Dancer Nutrition Basics

Dancer Nutrition Basics

By Laura C. C. Greenwell

Dancers, welcome to our WDC nutrition blog! Before getting into the nitty gritty discussion on nutrition, here are five tips to remember.

1. Food is fuel

What we consume reflects how we dance, including our energy, moods, sleep and our overall happiness. Our bodies are our instruments so let's feed it well. We want to dance a long time. Let's minimize injuries and increase energy. Respect our bodies, respect ourselves and respect dance!

2. Nutrition is a process

Baby steps! There is A LOT of conflicting information out there. Don't let it overwhelm you. We learn information here and there. The key is to learn it from real, trusted sources, not the rumor mill. Where do we learn it from? School health class? Parents, and our upbringing? Keep an open mind to all nutrition information, but be very wary of fad diets. It's all a process, so apply one piece of information at a time. For example, if we need more Vitamin D in our diet (which most Minnesotans do, particularly adolescents), we can look for foods with this vitamin. Then, after we found some foods we like with this particular vitamin, we can continue on to another piece of nutrition information.

3. Aim to eat foods that are in their natural state

We gain the most benefit for dancing by eating vitamin and mineral rich foods. In general, foods that are closest to their natural state retain the highest nutritional value! Think of foods that come from the Earth. An apple, a banana, whole grains, nuts. The less processing the better. The less steps to get it from it's source to your plate... the better for you and your dancing. We can still combine these things into delicious combinations, as long as the separate ingredients have retained their nutritional integrity. Yum!

4. Variety is great!

Variety is key and also delightful for our palate. Enjoy varied food groups, types of cuisines, try different spices on foods, etc. When we vary our food we will gain all types of vitamins and minerals.

5. Stay positive.

Don't get overwhelmed. Don't let nutrition consume your thoughts. Think how good food can help you. We want to feel strong, balanced, placed and mentally ready. If we begin from a positive place, we will get positive results to keep us happy, healthy dancers!