A Healthy Diet for Dancers of All Types – 6 High Energy Foods Perfect

While dancing offers many benefits, including being fun and a great social activity, arguably one of the most prominent advantages is that it’s such a fantastic form of exercise.

Dancing, regardless of the style or type you perform, will not only help you to burn calories, it also serves as a great form of cardiovascular exercise, with a few resistance-based benefits sprinkled in for good measure. Add to this, the fact that it helps promote flexibility, mobility, and coordination, and it really is the entire package.

Because dance is a type of exercise, however, it needs to be treated as such, which means that dancers should fuel their bodies with the right foods before and after they perform. But which foods are ideal for dancers, and which are best avoided? That’s what we’ll be finding out today.

Here’s a look at 6 high energy healthy diet foods perfect for dancers of all types.

Avocado

The first food we have on our list today is a superfood packed full of nutrients and healthy fats.

Avocados are a fruit that are sometimes known as ‘nature’s butter’ due to the fact that they have a rich and creamy flesh that, when ripe, is a similar texture to butter.

Avocados are rich in vitamins, including vitamin C for immunity, vitamin D for bone and hormone health, vitamin E for skin health, and vitamin K for the circulatory system. It’s also high in minerals, including zinc, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.

For dancers, however, it is the healthy fats that prove most useful. Avocados are rich in heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which also provide a great deal of energy while dancing.

Bananas

Bananas are another fruit perfect for dancers as they can be eaten on the go, they don’t require any cooking or prepping, and they’re a great source of carbohydrates which will help fuel the muscles while you dance.

For dancers, bananas are also useful because they contain minerals, especially potassium. Potassium serves as an electrolyte and helps to buffer lactic acid production whilst exercising, which helps to prevent painful muscle cramping.

By eating bananas, not only can you enjoy an energy boost, you can also keep your muscles working as they should and protect against muscle cramps and fatigue.

Wild Salmon

As well as healthy fats and carbohydrates, protein is also important for dancers.

Protein is a macronutrient that is essential for muscle growth and repair. When dancing, we utilize a wide range of different muscles which need to be strong and functional.

Wild salmon is a great source of protein because it is full of protein, amino acids, beneficial minerals, vitamin D for calcium absorption, and omega-3 essential fatty acids, which promote heart and brain health.

If possible, always opt for wild salmon as it is much healthier and higher in nutrients. It’s also much tastier than mass-produced farmed salmon as well.

Oats

If you’re looking for a healthy, high energy breakfast that will keep you fueled throughout your dance class, without leaving you full and bloated, oats are perfect.

Oats are a great source of slow-release carbohydrates, which your body will slowly convert into glucose to use as energy, especially during strenuous activity, such as dancing. Oats are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which not only provides a sustained release of energy, but also helps to keep you feeling full for longer.

Whether you’re dancing the Charleston, or perfecting your Tango or Foxtrot, oats are the perfect pre-workout food to fuel your routine.

Water

Okay, while water is technically not a food, because hydration while dancing is so important, we had to include it.

Because dancing can be such a physically demanding activity, it can cause you to perspire (sweat) and lose fluids and electrolytes. This can lead to dehydration and muscle cramping, neither of which you want when you’re in the middle of a class.

Water helps to hydrate you, it keeps your fluids topped up, and if you drink mineral water it can also replenish lost electrolytes and prevent muscle cramps.

Before your class/routine, begin sipping on water around an hour in advance. Have a water bottle handy to sip on whilst you dance. The warmer it is and the more you perspire, you more you should drink.

Each day, aim to drink at least 8 – 10 glasses of mineral water.

Greek Yoghurt

And finally, we have Greek yoghurt.

Greek yoghurt is another food perfect for dancers, as it is rich in healthy fats for energy, protein for muscle performance and recovery, and calcium for strong and healthy bones and joints.

Greek yoghurt is higher in protein and minerals, and is also rich in healthy bacteria which promotes gut health.

For times when your muscles are aching after a long session on the dance floor, a bowl of Greek Yoghurt topped with mixed berries makes for the ultimate snack to recover with.