Part of the solution is how you think about bloating, which can  improve your relationship to your body and bloating. There are also practical shifts you can make like how you approach food, meal timing, and habits that can actually reduce bloating and help you find more comfort in your body.

What is bloating?

Bloating is when your stomach feels full and tight, often due to gas. Many dancers experience bloating. When you’re at a lower body weight, which is also relatively common in ballet, the experience or appearance of bloating can be exacerbated. 

What causes bloating?

The most common assumption is that bloating is always caused by certain foods or food intolerances. While this certainly can be the case, it isn’t always. 

Some of the more commonly known causes of bloating include:

1. Food intolerances or allergies 
2. Not getting enough whole grains and fiber
3. Poor hydration: drinking more water helps remedy bloating
4. Consuming lots of gum or carbonated beverages: swallowing more air leads to bloating

Less commonly acknowledged causes of bloating

Not eating enough or not eating consistently.

Dancer schedules are busy and irregular, which can make it challenging to eat regularly. It’s beneficial to eat every 2–4 hours and not let more than 5 hours pass between eating. Eating too quickly or too close to intense movement can cause bloating. 

Eating slowly, chewing food thoroughly, and finding more presence when you are eating can help reduce bloating. Making sure you’re eating enough is also essential. 

Chronic restriction can cause the muscles of your stomach and intestines to weaken from underuse. This leads to sluggish digestion and bloating. A dancer who stops eating consistently, gets into the habit of restrictive eating and then overeating, or who experiences an eating disorder can experience more bloating. 

Constipation can also be a culprit in bloating, and one of the causes of constipation is simply not eating enough. 

Stress in your life and/or dance environment.

When you’re stressed, it puts your body into fight-or-flight mode, which inhibits digestion. The opposite of this is rest-and-digest, which aids in digestion. In times of stress, blood is redirected away from your stomach and digestive system and instead flows to your muscles. 

Your mental state and digestion are deeply connected. There’s two-way communication between your brain and digestive system—often called the gut-brain axis—which involves your nervous system, hormones, gut microbiome, and immune function. Feeling nervous before class, rehearsals, or auditions can impact this communication system, leaving you feeling bloated with sluggish digestion. 

Hormonal changes.

Some hormonal fluctuations are normal and to be expected as you see cyclical hormonal changes associated with your menstrual cycle. Bloating in the days or week leading up to and during your period is quite normal. Food choices and overall approach to nutrition and food timing can impact the severity of bloating during this time.

There are also hormonal changes associated with stress. When you’re stressed, your body produces more cortisol and adrenaline, which increase gastric acid production and leads to heartburn, indigestion, and bloating.

Dairy consumption. 

The older you get, the less lactase you produce. This is the digestive enzyme that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk). Without being able to properly digest dairy, you’re likely to experience gas and bloating.

What you can do about bloating in ballet

Movement and bloating.

While you are already incredibly active with your dancing, calm movement around eating can help you digest your food more efficiently. Gentle movement like yoga, walking, or stretching can aid in digestion and reduce bloating. Even light walking after meals can help support digestion and reduce the chance of bloating.

Supplements for support.

You might explore digestive enzymes or soothing options like peppermint or ginger tea to aid your body’s digestive processes. While these should never be relied on as quick-fix options, they may provide temporary relief in times of need. 

Your mindset around bloating in ballet.

As you can see, some bloating is unavoidable. My hope is that by understanding all of these less common causes of bloating, you can be less self-critical when it happens. Do what you can to find clarity with what might be causing your bloating. It might be worth seeing a gastroenterologist who is equipped to diagnose more serious causes of bloating like celiac disease or gastritis. 

For normal levels of bloating, it’s important to come to a point where you accept it as a part of life. Wear the leotards that make you most comfortable on those days. If you’re allowed to wear some sort of warm-ups that increase your comfort level, do it. 

When you see yourself in the mirror, check in with yourself mentally. If you’re fixating on the bloating and your stomach, shift your focus to your dancing. Remind yourself what’s going well in your dancing. Try literally bringing your focus upward—shift your attention to your port de bras, your artistry, your intention.

You’re not alone.

So many dancers bring up bloating as a concern. When we discuss it in coaching sessions, finding possible culprits and identifying ways to cope or mitigate some of the bloating causes is incredibly productive because bloating is something the majority of dancers experience at some point. 

If you’re looking for support to find an easy, effective, and personalized approach to food, book a coaching consultation to see if health, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching is the right fit for your needs. 

Bloating doesn’t define you or your dancing. With awareness, self-compassion, and some strategic shifts, you can build a healthier and more relaxed relationship with your body—even on the bloated days.

The post Bloating in Ballet: What Dancers Should Know appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Can Dancers Have Their Cake and Eat It?

Every time I present something on food or eating plans, there are questions around sweets and foods you might categorize as “treats.” Most of us enjoy sugar and even that burst of energy it provides, so it’s understandable.

When you’re consuming processed or packaged food, it’s not a bad idea to consider the sugar. Don’t obsess, just build awareness. It’s essential to stay curious about your eating plan and habits so you’re able to pay attention to what’s making you feel energized, what’s draining you, food choices that make you feel great and those that don’t.

Can dancers go overboard with sugar?

Sure. 

Sugar can, at times, be a slippery slope. You might find that as you eat more sugar, you want more sugar. When we eat sweet foods, the brain’s reward system — called the mesolimbic dopamine system — gets activated. The pleasure centers of your brain get “lit up” by sugar, and that response is dampened over time, meaning you need more of it to get the same effect. 

As far as the research and questions of whether sugar is linked to adverse health consequences, it’s not easy to come to a firm conclusion. A lot of research surrounding sugar is “industry funded,” meaning food producers who sell products high in sugar are involved. This is part of why I recommend considering how sugar works for you.

Don’t get stuck on the concept of limiting sugar because studies show the limitations can in fact be a reason why you find you want more and more. Your goal should be to feel OK having some in order to discover what feels balanced. 

You don’t want to fall into a perfectionist mindset around sugar, which can lead to orthorexic tendencies. “Orthorexia nervosa is a disordered eating pattern that is characterized by the need to eat ‘clean’ and ‘pure’ foods to the point that the individual becomes obsessed with this way of life.” 

True balance with sugar is all about you.

You might find that a little something sweet each night is all you really need to be satisfied. Maybe that means enjoying something homemade so you can be part of the process. Or you might feel better and balanced by having one luscious piece of cake or some ice cream each week. Consider all the dairy-alternative ice cream options as a way to add variety to your eating plan.

The number one thing is to find a balance that is sustainable. It should not impact your energy throughout the day — if you’re eating gummy bears or peanut butter cups every hour, that is likely affecting your performance. Try to steer clear of using sugar as a pick-up for lagging energy. The goal should be consistent, not erratic, energy.

How to make the shift away from sugar reliance.

Your body runs on sugar as your body breaks down most carbohydrates into the sugar glucose. So you will definitely be including it in your eating plan. If you find you’re turning to more processed sugars, think about incorporating more fruit or sweet vegetables (e.g., sweet potatoes or carrots). This way, you’re “crowding out” those less-nutritive foods with whole food sources of sugar and still addressing your desire for sweet flavors. In a lot of cases, natural sugars are more satisfying, especially when compared to highly processed or artificial sweeteners.

As with any changes to the way you’re eating, it’s important that you make them gradually. So no sugar “detox.” Just consider where you are, make small adjustments, and notice any impact on your energy, dancing, and overall enjoyment of food. You might find you start to taste natural sugars more intensely.

Dancers and sugar: hidden sources…

While sugar is obvious in some foods like candy, cookies, cake, brownies, or ice cream, it’s less obvious in many other foods. Sugar is abundant in energy bars, packaged foods like breads and crackers, and even stereotypically savory snacks like chips.

A good rule of thumb is to read the ingredients list. Easy-to-grab convenience food is often the biggest source of excess sugars. When food companies create snacks, they try to put together the ideal combination of sugar, salt, and fat to make a food addictive and yet not very satisfying — that way, you keep coming back for more.

Other foods to stay mindful of…

Caffeine, dairy, and refined carbohydrates can have addictive qualities. If you find that you’re becoming dependent on any of those foods to pick up your energy, wake you up midday, or get you through a performance, it’s possible they’re not actually fueling your best dancing. 

Slowly cut back or find a replacement and see how you feel. Keep in mind, if you cut something out altogether, it can result in you wanting it more. Finding personal balance with food isn’t always easy, but it is key to your dancing success. For support, sign up for a free coaching consultation call.

This post on dancers and sugar was revamped in October 2024.

The post Dancers and Sugar: Some Key Considerations appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Meal planning for dancers is always something I cover with my Elite Best Body Coaching clients. Having a plan will help you feel more confident in your food choices. You’ll feel greater ease and will spend less time overthinking and overanalyzing what you might eat at a given moment. Busy dancer schedules need the support of an intentional and supportive plan around food. 

Pick a meal to focus on first: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Eventually, you’ll build up to having a plan in place for all of your meals and snacks, but let’s start simple. Again, this is not about overthinking. It’s about giving your food choices some thought so you’re not scrambling and just eating whatever happens to be around.

Choose the meal that needs the most attention first. For many dancers, it’s dinner because it can easily become an afterthought. Breakfast is generally easier to prioritize, and you have some energy to bring to the breakfast creation process since you’ve just gotten a (hopefully) good night’s sleep. 

Most dancers are pretty good at packing a lunch or at least a bunch of snacks to get you through your dancing day, but dinner gets forgotten. When you get home after dancing all day, you’re exhausted, and cooking is probably the last thing you want to do. This is where some dinner planning and prep are incredibly valuable. 

Pick your top 3–5 go-to recipes for that meal time.

When you start to get into meal planning, it’s easy to get overly ambitious. Meal planning for dancers should be simple. Setting a plan in place where you’re incorporating 6–7 brand-new recipes is going to be hard to live up to. Instead, pick a few recipes you already have experience cooking. Allow space for one new recipe and also allow for a day or two of super easy, just-reheat options. On those days, you might include frozen dinners, canned soups, leftovers, or takeout.

A rule I use personally and one I always recommend to dancers with super busy schedules is to stick to recipes that take 15–30 minutes to make (from start to finish). If you want to make something that takes longer, it’s helpful to break down the steps and make grains, sauces, or any longer cooking elements ahead of time.

Make a grocery list based on your cooking plans.

When you have your dinner plans, look at the recipes for each and make your shopping list. If you don’t have a good supply of oils, spices, and grains in your pantry, stocking it with ingredients you use frequently may take an initial investment. Once it’s stocked, it will make cooking and shopping even easier.

One of the big benefits of having a plan for what you’ll be cooking for the week is it makes grocery shopping much easier, faster, and budget conscious. You’ll only be buying things you have a plan to use, so you’ll do less random spending.

Decide on your meal-planning day.

Consistency in new habit formation is super helpful. Is there a day when you’re off or have more free time? That can be an ideal meal-prep day. Look at the recipes you plan to make for the week and see what you can make ahead of time. Some examples include cooking grains, making sauces, or pre-cooking or baking vegetables or proteins.

Grocery shop that morning or the day before.

There’s definitely some leeway here, and you have to do things that work for your schedule, but it’s helpful to shop around the day you’ll be prepping. This just ensures that your produce is freshest and any other ingredients with an expiration date don’t go bad. You’ll have less waste and, therefore, less wasted money.

Make your cooking experience fun.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be a chore. I always tell my clients to do something they find fun at the same time as doing the meal prep stuff. This is one instance where I think multitasking is OK if it helps you get it done. While you prepare meals, you might also watch a show on Netflix (I watch on my phone while I cook), listen to a podcast, or socialize with your roommates or friends.

As with all supportive shifts you might make in your life, it’s really helpful to be clear on your motivation for prioritizing them. What do you see as benefits to meal planning? Why is it something you want to start doing consistently? How will it save you time or make your life easier? Answer these questions for yourself and remind yourself of your responses any time you’re struggling to motivate yourself to stay consistent.

Meal Planning for Dancers

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It’s easy to look to your metabolism for the reason your body is progressing slowly. Well, what if your metabolism isn’t the problem? First, let’s look at the things that likely aren’t keeping you from reaching your body goals.

Your Metabolism:

It’s a common scapegoat—do you ever have that feeling that you just have a slower metabolism? Your metabolism (resting metabolic rate) is the amount of energy your body requires to simply function.

Things to keep in mind: if you lose weight, restrict calories, or lose muscle mass, your metabolism will be negatively impacted.

 If you’re holding onto weight even though you feel like you’re doing “everything right,” there is the slim possibility that you have a thyroid issue. Hypothyroidism affects 4.6% of the US population over age 12 and makes it difficult to adjust your weight. If you think your thyroid isn’t functioning optimally, get it checked by a professional.

Aside from a thyroid issue, your metabolism is not likely the problem when it comes to reaching your personal best dancer’s body. When you find the food plan that is best for your body (just yours, no one else’s), your metabolic rate will work for you and help you get to where you want to be.

Yes, there are certainly dancers who are fast metabolizers. These tend to be the people who are always eating and always bouncing off the walls with energy, and they easily stay super thin. If you’re not that person, it’s ok. (I’m certainly not!) You can still reach your body goals.

You might think the problem is your genes.

An artistic director told a client of mine that to attain a “ballerina body,” she’d have to stick to lettuce and water. The artistic director pointed to genes as her problem. Not only was the information and advice inaccurate, but it was extremely damaging to the dancer as well.

More and more nutritional research points to the fact that our genes are malleable. Certain ones can be turned on or off depending on your food choices.

When I was dancing, I remember feeling that if I wanted to reach my body goals, I needed to eat as little as possible. I don’t even remember blaming anything like my metabolism or genes. It just seemed that to be as thin as some of my fellow dancers, it would take extremes.

This led to under eating throughout high school and college. I kept it up throughout my early years of dancing professionally. Then, when I was working through long days of rehearsals on little food, it started catching up with me.

I’d return home ravenous and uncontrollably eat everything in sight. My weight fluctuated between 5 and 10 pounds most of the time. A tutu would fit one week and not the next. The ballet mistress once said to me, “did you actually gain weight since last week?” If you’ve experienced this on any level, you know it’s pretty devastating.

Stress and stress fractures consumed my training and professional career. My erratic food choices were the cause of all the injuries and anguish I experienced on my dance journey.

You’ve been bombarded with mixed messages by teachers, friends, family, and the media about how you should look and what you should do to attain that goal. You might feel like you’ll only be able to reach your body goals if you go to extremes.,

So if the problem isn’t genetics or metabolism, what is it?

Dancers, the #1 thing you need to work on to reach your personal best body is your relationship with food.

Your metabolism and genes are probably not slowing down your progress. This means you hold the power! Put the time into cultivating a mindset that supports you in reaching your goals. View your body with positivity.

Treat your body with respect, and fuel it lovingly with food you enjoy.

To help you start moving in a positive direction, claim your FREE Best Body Guide and join The Whole Dancer Community. With this guide and the weekly emails from The Whole Dancer, you can start to identify action steps to take you forward!

Did you find this post helpful? Please comment below and share your thoughts!

Resources :

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/hypothyroidism (1)

The post Your metabolism isn’t the problem… appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

with Betsy Mcbride

Betsy Mcbride and I met at the Kaatsbaan Summer Intensive many years ago. She was still a teen but already dancing professionally with Texas Ballet Theatre, I was one of her RA’s.

She was and is a beautiful dancer and after rising through the ranks to Principal at Texas Ballet Theatre, Betsy took the leap to American Ballet Theatre joining the corps de ballet in 2015.

I asked her to share a bit about her experience dancing from home during quarantine. Her words will hopefully make you feel less alone and inspire you to keep going!

Of course there are some things we’re all collectively experiencing but what have been the most major life changes for you?

For me the biggest change has been not having a schedule that’s packed full. This is usually my busiest time of year traveling for multiple tours domestically and internationally and rehearsing/performing most hours of the day.

It has definitely been an adjustment period not having scheduled routine but I’ve found that creating a new routine and schedule has helped keep my sanity. I also had to postpone my wedding that was scheduled for this August so that has been a big curveball trying to plan for our new date and wedding.

How are you staying positive and motivated dancing at home?

It’s definitely challenging because obviously there’s a lot less space and capability to do everything but I try to stay positive by keeping a routine of taking daily ballet class.

I love doing zoom classes with ABT, organized by ballet master Carlos Lopez. That way, I get to consistently see my friends and feel a little more normal.

I’m also trying to be less critical of myself than I would be in the studio because honestly there’s only so much you can expect from yourself when taking class at home.

Have you made any adjustments to your meal plan? Any favorite quarantine meals or snacks?

When we first went into quarantine I was definitely emotionally eating ha! So now I’m trying to reel it in and eat more nutritiously and cut out sugar (not entirely though).

I find that since I’m not training as hard, I’m not wanting to eat as much meat. I’ve definitely been leaning towards plant based meals. I’ve been enjoying making smoothies in the morning. My quarantine guilty pleasure snacks have been chocolate chip cookies and goldfish.

Are you coping with any anxiety or more challenging emotions? What are you doing to work through them?

Yes, I think most people are on some level with all of this uncertainty. Keeping a schedule and focusing on what I can do now rather than thinking about the future helps calm my mind.

Definitely staying active and busy helps too. I also took an Ayurvedic workshop, led by ABT ballet master Nancy Raffa. I’ve tried applying some Ayurvedic methods to my day to help reduce stress.

Are you worried about staying in shape? What would you say to dancers who are concerned about losing technique or “getting out of shape”?

I am a little worried about that, mostly because it’s so much harder to stay motivated on my own and in an environment with lots of distractions. However, there are so many resources available for people to stay in shape that it’s definitely doable with self discipline.

To dancers worried about this: there are plenty of ways to keep working on your technique. Taking many different ballet and other styles of dance online, doing pilates/yoga/ and other cross training exercises as well. It’s also a great time to focus on things you feel you want to improve and really work towards whatever that may be.

How are you filling your extra time?

I try to take ballet class daily. I’ve been going on runs a few times a week with my fiancé and taking some yoga, pilates, and conditioning classes.

I did the National Training Curriculum and got ABT’s teaching certification and I did a choreographic workshop with Jessica Lang for ABT.

I’ve been working on my athletic wear company, Rezonance Athletics, and I’ve taught a few virtual ballet classes. I’ve also been very busy trying to reschedule my wedding and deal with all that comes with that. For fun I’ve been reading a lot, watching Netflix, and learning to play the ukulele. Also, FaceTiming!

Will you share more about your activewear company? I’d love to hear more about how that got started.

Yes! Our company, Rezonance Athletics, was founded by my fiancé Simon Wexler, his sister Marina Hutto, his brother Brian Wexler, and myself.

We knew there were no fully eco-friendly and sustainable dance wear lines out there and we wanted to change that. After about two years of research and development, we came up with the first all eco friendly line of dance and athletic clothes for both men and women.

A lot of our products are made from recycled polyester which is made up from water bottles. One of my favorite leos of ours uses 7 water bottles!

The post ABT Dancer Betsy Mcbride “Healthy at Home” appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

At the Whole Dancer, we love working towards goals that create a mentally and physically healthier version of yourself as a dancer.

Some research suggests, it takes 30 days to establish a good habit. It also takes 30 days to rid yourself of a bad habit. Though studies show new habits can take longer than 30 days to form, I feel that you have to give any new lifestyle change at least a 30 day trial.

Meal prepping, or as some call it: rediscovering leftovers, is a fantastic habit that will help you make healthy food choices, save money, and save time. It can seem daunting at first, but once you get into the swing of it, it will seem so easy.

Meal prepping is mostly about planning. Think about your week ahead. Look at your schedule and plan what day you’ll go grocery shopping, what nights you have more time to cook, and what night’s you will just want to be able to pull something out of the fridge to reheat.

It helps if you have a consistent schedule where you know you can always go grocery shopping on a certain day of the week. If that’s not possible, schedule a time to go grocery shopping every 5-7 days.

When creating your grocery list, think about how many days of food you have to plan for. You don’t want to buy so much food that it spoils before you eat it, but at the same time you don’t want to run out of staple items before your next trip.

Always create a grocery list before you go shopping. Grocery shopping with no aim, especially when hungry, can often lead to overspending and buying items that might not create cohesive meals.

Look up recipes you want to make in the coming week before you go grocery shopping so you can add all of the ingredients to your list. It’s the absolute worst when you’re mid-cooking and realize that you’re missing a key ingredient.

Have a list of staple ingredients that you buy each week without fail. Often these are items that included in your favorite recipes, go-to rehearsal snacks, or versatile food items that can go into a variety of recipes.

Examples of items that can be on your list of staples are:

• a type of leafy greens
• a variety of veggies of different colors such as peppers, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and squash
• fruit that is easy to throw into your dance bag
• berries (if they are in season)
• a protein heavy grain such as quinoa or brown rice
• a nut butter that is good to add to fruits or veggies for a rehearsal snack

Obviously there is going to be some fluctuation in produce depending on what is in season.  And, don’t be afraid to deviate from your list if something at the grocery store inspires a meal.

The next step is looking at your calendar and finding a time you can dedicate to meal prepping. I usually spend an hour to an hour and a half on meal prep. For me, I often meal prep the same day I go grocery shopping, or a night when I get home a little earlier and I know that I have time and energy to meal prep.

That night, I will make enough dinner to have at least one serving in addition to that evening’s meal. After dinner, I make lunches for the next few days. I usually make about three days worth of lunches or meals at a time. You don’t want to get so far ahead of yourself that the food goes bad.

Salads are one of the easiest meals to meal prep. There are infinite options, so you can always get creative while making lunches. It’s also a great way to repurpose extra ingredients (such as chopped veggies) from dinner that night. Check out The Whole Dancer blog post on “How to Build a Better Salad” that gives you tips on creating a well-rounded salad.

In addition to meal prepping, you can pre-portion your snacks. Divide that huge bag of baby carrots or granola into 3-5 smaller bags, and take strawberries or blueberries out of the big plastic containers from the store and put them into smaller containers.

Reusable containers are your best friend for meal prepping. For the obvious reason, you will need a fair amount of reusable containers for the meals you are creating. Use containers that are perfect meal size so you can just grab and go, and not have to worry about re-portioning the food. Before you start cooking line up your containers so you can put portion the food into the containers as soon as you’re done cooking.

Not sure what to meal prep? You can find recipe ideas in so many places! The Whole Dancer Blog shares recipes from dancers, as well as ideas for rehearsals snacks, and how to fuel yourself for auditions and performances.

Pinterest is a great place to find recipe ideas. Find a cookbook you resonate with to find new ideas for meal (I’m personally a huge fan of Thug Kitchen, which I did a review of on The Whole Dancer blog: https://www.thewholedancer.com/thug-kitchen-101-cookbook/). If you’re still stumped, ask a friend or family member. Everyone has a favorite recipe that they would love to share.

Meal prepping might feel daunting and time consuming at first, but you will thank yourself when you’re running out the door in the morning and can just grab your lunch, or when you come home from a long day of rehearsals and dinner is already made.

The post How to Meal Prep for Healthy Eating Success appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

“The most important meal of the day.” 

“Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of your milk.”

Michael Pollan

“It is more important to eat some carbohydrates at breakfast, because the brain needs fuel right away, and carbohydrate is the best source.”    

Andrew Weil

“Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life. ”    

A A Gill

Over the last few years, I’ve worked with hundreds of dancers through group/online programs and one-on-one coaching. There are certainly some common threads when it comes to food habits, and the neglect of breakfast is one of them.

The habits I see among so many dancers don’t surprise me because I’ve been there. I had many of the same tendencies before coming to a peaceful place with food and my body.

Here are the common breakfast threads:

• The meal is too small.
• It’s too “good” or “clean.”
• It’s lacking healthy fat and/or enough protein.
• There are no fruit or vegetables.
• It’s too rushed or on-the-go.

You might look at some of those breakfast habits and think it sounds like you. Maybe you don’t see why these common practices might cause an issue. So, I’m going to break it down. If any questions come up as you’re taking this in, or you’re unsure of whether your breakfast falls into this category, reach out or comment below.

The meal is too small

Sample Meal #1: A hard boiled egg and a piece of toast (whole wheat, sourdough, whatever).

Sample Meal #2: Rice Krispies and skim milk.

When your first meal is too small, it often means you’re trying to be “good” by eating less. The trouble here is that even if you keep up the undereating later in the day because you think eating less is going to get you to your body goals, you’ll likely end up binging. Even if you don’t binge or overeat that same day, it will likely catch up with you at some point — later that week, month, or year.

If the issue is that you’re not hungry in the morning, you’re most likely eating dinner/dessert/snacks too late at night or eating too much at night. You need to consciously make the switch — add more to your breakfast, lunch, and snacks earlier in the day, and you’ll be satisfied with a lighter dinner and wake up hungry.

Here are some tweaks to the sample meals to make them heartier and more satisfying. 

For Sample Meal #1 (egg + toast), add in one or all of the following: 1/4–1/2 avocado, sautéed kale, spinach or other greens,  berries or other fruit, , breakfast potatoes, or top your toast with coconut oil or grass-fed butter or ghee.

For Sample Meal #2: switch to a higher fiber/protein cereal like Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes or Multibran Flakes. Try a fuller fat milk or milk alternative — pay attention to how each makes you feel. Add some berries or a banana, nuts, and/or nut butter.

It’s too “good” or “clean”

Sample Meal #1: Green smoothie made with spinach, unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 a banana, 1/4 cup berries.

Sample Meal #2: Egg whites with sautéed spinach and onions.

Clean eating is all the rage; check out some thoughts I shared with Dance Spirit Magazine on “clean eating” here. But, is it the way to go all the time? Probably not. Mostly because it’s usually too rigid.

The biggest issue with “clean eating” is that the meal often consists of what you think you should be eating, ignoring any hint of what you and your body actually want or need. If you wake up in the morning craving eggs or a tofu scramble, but you think the better choice is a green smoothie, you’ll likely feel unsatisfied.

When you constantly ignore what you truly want and give preference to what you think you should want instead, it’s another recipe for overeating the “bad” foods later on. This is where moderation and a flexible approach can actually be super helpful.

So, the key here is to eat what you truly want! Here are some tweaks to the sample meals that can make them more satisfying and maybe more desirable. 

Sample Meal #1: Add nuts, seeds, or nut butter to this meal. Use a whole banana. Try different milks and milk alternatives to find the one that is most satiating for you.

Sample Meal #2: Use whole eggs instead of egg whites. Add some avocado to your omelet (maybe on top), and enjoy this meal with breakfast potatoes and/or whole grain toast.

It’s lacking healthy fat or enough protein

Sample Meal #1: Quaker Instant Maple Sugar Oatmeal cooked with water.

Sample Meal #2: Low-fat cottage cheese with jelly

As trendy as healthy fats are, many dancer’s still avoid them due to the false notion that eating fat will make you fat. Fat is one of the essential macronutrients supporting everything from helping your body produce certain hormones to giving your body energy.

Protein also plays an essential role (this one is usually more apparent to dancers), as it is needed for building and repairing tissues. Skimping on food overall or cutting back on any macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) makes you more susceptible to injury and amenorrhea.

Here are some improvements that could be made to the sample meals.

Sample Meal #1: Instead of the instant oats, use thick rolled oats or steel cut oats. Both take a bit more time, but you gain nutrition, fiber, and satisfaction. Add some fruit, nuts, and seeds to your oatmeal and cook it with a bit of whole milk or a milk alternative. All of these switches will raise the fat/protein content of the meal and make it more satisfying.

Sample Meal #2: Skip the cottage cheese, and if you do consume dairy, try full-fat greek yogurt (plain/unsweetened). The protein and fat in greek yogurt will be extremely filling; you may find you can’t finish a whole serving. Add some healthy fats in the form of nuts, seeds, or nut butter and some fruit for added fiber and micronutrients. If you don’t do dairy, try full-fat non-dairy yogurt varieties.

There are no fruit or vegetables

Sample Meal #1: A bagel with butter.

Sample Meal #2: Pancakes.

The trouble with classic breakfast foods is that they’re often lacking actual nutrient density. If you just have a bagel or some pancakes for breakfast, you’ll probably feel hungry in just 2–3 hours. This is another time when protein and healthy fat would make a difference in how satisfied you are by your food.For this example though, we’ll focus on the benefit of making fruit and/or vegetables a part of your meal. 

Nutrient deficiencies are often what lead to cravings — your body knows something is missing, so it screams out for different foods. Not always the healthiest options.

By adding in nutrient dense greens to breakfast, you’re providing your body with a whole host of micronutrients you need to be energetic and thriving. When you include fruit, especially colorful, antioxidant-rich berries, you’re again providing high levels of micronutrients that leave you feeling satisfied. The fiber doesn’t hurt either.

Here are some ways to add fruit or vegetables to the sample meals. 

Sample Meal #1: Make your bagel a PB+J bagel using nut butter and crushed raspberries. If you prefer savory, add avocado, egg, and kale for a delicious and filling breakfast sandwich.

Sample Meal #2:  Top your pancakes with some nuts or nut butter, berries and/or banana, and use a whole grain or spelt flour in the batter — added nutrients and satiety!

It’s too rushed or on-the-go

Sample Meal #1: Protein/energy bar

Sample Meal #2: Banana + peanut butter in the car

There’s often craziness in a dancer’s schedule. You might have rehearsals or performances late into the night, then have to get up early for cross-training or to go back to class or school. So, it’s easy to fall into the quick, easy, on-the-go breakfast.

If you do this just occasionally (let’s say 1–2 times/week), then it’s fine. There are days when sleep takes priority, and you’ve got to grab what you can. On those days, commit to making your lunch and dinner more hearty, complete, and nutrient-dense.

Things to look out for for those quick meals.

Sample Meal #1: Choose an energy bar that doesn’t have too much added sugar and has a decent amount of protein and fiber. Here are some of my favorite bars.

Sample Meal #2: Not a terrible choice by any means, but it’s a meal that might not sustain you for a super long time, depending on your activity level that morning. Bring extra snacks so you can eat as hunger arises.

In conclusion

Have you noticed a theme? The most consistent breakfast pattern is that something is lacking, so there are simple additions and fixes that can make a big difference. A good breakfast can set the tone for the day. Under-eating is never the best answer. Reaching body goals is not about deprivation, restriction, or meals that lack satisfaction.

Only through experimentation can you discover what will work best for your personal needs. If you find the experimentation process daunting (as it can be), seek support! That’s what it’s all about here at The Whole Dancer. If you need anything, reach out.

Now it’s time to share! Are you giving your breakfast the attention it deserves? Let me know in the comments.

The post Yes, Breakfast is that important. 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.

Swan Lake requires you to really fuel  yourself well and make good food choices. However, it’s not always easy and you might fall into the trap of “The Swan Lake Diet”.

This is where you might see the extra work of the Swan Corps as an opportunity to drop some weight. You’re just taking advantage of the fact that you are even more active, right?

Unfortunately, times you’re exerting yourself more than normal – as with ballets like Swan Lake are when it’s even more important that you make careful and strategic food choices.

To help you stay out of that trap, I wanted to recap a couple of concepts covered in recent workshops.

First, here are 6 things you need to consider when creating your own custom meal plan:

1. What are your goals and intentions for your body?

2. Assess  your current meal plan. Write down the things you eat and see what healthy and unhealthy choices you’re making on a somewhat consistent basis.

3. Look for macronutrient deficiencies (Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates) and micronutrient deficiencies (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals).

4. Stop counting calories. Do you currently count calories? What is your attachment to counting calories? All calories ARE NOT created equal.

5. Release your need to put yourself in a box. Do you identify with a specific eating style (Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian)? Outside of ethical reasons, these eating styes can be limiting. It’s important that your eating style is adaptable.

6. How much of your food is home cooked? Start to work towards doing more of your own cooking rather than eating out. This takes careful planning and thought but once it’s part of your routine it gets easier.

Next, here are the 5 things you need to think about before you sit down to your next meal:

1. Assess your hunger level. Sometimes we eat simply because it’s a time when we usually eat. You need to stop and really tune into your body and think about how hungry you really are.

2. Choose your food carefully. Think about what you already ate that day. Then consider what will satisfy your hungry and your nutrient needs.

3. Cook with love and intention. We energetically impact our food. Make sure that you’re preparing food and putting loving effort into it. You’re cooking a meal in order to nourish and honor your body.

4. Set the stage. Use smaller plates – a salad plate instead of a dinner plate or a smaller bowl instead of the huge bowl (unless your meal is mostly greens!). Make sure your place setting is lovely and appealing.

5. Express gratitude and assess your hunger throughout. Before you eat, you don’t necessarily need to say a prayer, unless that appeals to you. However, taking a moment to feel thankful for the amazing and healthful food you get to enjoy will change the way you approach it.

Finally, what foods will work best for you?

You’ll want to prioritize whole, unprocessed foods. Think fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds and legumes. You might also incorporate lean proteins like chicken or fish *always considering the quality of these foods – where were they farmed or fished?

If you eat any packaged foods, look at ingredients instead of calories. It’s much more important to consider what is actually in your food before you consider how many calories, fat grams, carbs or protein it contains.

Avoid foods that might be inflammatory or upset  your stomach. Common allergens include dairy, soy and wheat. You’ve got to be a detective and pay super close attention to how you feel after you consume these foods. Some may work for you and others will not. You need to become an expert on your own body.

If you’re ready to really dive deeply into your relationship with food and find the meal plan that helps you achieve your personal best dancer’s body than check out The Dancer’s Best Body Program. This program is a system developed to take you through the self exploration necessary to find the eating style that fuels you and enhances your performance on stage and in the studio. 

The post The Swan Lake Diet: Don’t fall into this trap. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

She spent a lot of time learning about nutrition in order to craft the best possible eating plan for her personal needs. She even consulted with a nutritionist to make sure she was eating enough of the right foods for her dance schedule.

Interested in checking out how Natasha approaches food? Watch our chat here:

You can find Natasha on instagram @tippytoegirl and you can find more recipe inspiration from her on her blog tippytoegirl.com

Want to attend the next dancer interview live? Join The Whole Dancer – Ballet Dancer Health Facebook group and you’ll get all the invites!

Natasha was kind enough to share a recipe with us! This one, she says, is a favorite of her co-workers at San Francisco Ballet.

BANANA BREAD BALLS

Ingredients:

2 cups sprouted walnuts

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup coconut butter

1 Tbs cashew butter

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp ashwagandha

1/4 tsp rhodiola

a couple splashes of vanilla extract

a few shakes of pumpkin spice (+ extra for rolling)

Method:

Mix all ingredients together, and roll balls in pumpkin spice. freeze & that’s all.

Give this recipe a try and let us know how it comes out!

The post Make Banana Bread Balls with TippyToeGirl appeared first on The Whole Dancer.