Advice from Registered Dietitians Melisa and Yasi of MY Dance Nutrition
Do you know the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist? My guests this week are both, and the distinction is an important one becuase it means they have the education and training, plus the dance background to go with it, so they can support you and your dancers' nutrition needs. I have Melissa and Yasi from MY Dance Nutrition on the show today, and we purposely wanted to record and get this out to all of you in the thick of competition season when you’re preparing for long days or traveling to national championships because they have great advice for how to fuel your dancers for competition. They even have a bonus for you during the episode, so listen in to hear more about the Fueling for Nationals Coaches Guide.
During the episode, we talk about diet culture, our relationship with our bodies as coaches and teachers, that carbs are your friends, recovering from long days, having snack time at practice, and even how to support your dancers around food when they walk into practice eating candy or sugar cereals. Here’s my conversation with Melissa and Yasi.
Here are some highlights:
- [2m 15s] Dietitian vs. Nutritionist
- [6m 26s] Diet culture and misinformation in the dance industry
- [14m 50s] Misconceptions about nutrition in the dance industry
- [22m 25s] Mindset and nutrition
- [26m 20s] Action steps to help your dancers be field and ready
- [34m 40s] Good snacks for dancers
Mentioned in today’s show:
Website: My Dance Nutrition
Instagram: @mydancenutrition
MY Dance Nutrition
Melissa and Yasi are passionate about dance health and created MY Dance Nutrition to educate dancers and dance coaches on performance nutrition. Their goal is to be a trusted resource in the noise of diet culture. They support dancers and coaches through team talks, nutrition presentations, body image workshops, and one-on-one nutrition coaching.
Melissa is a Registered Dietitian and Registered Yoga Teacher based in Atlanta, Georgia. She specializes in movement, mindfulness, and nutrition for eating disorders and mental health. A Colorado native, she grew up a competitive dancer and spent 10 years as a dance coach. Her personal experience in the dance world gives her insight into the common struggles dancers and dance coaches face with performance nutrition.
Yasi is a Registered Dietitian, based in Los Angeles, California. She specializes in nutrition for sports performance and eating disorders. Growing up as a dancer, she understood early on how important nutrition was for long practice and rehearsal days! Through one-on-one and team counseling for collegiate and high school athletes, she helps those she works with build healthy relationships with food, their bodies and empowers them through nutritional practices that nourish, and help them feel their best during training.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?
Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!
Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening this week.