The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast

I share a lot about fueling the high-level gymnast. But what about those who are just starting out or on the younger side? What are the best tips and tricks for fueling the young, beginner gymnast? I'm talking about the recreational, lower Excel, and compulsory levels in today's episode. The majority of these young, beginner gymnasts aren't training more than maybe 10 hours a week....

Nutrient Density, Real Food and Gymnastics—"do you even care about healthy eating!?" I had an IG post go viral last year where I compared intraworkout fueling options. And my comments BLEW UP with some really crazy comments about goldfish of all things. I feel like I’m constantly have to say how of course we care about healthy eating and nutrient density in the context of gymnastics. But...

Why have a dentist on The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast? Often I get questions from gymnast parents about sports drinks, cavities, and dental health. So I brought in an expert for today's episode! It’s common for dentists to warn parents not to let their children have sports drinks because of the risk of cavities and dental health. The big focus here tends to be the sugar. Which only fuels th...

✨June 15th is a SUPER exciting day for rising juniors in high school. This is the day where NCAA coaches can verbally offer them a spot on their team. And for the top recruits in the country it can feel like Black Friday in terms of trying to make a decision before the spot is taken by another recruit. It's a stressful and chaotic ride and maybe you're wondering why I'm talking abo...

 Sometimes when things get tough, I have to remind my gymnasts to remember their "why" to committing to fueling their sport. And that oftentimes if we wait for motivation to inspire us to take action, we could be waiting forever... ✨ Today is a BIG day celebrating the 100th episode of The Gymnast Nutritionist® podcast! In going over what I wanted to discuss today, I was hit by the simil...

What are the most dangerous assumptions people can make about gymnasts and their nutrition needs? Unfortunately, there quite a few. And I'm going over 8 of them in today's podcast episode. Gymnasts and parents are SHOCKED… ✨When they see how much better they feel and perform with optimized meals/snacks throughout the day.  🚀It’s not rocket science. 🥵It’s not “random” as to why you fee...

Many of you listening wonder what Nationals is like; so today I wanted to give you a glimpse of what it’s like for me as a sports dietitian but ALSO what it’s like for my clients. Some of which I traveled with and got the full experience of fueling gymnasts while on the road!  Let me just say that nationals is like my Superbowl. It’s the one time of year I can come to a central location and see cl...

Does upgrade season ever just feel too busy? There's so much to get done but not enough time? Oftentimes, summer in the gymnastics world is busier and more chaotic than the school year/comp season. Lots of vacations, different training schedules, camps or clinics for the upper levels, etc. And plus, for a lot of parents, they’re more in survival mode navigating the chaos. Especially when chil...

Is your gymnast unsafe to do gymnastics? When I first heard this concept years ago I was shocked.  It had never dawned on me that nutrition was “that serious” re: safety concern in terms of your kid going to the gym.   But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Especially if you’re a parent, coach, or gym owner.  The reality is that gymnastics has a lot more inherent “risk” to it th...

For most gymnasts, competition season has or is coming to a close and upgrade season is starting. But why didn’t your gymnast make it to insert…regionals, Nationals, etc? There’s a LOT you can’t control. What region your gymnast is in, what age group, session times etc. Gymnasts spend months preparing for these big meets but there is a lot that is just out of their control.  In our new series, &qu...

Does gymnastics stunt growth? It's quite the hot topic and many people weigh in with their own opinions. We've even heard conflicting opinions from medical providers. It's such a big question that it's actually been investigated and researched quite a bit in the past few decades by some heavy hitters such as the International Gymnastics Federation. Some providers will give you...

I know so many parents who struggle with their gymnast's nutrition due to picky eating. They know their athlete needs to fuel more, but there's so much push back it feels like a no-win situation.  In today's episode, I'm breaking down what it means to truly have a picky eater versus dealing with a gymnast who demonstrates finicky eating habits. And what you can do as a parent t...

I know so many struggling gymnasts who think they need to double down on strength training/conditioning at this point of the season, but have never addressed their nutrition. So then they're left wondering why they can't get stronger, faster, or more powerful no matter how much extra conditioning they do. Or maybe they're injured and season is over but they're seeing a PT who d...

I was asked an interesting question this month about our approach in The Balanced Gymnast® Program. And I found it so compelling, I answered in podcast form!  So, today I'm discussing the how  and why we use a science/research-backed approach to fueling gymnasts. And why that means it's not a one size fits all answer. In today's episode, I'm pulling back the curtain of how we w...

Gymnasts and candy don't usually go together, right? Usually we hear about gymnasts avoiding candy at all costs, especially competitions, to prevent blood sugar crashes. Or parents feel like their kid is already addicted to sugar so why would they ever offer candy to their gymnast? This is a hot topic and I'm diving in as to why there might be situations where I recommend your gymnast ea...

 When we focus on weight vs performance for gymnasts, most will never quite reach their full potential. Sad but something we see over and over in young elite gymnasts with all the potential in the world but who have to quit due to injury or burnout.  When we focus on performance and take the focus off the scale, we can focus on properly fueling our gymnasts. And today I'm talking about the el...

Have you thought about joining The Balanced Gymnast® Program but not sure what kind of results your gymnast will get? We just wrapped up our three-day Fueled and Focused Challenge, and during one of our Q+A sessions, I had a parent ask a very insightful question. And that was, "what kind of results can my gymnast get from The Balanced Gymnast® Program?" We know that this sport is expensi...

In this episode you'll hear from one of The Balanced Gymnast® Program alumni Lundyn VanderToolen and her mom Julie about their nutrition journey with us over the past few months. Lundyn went from stuck, struggling, and exhausted this fall to scoring her highest AA EVER and qualifying for the Nastia Liukin Cup in her senior level 10 season. If you don't know, the Nastia Liukin Cup is THE...

Will your gymnast harness the power of her performance nutrition plan when it matters most, aka at Nationals?  How do you make sure she doesn't crash and burn at the culmination of a season of hard work? Welcome to the final part of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals . It's been so much fun over the last few weeks, specifically talking about what can help your gymnast makes the mos...

Is your gymnast making EVERY meal count this competition season? Or is she skipping meals because life just seems too busy and stressful this time of year? Welcome to part 3 of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals . Today I'm discussing why at this point of the season it's absolutely crucial to double down on your gymnast's nutrition. During this point of the season is when we s...

Why does our language around food matter for our gymnasts?  January is THE month where resolutions about food are made...and broken. We are inundated with messages like "new year, new you". Or "go clean". Everyone is coming off the holidays and quite a few feel like they need to restrict or make huge changes to be healthy. But then why are those big changes so hard to adhere to...

When you realize the amount of nutrition it's going to take to adequately fuel your gymnast, do you worry you'll have to "force feed" her to get it all in?  Does "force feeding" conjure up visions of someone being held down against their will and being spooned fed? That's pretty traumatic to picture doing to your child. And very extreme and something I would neve...

Are you wondering if your gymnast needs nutrition coaching but you're not really sure? How do you know when it's time to hire a sports dietitian to support your gymnast's nutrition? Parents and gymnasts are BUSY, but specifically this time of the year is crazy time. Competition season, travel, school, the list is endless. So it's super easy to overlook nutrition. Probably prett...

Supporting any gymnast is a big job that requires intentional focus and planning. But when you have an elite track gymnast with big goals & dreams...it's almost a full time job to ensure their nutrition is enough to support them. 25-30+ hours/week in the gym is a LOT and requires a tremendous amount of focus and intention when it comes to fueling if you want to keep them healthy. An elite...

New Year, New Goals...will this be your gymnast's best season yet?! The new year for gymnast signals one thing---the start of the competition season! After months of training and honing their skills, it's go time.  But does it sound familiar to constantly feel like you're struggling to support your gymnast's performance and recovery? Perhaps you've been told to just make s...