Dancers know that it is important to eat well before and after dance practice. Practicing dance is a great way to stay active and healthy, but it can be hard for dancers to find the balance between eating enough food to fuel their bodies before and after practice. What is a dancer’s diet? It is a question that many people have been asking themselves. Our diet can help us prevent injuries, provide us with proper energy and can keep us fit and strong.Â
It can be hard to keep up with the latest trends in dieting, with so many different types of dance and practices, a dancer needs to understand what their body needs before and after they hit the stage or class. Dancers at Choreo N Concept have come out with yummy food that we should avoid as dancers! These food items may be easy to grab on the go, but they cause damage to a dancer’s body.
Food that a dancer should not include into their diet:
- Candy: Yes, we know your parents and doctors have told you to stay away from candies and sugar. Meet your cravings within a limit. A little bit of sugar before your stage performance is a thumbs-up as it brings your energy level up. Skip candy before your dance class to avoid a sugar rush or even a dip in your mood.
- Fatty Food: We cannot help but imagine your doctors, dance coach and parents shake their heads in disapproval when they see you indulging in fatty food. These food items can hamper your stomach and digestive system before your class or even your stage show making you lose focus.
- Heavy meal: Okay, we Indians love food and our breakfast is not complete without butter smeared parathas. Even our mid-day meals are heavy. As dancers, we should avoid having heavy meals before our practice. This causes a drop in our energy levels and makes us feel dull and sleepy.
Food that a dancer should include into their diet:
- Protein: Protein is the key to your success! It gives your body the required energy to practice dance. You should try and include protein-rich food like Peanut Butter and banana or chicken breast (for meat-eaters).
- Fruits and Vegetables: They can be the most boring food for a child artist but trust us when we say this. It’s important to your diet and you need to include these in your daily meals.
Try and avoid eating a minimum of 2 hours before your dance class or stage performance. If you feel hungry in the meantime, grab an apple or a yummy fruit smoothie! - Water: The key to being able to perform and is to not have cramps mid-performance. Remaining hydrated is the only way to prevent those painful cramps.
You can also have your water with fruits and vegetables.
Did you know, a Watermelon contains at least 92% of water while (tiny trees) Broccolis contain 91% of water?Â
Are you one of those people who get regular muscle pain and cramps while warming up or even dancing? The pain is being caused by inflammation in our bodies. Include fresh blueberries and raspberries in your diet to avoid the pain.Â
Now let’s talk about something fun. Do you want to know what all are considered to be yummy food for you to add to your dancer’s diet? Read along to find a variety of food items!
Key components of the diet of a dancer should incorporate fresh food, healthy and yummy snacks while keeping an eye on their carbohydrate content. They burn 2,000 to 3,000 calories on a normal day. Dancers need to eat sufficient food to have significant energy to do every one of the things that they need to do. Carbohydrates should make up between 50-60 percent of their everyday necessities.
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner....
A dancer’s breakfast should include at least one of the following: oatmeal, cereal, fruit, egg whites, fruit juice, and whole-grain bread.
Lunch should be healthy and not something you can pick up from a drive-through. A dancer’s lunch should include healthy vegetables such as leafy greens, avocado, beans and, meat!Â
While your dinner should be simple, maybe salad with a side of carbs and protein! We know just like us, even your heart desires something sweet. So try having a cube of dark chocolate or maybe a chocolate milkshake and treat yourself with a pizza on your cheat day! But don’t go overboard.Â
Let us sum up our blog on the dancers diet:
The type of diet you should have as a dancer can be different from the general population, and for your body to perform at its best you must be mindful of this distinction. For example, many dancers need more protein because their bodies are constantly using proteins to repair muscles and grow new ones. This means they may want to eat both meat (e.g., chicken) and legumes (e.g., beans). To avoid muscle cramps dancers should drink plenty of water but make sure not to overdo it too much since dehydration can cause muscle spasms instead! It’s always good for a dancer to get some exercise outside of their regular practice time but keep these things in mind when working out – never work out right after having a big meal! Take precautions from the start!
