Focal Press Nutrition for Dancers: Basics, Performance Enhancement, Practical Tips

Table of Contents

• 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 nutrition as a daily routine
  • Preparation is key - shop with a plan
  • Writing a grocery list
  • Navigating the offers
  • Reading labels
  • Seasonal and regional
  • Organic- yes or no?
  • "Free of" and "diet" products - the power of advertising
  • Cooking tips for everyday life
  • The right amount of waterOil - a How-To?
  • Healthy toppings - sprouts, seeds, and co.
  • Homemade or ready meals?
  • Eating out
• 6. Fit and slim - a challenge for dancers
  • How many calories does a dancer need?
  • Your basic energy needsYour total energy needs - movement is key
  • Figure and body composition
  • BMI - the Body Mass Index
  • Body fat - an unloved necessity
  • Maintaining body fat
  • Much ado about weighing
  • Dancing influences one's weight
  • Dancing influences one's diet
  • A new living situation alters one's diet
  • Putting dieting to the test
  • Dropping weight too quickly - the body's emergency plan
  • How to lose weight the healthy way
  • Eating disorders - awareness is key
  • Causes, risk factors, triggersIs this still normal? - warning signs of an eating disorder
  • Avoiding eating disorders - tips for the dance world
• 7. Synoptic of foods and nutrients
• AppendixLiteratureRecommended web links
• Contact addresses for eating disorders
• Register
• Index

About the Authors

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.