A dancer's aspiration to manage their weight is often influenced by the aesthetic ideals pervasive in the dance industry. The emphasis on a specific body ideal can understandably lead dancers to seek weight loss strategies. However, it's crucial to approach this topic with consideration for both the dancer's well-being and the evolving understanding of health and wellness, including concepts like intuitive eating and body acceptance.
Understanding the Dancer's Perspective
Diet culture has conditioned dancers to think that a specific body ideal is key to success. It's understandable when a dancer comes wanting weight loss. Simultaneously, the health and wellness world is evolving with powerful movements like intuitive eating and body acceptance. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for dancers, Rachel Fine teaches dancers how to engage in health-promoting behaviors- those that are sustainable and practical.
Every dancer has the right to make their own choices about their body, and that may include wanting to lose weight. There is no shame nor judgment in that! It's essential to acknowledge that the desire to lose weight can coexist alongside body acceptance. The Healthy Dancer® uncovers the challenges and learns to embrace body changes- building confidence alongside them.
The Complexities of Weight and Body Image
For individuals under 20, weight gain is often a natural part of growth. However, it’s my ethical duty to educate dancers about the hard facts of not only dieting but also, systemic fatphobia and weight stigma. Artistic directors, teachers, and choreographers cannot dictate your body weight goals. Even you cannot dictate this goal and I, despite being a medical professional, certainly cannot dictate that goal. Rather, your body and its genetic blueprint, dictate this goal. We call this our set point weight. Your set point is the weight range at which your body feels most comfortable. It’s like the “sweet spot!” Identifying your set point weight range involves focusing on your feelings and behaviors, NOT your weight!
The Pitfalls of Dieting and Restrictive Eating
When dancers strive for weight loss as a primary goal, they risk unsupportive behaviors like restrictive eating and over-exercising. Even attempts to eat intuitively to lose weight turn an otherwise supportive idea into a very unsupportive diet. This leaves dancers tired, frustrated, dissatisfied, chronically hungry, constantly thinking about food, and likely to, eventually, eat past a point of physical comfort. In the long term? Burnt out and injured.
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The negative health impacts of weight cycling outweigh any supposed benefits of extreme weight loss. It's crucial to prioritize sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle changes rather than focusing solely on weight loss. Your goal can focus on feeling strong, energized, and confident in both your body and in your food choices.
A Balanced Approach to Nutrition for Ballerinas
The ballerina diet focuses on maintaining a lean physique and fueling intense training. This guide reveals the eating habits and nutrition strategies of ballet dancers to achieve peak performance and maintain a lean physique. A dancer's ideal body can be maintained without dieting or obsessive exercise routines that go beyond what’s needed for your dancing.
Key Components of a Ballerina's Diet
Caloric Balance: Weight loss occurs when calories burned exceed calories consumed. However, as a ballet dancer, you must achieve this deficit without compromising your energy levels, muscle mass, or overall health.
- Determining Caloric Needs: Your caloric needs can vary based on factors like age, weight, nativity level, and training intensity. Online calculators or guidance from a nutritionist can help you ensure accuracy.
- Adjusting Caloric Intake Gradually: A gradual reduction of calories per day or intermittent fasting for weight loss can be ideal. Drastic calorie cuts can make you feel more tired, lead to muscle loss, and impaired performance. It is important to monitor your energy levels and adjust as needed, ensuring your diet supports your demanding routine.
Macronutrient Balance: A balanced intake of macronutrients such as protein, fats, and carbohydrates is crucial for maintaining energy, muscle health, and overall performance during weight loss.
- Protein: Dancers should aim for 1.2-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Aids muscle repair and growth; increases satiety. Chicken breast, turkey, fish, tofu, legumes.
- Fats: Fats play a vital role in hormonal regulation, which is essential for bone health, mood, and recovery. Healthy adults should get around 20-35% of calories from fats. Supports joint health and aids nutrient absorption. Avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, such as salmon.
- Carbohydrates: Since carbs are the primary energy source for dancers, you should focus on complex carbs for sustained energy (especially during high-intensity training). Provides sustained energy; supports digestive health. Brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, sweet potatoes.
Micronutrient Focus: Do not forget about your micronutrients! They play an important role in a ballet dancer’s health, recovery, and performance.
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- Calcium and Vitamin D: Bone Health. If you want to prevent fractures and maintain bone density, some rich sources include: Dairy products (e.g., cheese, yogurt), Leafy greens (e.g., kale, spinach), Canned sardines, Nuts, Tofu, Fortified foods (e.g., almond milk, orange juice), Sunlight and supplements for vitamin D
- Iron and Magnesium: Stamina and Recovery. Iron: Beans, fortified cereals, spinach Magnesium: Nuts, seeds, whole grains, dark chocolate
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants can help combat inflammation and oxidative stress caused by intense training. Key sources include: Berries (e.g., blueberries, strawberries), Dark leafy greens (e.g., kale, chard), Brightly colored vegetables (e.g., bell peppers, carrots), Green tea
Fueling the Dance: What to Eat
- Foods to Include: Lean Proteins (e.g., fish, tofu, chicken), Whole Grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal), Healthy Fats (e.g., avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds), Fruits (e.g., berries, apples, kiwi), Vegetables (e.g., spinach, broccoli, kale, bell peppers)
- Foods to Limit: Processed sugar and empty calories, High-sodium foods, Trans fats and fried foods
Sample Diet Plan for Ballerinas
- Breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal topped with sliced bananas, chia seeds, and a drizzle of honey. Side: A handful of mixed berries. Beverage: Green tea or a glass of almond milk. (BENEFITS: Provides slow-releasing carbs for sustained energy, fiber for digestion, and antioxidants to combat inflammation.)
- Lunch: Grilled chicken or tofu salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado. Dressing: Olive oil and lemon vinaigrette. Side: Quinoa or brown rice. Beverage: Infused water with cucumber and mint. (BENEFITS: A balance of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs for energy, muscle repair, and satiety.)
- Dinner: Baked salmon or a plant-based alternative like tempeh with steamed broccoli. Side: A small side salad with arugula and walnuts. Beverage: Herbal tea for relaxation. (BENEFITS: A nutrient rich, anti-inflammatory meal to aid in recovery and provide essential omega-3s for joint health.)
- Snacks: 1 cup of blueberries with dry roasted almonds, 90% dark chocolate, Nuts, Granola bars, Fruit salad
Practical Tips for Achieving Your Goals
- Plan Around Performance: On intense training days, increase carbohydrate intake; on lighter days, focus on lean protein and vegetables.
- Listen to Your Body: Adjust portion sizes based on energy expenditure and hunger levels.
- Recovery Focus: Post-workout snacks should include a combination of carbs and protein.
- Prioritize Sleep: Aim for 8-9 hours of quality sleep to regulate hormones and metabolism. Lack of sleep may compromise the efficacy of weight-loss interventions
- Stay Hydrated: Drink water consistently throughout the day, especially during classes or performances.
- Seek Professional Guidance: Consulting a nutritionist will ensure that your weight loss diet is safe, effective, and aligned with your physical and mental needs.
Insights from Professional Ballerinas
Professional ballet dancers require a diet that supports their rigorous training and demanding performance schedules. To stay fit and agile, they focus on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods that provide sustained energy and aid in muscle recovery.
Key Dietary Components for Professional Ballerinas
- Lean Protein: Protein is a cornerstone of a ballet dancer’s diet. Grilled chicken, fish, and tofu are excellent protein sources that help repair and build muscle tissue. Including lean protein in every meal ensures dancers have the strength and endurance needed for their demanding routines.
- Healthy Carbohydrates: Healthy carbohydrates provide the energy needed for long rehearsals and performances. Ballet dancers often opt for complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, and quinoa. These foods release energy slowly, helping dancers maintain their stamina throughout half the day.
- Dark Chocolate: While it may seem indulgent, it’s a favorite treat among ballet dancers. Rich in antioxidants, dark chocolate can help reduce inflammation and support overall health. A small piece of dark chocolate can be a satisfying way to enjoy a treat without compromising a healthy diet.
- Balanced Meals: A typical meal for a professional ballet dancer might include a combination of lean protein, healthy carbohydrates, and plenty of vegetables. For example, a lunch break might feature a grilled chicken salad with various colorful veggies and a side of quinoa. This balanced approach to clean eating ensures that dancers receive the necessary nutrients without feeling weighed down.
Sample Meal Plans from Professional Ballerinas
Jillian Vanstone (Principal Dancer):
- Breakfast: coffee, 1/2 grapefruit, 2 boiled eggs, sautéed spinach in olive oil
- Lunch: greens, chicken breast, sweet potato, olive oil vinaigrette, green tea
- Dinner: baked salmon with grainy mustard and steamed and buttered broccoli, sliced tomato, water
- Snacks: 1C blueberries with dry roasted almonds, Lindt 90% dark chocolate, water throughout the day
Tanya Howard (First Soloist):
- Breakfast: coffee, 2 eggs/frittatas, 2 pieces of toast
- Morning Snack: fruit salad
- Lunch: chicken club on a croissant with aged cheddar, roasted Italian potato salad, iced tea or San Pellegrino
- Afternoon Snack: coffee with granola bar or nuts
- Dinner: chicken and rice with veggies
Jordana Daumec (Second Soloist):
- Breakfast: two eggs with a bowl of rice, a latte (coffee is a must!)
- Morning Snack: some honey Greek yogurt, cashews, or a banana
- Lunch: a salad with some kind of protein, like chicken, as long as it has a nice dressing, OR a sandwich, maybe with salami and a garlic aioli. Garlic aioli always makes everything so much better. And ginger ale.
- Dinner: Usually a Japanese meal, some kind of protein like steak or fish (my favorite is sockeye salmon cooked in a pan with butter!) with rice, miso soup with daikon and tofu, and a side of avocado, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
- After-Dinner Snack: Some kind of dessert like ice cream or a cookie.
Andreea Olteanu (Corps de Ballet member):
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- Breakfast: 2 baked eggs with bacon on a bed of greens, cappuccino
- Morning Snack: apple with cinnamon
- Lunch: any kind of fish (usually sardines or mackerel), dark green vegetables, a bottle of Kombucha (I make my own!) or coffee
- Afternoon Snack: 99% or 100% chocolate and nuts
- Dinner: protein (steak, chicken, or shrimp), veggies, glass of wine or an Old Fashioned or another cappuccino
The Importance of Mindful Eating and Body Image
Mindful eating practices play a significant role, helping dancers develop a healthier relationship with food and recognize hunger cues. Dancers view food as a source of fuel rather than a restriction, enabling them to maintain high energy levels and minimize the risk of injuries, stress, and fatigue.
It’s all too easy to fall on the tired tropes that dancers are obsessive, pin-thin perfectionists. While we’re not ones to minimize the very real pressures (and effects of said pressures) of the job, our recent visit to the National Ballet of Canada’s studio and HQ pretty much instantly shot down any notion of the Black Swan types dancing in our heads. Does the profession require serious dedication and discipline? Yes. Are these girls strong as hell? Yup. Do they view food as fuel rather than foe? You bet.
You should have bodily autonomy. This means you are in charge of and have agency over your body, what happens to it, and how you want it to look. For dancers, there’s an added layer in that your body is being judged and observed daily. For some, it is possible to desire to look differently and for it to come from a healthy place. If you desire to work towards physical changes, don’t make it about a number. Weight looks different on each of us. For dancers, a scale isn’t a helpful tool. Nevertheless, any desire to change your body shouldn’t be motivated by what you see on the scale. That number is too changeable.
Instead of basing your body goals on a number on the scale, set goals based on how you want to feel. If you’re focused on feeling energized, happy, and strong, you’re going to take action aligned with that end. Body-feeling goals are about tuning into what feels good, tastes good, and works for your personal needs and preferences. Whereas, weight-focused goals set you up to ignore your body’s cues.
Ballet Exercises as Part of a Weight Loss Regimen
Ballet exercises can be a valuable component of a weight loss regimen.
- Consistency is Key: As with any exercise and diet regimen, the most important aspect is consistency. It is far better to do a little each day (or several times per week) than to binge exercise. I am a total advocate of doing what you enjoy and will look forward to as exercise.
- Engage the Power of Inspiration: Ballet is one-stop fitness. Not only does it hit all the right fitness markers (strength, tone, flexibility, balance, agility, coordination, and endurance), but it also draws from a concept of beauty from both the movements and the music. When you allow yourself to be touched, moved, and inspired as you engage your body, the joy itself can be as transformative as the exercise!
- Start Simple: The biggest killer of exercise enthusiasm is feeling overwhelmed physically and/or emotionally. All exercise (including ballet) should be approached progressively. As your body develops more ability, your confidence increases right along with your fitness level, giving you more satisfaction and motivation over the long haul.
- Ditch the Guilt: Instead, do what you naturally enjoy and then use that empowerment to add to your program.
- Move Your Body (Before Your Mouth): When you feel the urge to break with the sensible dietary parameters you’ve established for yourself, especially if a sense of guilt starts creeping in, try moving your body a little. Heck, turn on some music and dance like no one’s watching! I find that when I start feeling anxious one of the very best antidotes is to pick a piece of music I love and move to it.
- Focus on Core Strength: It’s not that you have to do core exercises all the time, but rather that you pay attention to your posture and core as you do each ballet movement. You will gain much more strength and ability while also flattening your tummy! If there is one secret to ballet, it is using your core to move.
- Build Good Habits: This is the key to weight loss through diet and exercise. It’s soooooo important to be gentle and patient as you build good habits!
- Make Joy a Priority: Doing things you love and spending time with people you care about are keys to feeling fulfilled (and less likely to binge or otherwise engage behaviors that try to fill up emptiness).
Fad Diets to Avoid
Too much stress has come from the misinformation out there about how to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. This information deluge on diet tricks is heightened in the dance world. The first, and arguably most important, diet fad to avoid is going for too long without eating. I know that intermittent fasting is popular, but it backfires in the long run with added weight gain over time and compromises a dancer’s muscle tone, endurance and injury risk.
The second most important diet trick is to fill up on high fiber foods. These fill you up for less calories (and less money usually) but are packed with nutrients. Let go of this outdated high protein, low carb fad. Of course, dancers need more protein than their non-active friends, but that doesn’t mean you eat excess protein with this mistaken belief that it will magically help with weight loss.
Too much refined sugar can knock a hole in even the most carefully planned diet. Many fad diets include fruit in the “sugar” category, and this couldn’t be more false.
Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, low fat diets were popular. They didn’t work mostly because people didn’t really eat as low fat as they thought they were and because fats were often replaced with sugars in the American diet at that time (and still today). You do not have to fear or avoid all dietary fats to have a professional-level dancer body; you just have to make smarter choices most of the time.