Every day in NYC, I feel like I am starting a new life-time. Full of different events, different locations, and different themes. I got to about a year and a half in the city and started experiencing serious energy crashes. I couldn't get my brain to focus through a full audition, and no consistency in my day-to-day, and was feeling run down.

So! I did an ENERGY ANALYSIS with Sophie! Especially in the performing arts and dance worlds, information about healthy eating and energy habits is not really a conversation. In getting my analysis, I found out I was running extremely short of needed calories and protein.  I should have been feeding myself like an elite athlete. This was causing severe energy drops and a lack of ability to focus. What was one of the top solutions? SNACKS!!

I went on a mission to find easy to pack snacks and easy to plan meal preps to stuff my dance bag with in an effort to eat enough to support a day of auditions, classes, rehearsals, and performance. Below are some of my favorite go-to's!

1. CorePower Protein (42g of protein): These shakes are glorified chocolate milk. The high protein is a great post-workout snack to fill your system and help refuel muscles for the next event. To avoid any nausea, I recommend having it 1-hr before your next workout so you do not have to move with it in your system.

2. Jerky Sticks (7g of protein): Jerky Sticks are a long-term protein. Even just in my commute from Astoria to Ripley-Grier I often feel the need for a small snack again. These sticks do not mess up digestion, and provide great protein to support movement.

3. Cliff Builders (20g of protein): We love having protein bars in the dance bag full-time. These are my favorite mostly because I don't like the taste of protein, and these ones hide it in a great way.

4. MEAL PREPS: I have been having a last using the T.A.P recipe books to support weekly meal preps. As long as a find some quiet time to make a prep, I am all set to go! Enjoying soups, fresh salads, and more!

Be sure to let us know what your best hacks are for snacking!!

​Abbi :)

We have covered the benefits of snacks and the composition of a snack for a performer. So lets move on to ways that we can actually apply our knowledge. Let’s be real, remembering to pack and eat a snack can be difficult. Here are some snack hacks that you may find helpful:

1. Grab and Go​ - Choose foods that are quick and easy to grab. This is where prepackaged snacks such as protein bars and trail mix come in handy. These foods require absolutely no prep. We are lucky enough to live in a culture where we have plenty of options for great grab and go snacks. Some of my favorites include Kirkland’s snack sized hummus cups, Tilamok’s snacking cheese, Nature Valley bars, and the small packs of Ritz crackers. I’ll put the links to these things below so that you can try them out! Don’t shy away from packaged foods. They have a purpose - to provide convenient nutrition. Fruits and veggies can also be grab and go foods. Whole apples and bananas, bags of baby carrots or preslice veggies are more great options. 
2. Prep Your Snacks - For those of you that like to food prep for the week, add snacks to prep list. You can slice up and portion veggies for the week and make a batch of our TAP hummus recipe to take on the go. Other ideas include making your own trail mix, granola bars, muffins, etc. If you like to cook and/or bake, there are lots of snacks that you can make yourself!
3. Have a Stash - If you tend to run out the door without grabbing your snack, you might try just keeping a stash in your bag - you know, the bag that you take everywhere. Designate a pocket just for your snacks and fill it with non-pershible items so that you always have something available. Other places where you can keep stashes include your car, dressing room, gym locker, or an office desk, just to name a few. Think about the places where you are everyday. Where can you put a stash in each place?

These are just 3 hacks to experiment with snacking. We would love more ideas and learn about your different hacks! You can email us at  [email protected] or comment on this blog post! We can’t wait to hear your hacks!

Best, 
Sophia RDN

Links to our favorites:

• Hummus Cups
• Tilamook Cheese
• Ritz Crackers
• Nature Valley Bars

Last week, I covered a lot of information on why snacking is important. This week we are focusing in the two most important parts characteristics of a snack for the athletic performer.

I already mentioned that research supports that having a snack that is composed of  carbohydrate (about 30-50g) and protein (at least 5-10g) is beneficial prior to performing [1]. These to macronutrients are the going to be the focus when it comes to choosing snack. We need carbs for energy and protein for muscle preservation/growth. When I am choosing a snack, I like to think about choosing 2: a protein and a carb. There are many great combinations out there that serve as excellent snacks! Below is a list of easy carbs and proteins that you can mix and match.


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​Protein Bars and Shakes

While protein is important before exercise, it is even more important after performing. When we put stress on our bodies through physical activity, we are actively breaking down muscle. Consuming protein is helps muscle grow. That’s why if you ever have gone to a gym, you’ll typically see people carrying their protein shakes around. Protein bars and shakes are designed to be high in protein. Most of the ones that I have seen on the market usually contain anywhere from 15-30g of protein. Generally, I try to aim for 20g of protein for a post-workout snack or meal.

These products are often low in carbohydrate for a pre-workout/performance snack. If you are going to have a protein bar or shake before performing, I suggest also having a piece of fruit or additional carb to ensure that you have enough energy. There are few bars and shakes that have enough carbs in them to reach the 30g-50g range for a good pre-workout snack. One of our favorites is the CLIF Crunchy Peanut Butter Bar which contains 40g of carbs and 11g of protein (link below). Make sure to check the nutrition facts label on the back of your bar or shake to see if you are getting enough carbohydrate. 

For a post-workout shake or bar, there are many great options! We love the Chocolate Core Power Shakes by Fairlife which contain 26g of protein, or if your body needs a higher dosage, their Core Power Elite line offers 42g of protein (link below). We will share more of our favorite bars and easy to grab snacks later this month, so stay tuned and don’t forget to grab 2!

Have a fantastic week!

Sophia MS, RD

Resources:

1. Raymond, J. L., Morrow, K.  (20200503). Krause and Mahan’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 15th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf 10.2.1].  Retrieved from vbk://9780323636568
2. CLIF Crunchy Peanut Butter
3. Fairlife Core Power

Now that it’s October and we are settling into our fall routines, lets talk about one way that we can keep ourselves fueled and productive to complete our daily commitments. This month is all about snacks! 

Define "Snack"
Unfortunately, society and diet culture has seemed to be able to demonized the term “snack.” “Snack” to a lot of people is synonymous with the word “junk” food (which is another term that drives me up a wall). I want us to rid of that definition of snack … and also lose the phrase “junk food” because no food deserves to be called that. Merriam Webster dictionary defines snack as a “light meal” usually eaten “between meals”[1]. Notice nothing is mentioned about what specific foods make up a snack, which is amazing because that means a snack can be many things! This blog is targeted towards athletic performers, so for the purpose of this community, we are going to talk about snacking for this population and how you can create a snack that is beneficial to your performance. 

Snacks are a Source of Energy
So, why are snacks so important for the athletic performer? Well the simple answer is that snacks = energy. For most of us, our goal is to maintain an energy balance within the body in order to optimize our performance. If the energy we expend (exercise/physical activity) is greater than the energy we take in (food) then we are going to experience low energy. Unfortunately, this negative energy balance is very common in the performing artist population. The biggest reason that performers often find themselves here is because they simply are not aware of much energy they need to fuel their days. The average sedentary adult typically needs anywhere from 1800-2400 calories a day, depending on sex, age, height and weight [2]. In comparison an active adult, defined as someone who walks 3 miles per day at 3-4 mph, needs about 2200-3000 calories a day [2]. To summarize, the higher the frequency and intensity of the exercise, the more calories you need. 

Now, this may seem like an overwhelming amount of calories to some people, and I totally get that. Lets take the number 2500 since it’s in the middle of the range. 2500 calories divided into 3 meals a day is about 833 calories per meal. For some people, that can feel like a lot to be eating in one meal and may even cause stomach upset. This is one reason why snacks are so helpful. It is often easier to divide calorie needs into smaller, more frequent feedings than just 3 big meals. 

Maintaining Sustained Energy
Additionally, having snacks between meals helps maintain energy storage. Our bodies preferred source of energy is glucose, which comes from carbohydrate. Glucose is stored in the body as glycogen. When we consume carbohydrates, our body builds up our glycogen storage until it reaches it maximum. Then it taps into our glycogen storage first to start getting glucose for energy. Once those glycogen stores are depleted, the body starts using other sources such as amino acids from muscle protein and fatty acids in fat tissue. When we are intentially exercising and putting stress on the body, those glycogen stores are going to deplete very quickly. Research supports that consuming a light carbohydrate (about 50g)  and protein (5-10) snack 30-60 minutes before exercise can maximize glycogen storage so that we are maximizing energy and minimizing muscle breakdown [3]. That’s about 220-240 calories per snack, which is what you can find in a lot of protein bars on the market today.

What does this look like in my daily routine?
So how many snacks do you need throughout the day? Well, that depends on you and your needs. There is no set in stone snacking plan since we are all different and unique (which is amazing!), however, most athletes have about 2-3 snacks per day in addition to their 3 meals. If snacking is new to your daily routine, I recommend starting out with a goal of just adding 1 snack to your day. Maybe you need something before your 11:00 am dance class in order to give your best performance, or maybe you experience the afternoon slump and you need some glucose just to help you finish your work day. After you add that snack, reflect on how you feel afterwards. Did you feel rejuvenated? Was it enough to get through until your next meal?  Reflecting can help you learn what to have for a snack and when to snack for your body. 

There is so much more to dive into when it comes to snacks, but this is kind of a long post already, so we will stop here for now:) Stay tuned next week for more snack facts and hacks!

Happy Fall!

Sophia MS, RD

References

1. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Snack definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snack 
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. 
3. Raymond, J. L., Morrow, K.  (20200503). Krause and Mahan’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 15th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf 10.2.1].  Retrieved from vbk://9780323636568