

Resources and scholarly articles are linked throughout this post. Additional resources: 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-lower-cortisol#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12

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What’s the “ideal” diet for dancers?

This is a super common question and something I hear from dancers regularly. “Can you tell me exactly what to eat to reach my goals?” It’s helpful to consider this good news: there’s no one-size fits all, perfect diet for dancers.

You’re an individual. Let that information allow you the freedom to figure out the best eating plan for your unique body and needs. It doesn’t matter how your friends, or siblings, or parents eat. It matters that you find a way of eating that works for you.

When you’re eating in the best way possible for YOU, here are some things you’ll notice…

1. You have high and stable energy levels.
2. You’re never feeling ravenous or restricted.
3. You’re not experiencing anxiety or guilt around food choices.
4. You’re including protein, carbohydrates, and fat throughout the day.
5. You’re not experiencing any significant fluctuations in weight.
6. You don’t experience severe PMS symptoms or periods.
7. No major cravings.

What works is going to change over time. You have to be adaptable and willing to evolve as your needs shift. This requires staying super tuned into your body. 

General healthy eating principles dancers should consider.

Include whole foods, avoid processed foods, and eat lots of plants. Incorporating lots of whole-plant foods will boost immunity, bone health, and build muscle.

As a dancer, you’re also an athlete. Think about protein. If you’re vegan, you can get enough protein but you may need to be somewhat more intentional than your animal eating counterparts. Don’t obsess. Include diverse sources of protein to get all the amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and they play an important role in body functions. 

Lysine is the most commonly missing amino acid in a vegan diet so you may require supplementation. Nutritional Yeast is a vegan food product that includes all 9 essential amino acids. If you find you’re consistently struggling to feel satisfied by your meals, you might consider incorporating some animal sources of protein.

If you’re concerned, ask your doctor to check your vitamin levels with a blood test. This is the most accurate way to determine if you’re getting what you need.

Bone density is established in your teens and early 20’s. When you’re young, anything restrictive can compromise healthy growth and peak bone mass. If you’re not adequately fueling, you’re more susceptible to injury.

Add in more healthy foods to “crowd-out” less healthy things. 

There’s still room for indulgences like cookies, ice cream, and cake. Think about how you can incorporate “treats” or “indulgent foods” without getting obsessed or being too extreme. The extremes with food tend to lead to unhealthy approaches to reaching your goals.

You have to allow indulgences. When you’re restrictive, it backfires most of the time. My career and dance journey was riddled with injury and weight fluctuations. It all stemmed from an extreme view of what was ok to eat and what should be avoided. I labeled everything as good or bad and that led to major food anxiety, guilt, and even binge eating.

The best diet for dancers is health-conscious, balanced (whatever that means to you), and supports not just your dancing but your life beyond dance. Retired dancers who experience the greatest level of physical distress and weight gain after dancing are usually the ones who were in a state of deprivation while they were dancing.

Achieve your best body with a healthy, balanced, sustainable approach.

To establish a healthy diet as a dancer, consider The Dancers’ Best Body Course and Group Coaching Program. 

For full program details visit this page: https://www.thewholedancer.com/best-body-program/

For early enrollment join the waitlist here: 

https://www.thewholedancer.com/waitlist

Read dancer testimonials here:

https://www.thewholedancer.com/testimonials

Diet for Dancers was originally published in August of 2018

Diet for Dancers was updated and re-posted in August of 2021

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Eating enough food is crucial. 

First and foremost: you can’t put your attention on the importance of nutrition for dancers until you have an easygoing relationship with food.

Adding more health-promoting, nutrient-dense foods to your meal plan won’t be productive unless you’re in a good place to do it. If you’re being restrictive or you struggle to allow indulgences, it’s not time to focus on nutrition.

For you, the first step would be to stop labeling food as “good” or “bad” and to loosen any rules you’ve created around food. Before you can focus on performance-enhancing nutrition for dancers, you need to start making choices that truly honor and serve your body.

Once you’ve achieved a balanced mindset with food, it’s time to cover your nutritional bases and pay special attention to some nutrients a bit more than others.

As a highly active individual, you’ll need more calories than the average person. When you increase your calories and incorporate a varied meal plan, you should be able to easily cover your nutritional needs. Paying close attention to water and iron intake may prove beneficial.

Women, in general, struggle to get adequate iron. As an athlete, you don’t require increased iron, but adequate levels are essential. Iron is used by your body to make hemoglobin and myoglobin, proteins that carry oxygen to the body and muscles. It’s also needed for growth and development and the production of some hormones.

“Symptoms of iron deficiency, anemia, include GI upset, weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, and problems with concentration and memory.”¹

Food sources rich in iron include beans, lentils, tofu, potatoes, cashews, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, eggs, chicken, liver, and seafood. When you eat vitamin C rich foods in the same meal, iron absorption will be increased.

Maintaining hydration while dancing is connected to improved physical performance. There are a variety of recommendations around how many ounces to actually consume. A great way to know if you’re hydrating adequately is to check the toilet! If your pee is nearly clear, you’re doing great. If not, increase that water intake.

Nutrient timing may be beneficial but doesn’t have to be overcomplicated.

Consuming high quality protein before and after dancing may benefit your overall body composition, performance, and tone. You don’t have to go crazy with this consideration. Simply include some high protein foods you enjoy around when you’re most active. The research overwhelmingly shows that it’s overall macronutrient intake throughout the day that’s most important.

Eating enough remains the main consideration for most dancers.

Dancers and most female athletes for that matter tend to under-fuel. A potential consequence to be aware of is the female athlete triad. “Low energy (with or without an eating disorder) in combination with a menstrual disorder and altered mineral bone density is known as the female athlete triad.”²

If you struggle with any or all of the factors that distinguish the female athlete triad, make an appointment to get screened by your doctor. Early detection is essential to preserve bone mineral density.

Beyond your food, it’s important to consider “primary food” in order to nourish The Whole Dancer.

In integrative nutrition health coaching, the food you actually eat is your “secondary” food and your “primary” food consists of career, physical activity, spirituality, and relationships. Dancers often put tons of focus on food, nutrition, and dance. The other primary foods often take a back seat.

To be a more complete person and to show up more fully as a dancer, place some attention on your primary food. You might create new daily practices that connect you to spirituality. Reach out to friends and reconnect with family members who you haven’t spoken to in a while. Incorporate gentle movement for the sake of self-nourishment instead of physical punishment. And finally, if dance is your career, make sure you’re in an environment that’s supportive and positive.

If you’re struggling to make adjustments to your food choices and nutrient intake, seek support. 

It’s not always easy to see what might be lacking in your eating plan. Food is so habitual: we get into a rut and struggle to bring new variety into eating choices. When you talk to someone well versed in nutrition, they’ll easily recognize if you’re not eating enough or possibly favoring one macro over another.

A lot of behavior change often has to happen to shift the way you approach food. A Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coach can encourage you to incorporate some new, beneficial foods into your meal plan. Through health coaching, you’ll learn about specific macronutrient benefits to enhance your dancing. Beyond that, you’ll start to take massive action towards a more balanced and sustainable lifestyle.

It is possible to reach your personal best dancer’s body in a healthy and sustainable way.

Nutrition for dancers is a complex and evolving topic and the importance of nutrition for dancers is undeniable. Here are some more nutrition focused posts on thewholedancer.com to check out:

• Why health fat won’t make you fat.
• Nutrition for Dancers: What you really need to know.
• Diet for Dancers
• Analyzing the nutrition label
• Dancer’s Guide to Snacking

…and many, many more.

1. US Department of Health and Human Services Iron Fact Sheet for Customers
2. NIH National Library of Medicine Female Athlete Triad

The post The Importance of Nutrition for Dancers appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Say “yes” to dietary fat.

Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are essential macronutrients. Your body needs them (all of them) to function. Even with the popularity of higher protein and fat diets, dancers tend to be somewhat fat-phobic.

While this is purely anecdotal, my experience adding healthy fats to my diet was transformational. For a long time, I thought low fat was the way to go. At 13, I created the silly rule that I couldn’t eat anything with more than 3 grams of fat.

This was the plan I stuck to for years until finally some diets started touting the benefits of healthy fats. When I started eating healthy fat consistently, that’s when my personal best dancer body revealed itself.

The dancers I work with have seen a similar physical response to adjusting their macronutrient intake to include more healthy fats.

Evaluate your current meals.

When you think about your usual daily meal plan, assess whether there’s a focus on one macronutrient over another — specifically, if you’re avoiding fat. Some dancers get caught up in the numbers and fear that since fat has more calories per gram, it will make you fat.

It’s definitely not that simple, but we don’t have to overcomplicate things either.

Eating fat will help you feel more satisfied.

When you look at calorie equations and body goals — which, in general, dancers can ignore — the potential for increased calories from more healthy fats might be scary to you.

Rather than getting caught up in that thinking, consider this: when you eat more healthy fat, you’ll be more satisfied by your meals. When you also tune into your body and it’s hunger + fullness cues, you’ll likely end up eating less overall.

All meal plan changes should be gradual.

If you think you’re lacking in healthy fats, make small adjustments so you can really observe how your body reacts.

Here’s an example: if you eat oatmeal with banana and 1 tbsp. of nut butter for breakfast, try adding an additional tbsp. of nut butter and cutting the oats by 1/4. If you don’t measure your oatmeal, that’s fine too. Add the fat, eyeball the oats as usual, and pay close attention to your levels of satisfaction as you’re eating.

Stick to just that one change for 2 weeks. Notice how you feel as far as energy, satisfaction, and digestion. Maybe, depending on the outcome, you’ll try a similar adjustment with lunch. Again, stick to that additional shift for a couple of weeks before you evaluate.

Quality fuel is key.

All the time, dancers tell me suggestions they’ve heard about limiting certain foods. Usually, it’s dietary fat that is demonized. People are so wary of the caloric density that they ignore the quality of the fats in question.

Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats (among the healthiest) and polyunsaturated fats.

Eating lots of dietary fat from unhealthy sources like processed, packaged foods is likely to have a negative impact on your body goals. The unhealthy fats include trans fats and saturated fats. However, some saturated fat is OK — nutrition science has gone back and forth on this, likely one more reason to acknowledge that everyone’s body reacts differently to food.

When you eat more healthy whole food fat sources, especially those that also contain fiber, you’ll likely feel satiated for longer. Add plant foods for healthy fat (which all include fiber) like nuts, nut butters, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and avocados.

As far as oil, some of the healthiest oils include olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil (even though it is high in saturated fat). Oils could comprise their own post, but keep it simple and stick to those highest in anti-inflammatory omega-3s and avoid those with a high omega-6 content (e.g.,. corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, etc.).

As there is no “one size fits all” for serving sizes, some will do better with more fat while others will do better with less. There’s also no one meal plan that works for everyone.

Become an expert on your body.

To reach your body goals healthfully and sustainably, you have to become an expert on your body. This takes time, experimentation, and often support from a Health + Nutrition Coach, Nutritionist or Dietitian.

Find the person whose approach resonates with you, and start the process of figuring out the best eating style and complimentary lifestyle for you.

The post Why Dietary Fat Won’t Make You Fat appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

You don’t have to be an expert in nutrition…

Nutrition for Dancers is an important topic but you don’t have to be an expert in nutrition to reach your personal best body. Hopefully you find that reassuring. You don’t have to study up on nutrition science or know exactly what each macronutrient (protein, carbs, fat) or micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) does for your body.

If you’ve got a desire to dive into nutrition for dancers, have at it. Make sure you’re learning from accurate sources like text books or scholarly articles. Diet books are skewed to whatever the authors beliefs are and while it’s possible they’ve conducted studies around their beliefs, many have not.

Remember, if you look to nutritional studies for information, some are funded by food lobbyists. “A 2007 review of 206 studies that looked at the health benefits of milk, soda, and fruit juices found that those sponsored entirely by a food or beverage company were four to eight times more likely to show positive health effects from consuming those products.”1

There are times you’ll find nutritional advice based upon the findings from such studies. The sugar industry has tons of money, whereas the producers of fruits and vegetables do not. Something to keep in mind when you do your research.

Instead of being an expert in nutrition, you have to become an expert on how food works for YOUR body.

Becoming an expert on YOU

When you consider nutrition for dancers and what you really need to know, the most important factor is you. Pay attention to how food makes you feel. It’s so common to ignore digestive disturbances or to just get used to them. So many people feel sick, bloated, or uncomfortable after consuming dairy, but it’s become so normal, they don’t think twice about it.

You might also have a different tolerance for some foods than your friends. Sugar sometimes gives me a headache, even in small quantities and when paired with trail mix. In response, I stay mindful of this and try to eat less of it.

Have high standards for your fuel

Food quality is important. Learn about where your food comes from. If you eat meat or eggs, look for grass-fed and pasture-raised options. If you have a sweet tooth, be discerning about the ingredients in your sweets. Avoiding processed sugar and high-fructose corn syrup can help you perform at a higher level.

A couple of dancer chats I always come back to when I think about the importance of high quality fuel for dancers are Shelby Elsbree, formerly Boston Ballet and Jenelle Manzi, New York City Ballet.

In the first workshop ever presented by The Whole Dancer, Shelby Elsbree said, “If you’re eating these whole foods and superfoods for your body, you will be full, you will be satisfied, and you won’t be craving processed foods as much.”

New York City Ballet dancer Jenelle Manzi dealt with injury and inflammation. Then, she saw the impact of her food choices. Regular sweets and indulgences don’t work for Jenelle. That’s why she combined indulgent and functional foods. As she shared, “functional foods provide your body with nutrients and help you to feel your best, look your best, and perform your best.”

Increase your knowledge of macros

Protein, carbs, and fat are the macronutrients that make up food. There’s often a debate about which you should eat the most often. There are diets out there that highlight each one. Some say eating more carbs will help you perform your best while others promote more protein or fat.

“..A wide variety of diets have been proposed accentuating or minimizing each macronutrient to achieve a desired effect on appetite and/or energy intake. Common experience over the past six decades reveals none has been widely successful.”2

For most, a balance of macronutrients is going to help you feel satisfied and energized, and you’ll maintain your health; therefore, it’s helpful to have an idea of what macros are found in the foods you’re eating most often.

This knowledge will help you to create balanced meals and adjust your food as necessary. You might find that more dietary fat helps you feel more satiated. For others, increased protein leads to greater feelings of satisfaction. When you start to have those insights, you can adjust your meals accordingly.

Nutrition info means nothing if you’re not relating to food and your body in a positive way…

The most common thing I see dancers doing is not eating enough. When you undereat, you do your body a disservice.

If you hate what you see in the mirror, you’re not going to reach body goals. When you’re stressed out, your relationship with food can get crazy. The pressures of pursuing dance pre-professionally and professionally can be overwhelming.

Instead of placing too much focus on the food, put the focus on cultivating a positive mindset. Then, make your healthy choices taste amazing, and you’ll start to find balance.

Nutrition for dancers, what you really need to know.

1. Moodie, Alison). “Before You Read Another Health Study, Check Who’s Funding the Research.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Dec. 2016, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/12/studies-health-nutrition-sugar-coca-cola-marion-nestle.
2. Carreiro, Alicia L, et al. “The Macronutrients, Appetite, and Energy Intake.” Annual Review of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 July 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4960974/.

Photo by Cayla1 on Unsplash

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