Nutrition for Dancers

Getting started

1 The basics - an overview

Dancing needs energy

Providing energy - oxygen is key

Digestion - from food to energy

Carbohydrates as energy providers

Regulating blood sugar

Energy reserves for dance

Fats as energy providers

Not all fats are alike

Proteins - Building blocks for the body

Quality lies in the combination

Vitamins, Minerals, & key micronutrients

Vitamins and phytonutrients

Minerals: macro-minerals and trace elements

2. Drinking - Fluids are crucial

Water and its significance for the dancer

Perspiration - an intelligent cooling system

The dangers of lacking fluids

The right drink

Selection criteria

Handle with care!

3. What? The agony of choice

Daily requirements - recommendations for planning your diet

Breakfast - getting off to a good start

Cold breakfasts

Warm breakfasts

Main meals - the basis of fitness

The "plate of thirds" - healthy nutrition at a glance

Snacks - energy on the go

Practice makes perfect - some general information

Other senses enjoy the meal, too.

Warm or cold?

Sugar - a How-To?

Comfort Foods

Food in balance - a planning aid

Dietary Supplements - healthy or unhealthy?

If things don't run smoothly - digestive problems and food allergies

Digestion is work

Food intolerance

4. When? Timing is everything

Eating around a dancer's schedule

Before dancing: stock up on energy

While dancing: maintain your energy

After dancing: accelerate regeneration

A daily meal plan

Reality can be a different story

No time, no space

Working evenings

5. How? Healthy

Liane Simmel, MD, runs an institute for dance medicine, Fit for Dance. The former dancer is now a doctor of dance medicine and was the president of the German Dance Medicine Association for many years.

Eva-Maria Kraft is a certified nutritional expert with the specialization in dance, but also a dance teacher and freelance dancer. She gives nutritional courses and seminars in professional training centres for dance, acting, and musical performance.