A Dancer's Diet

After watching the film Food, Inc. in my college health class, I vowed I would never eat meat products from fast food places again. However, the other night, out of desperation and hunger, I walked into a McDonald's for the first time in over four years and ordered two small cheeseburgers and medium fries.

And, I'll be honest...

It was so delicious.

After eating my satisfying McDonald's meal, I started thinking about health and nutrition. Today, our society is OBSESSED with dieting and nutrition. Everywhere we look, we see ads for the latest dieting trend, the fastest way to lose weight, and the blah blah blah of the blah blah blah.

The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science provides a very precise dieting formula for the more professional dancer. They state that a dancer's diet should be about 55-60% carbohydrate, 12-15% protein, and 20-30% fat. Those percentages should also depend on the amount of rehearsal and performance time a dancer has. But, this is more for a professional who dances several hours week. Their bodies need a lot more energy since they are dancing so much.

For the younger dancer who only attends class 1-2 times a week, basic proper nutrition is all they really need: fruits, plenty of veggies, drink lots of water, limit the amount of sugar and fat intake, etc. Years of scientific study shows that good food and plenty of exercise helps children focus, prevent sickness and keep their energy level up. Proper nutrition needs to start at a young age in order to help build healthy habits. Frequent stops to the McDonald's drive-thru only enforces that it's okay for our bodies to have fast food all the time.

Of course, its not going to kill you to enjoy a cheeseburger every once in a while. Just like with everything else in life, we need moderation.

 

 A healthy lifestyle leads to a long and healthy life with plenty of energy to spare! Feed your dancer well, and they will be dancing for a long time!

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com