Dancer Nutrition & More!

Welcome back, my friends!  We've reviewed nutritional aspects for dancers when it comes to carbs and proteins (see the links below as a refresher!) Although anyone can tailor these guidelines, I'm focusing on getting dancers that are in long rehearsals, classes and performances back to back for days on end! Dancer Protein 101 Dancers + Carbs Quick Reminder: Although your caloric intake will be largely different from the next person, dancers like you need to get about 6-8 grams of carbs per kg of your bodyweight a day and 1.4-2.0 grams of protein per kg of your bodyweight a day. Dancers on average can burn up to 44-51 kcals (females) and 50-58 cals (males) per kg of their bodyweight a day! It may be hard to wrap your head around how much protein you actually need to try to get in, in a day! But, it's crucial to get it in due to the demands you're placing on your body. But, why,  is it so crucial, you may ask....Protein allows your muscles to continue to reb...

Protein is tied for first (next to carbs) as my favorite macronutrient to eat and experiment with in the kitchen. It is so crucial to get an adequate amount of protein as it helps maintain, repair and build the beautiful and strong muscles and tissues we work so hard on. Serious dancers will tend to have higher daily protein requirements than the average person or recreational (1-2 classes/week) dancers. Long classes, rehearsals and performance will require dancers to eat at least 1.2 g/kg/day to almost 2.0 g/kg/day. As a safe recommendation (which can and will need to be personalized to each dancer individually), they should aim for 1.4 g/kg/day. Here are three great food sources of protein, their benefits and why I recommend them as well as three great supplement sources that dancers may find suitable to add into their diets. FOOD: 1. Chicken Chicken is an excellent source of protein, very easily accessible, can be cooked/prepared in a variety of ways and generally easy to ...

First and foremost, I am a big proponent of carbohydrates. A firm believer in them, if you will. As a former dancer myself, I remember the (not always nutrient rich) days of ingesting every carbohydrate rich food in sight in order to fill my ravenous self after long hours in the studio.  But, I also know that dancers struggle greatly with proper nutrition and energy intake, amongst other issues. Dancers, on the more serious or elite side of the spectrum (as opposed to recreational dancers taking 1-2 hours of class a week) are often in rehearsals, classes or performing for hours a day (upwards of 12), six to seven days a week. While not every moment may be spent active, it is known to be exhausting, grueling and demand a great deal of strength, energy and endurance from its participants, male or female. In order to meet the demands of such a beautiful art and sport, they must fuel themselves with the appropriate amounts of macronutrients, in this instance, carbohydrates. For f...