Stay Healthy On And Off the Dancefloor: Proper Nutrition for Young Dancers

October 5, 2017 - 6 minutes read

At Vibe Dance Studio, we’re thrilled to be serving young dance students in the greater Everett area with top-notch dance education and instruction. Our staff is committed to providing your child with the absolute best training possible. At Vibe, we teach a wide variety of styles, from ballet to hip hop, jazz to breakdancing, tap to lyrical. To find out more information or to enroll your child at Vibe Dance Studio, contact us today!

Whether your little dancer is just starting out, cresting adolescence or getting ready to apply to colleges (hello Juilliard!), being healthy is incredibly important, and one of the keys to good health is maintaining a proper diet. In this blog, we will discuss some tips for helping your growing child maintain a proper diet that’s both nutritious and conducive to being active.

Stay Hydrated

While this should obviously go without saying, studies show that kids in general don’t drink nearly enough water as needed. Research shows that kids should be drinking between two and three quarts of water a day. Couple that with an active lifestyle and that statistic should be a minimum. While kids have a tendency to enjoy fruit juice, sodas and other sugary beverages, they should be drinking as much water as possible. They don’t necessarily have to cut out sugary beverages, but greatly reducing them will be of benefit to their health. Get them a water bottle to use at school and class – it’s personal, easy to refill and convenient in staying hydrated throughout the day. Also let it be known that energy drinks have been proven to be dangerous for young children and are better off avoided altogether.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

While kids, especially ones who are entering puberty, have a tendency to skip breakfast, this is a foolish move. The cliche rings true – breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and skipping it means that your child won’t have adequate energy until lunch. It doesn’t have to be a necessarily large breakfast, but having something before they start they day is ideal. Yes, having something is better than nothing, but try to limit the amount of sugary breakfast foods like donuts, instead focusing on high-protein foods. Eggs, breakfast meats, fruit and vegetable smoothies and whole grain breads are all great ideas of things to help your child start the day off right.

Snacking is Healthy

We all know how long a day can be, and sometimes that gap between breakfast and lunch feels like an eternity. While some people think that snacking can be unhealthy, it entirely depends on your snack of choice. Things like cookies and chips aren’t ideal, but it’s entirely possible to snack throughout the day and still be healthy. Things like fruit, yogurt, cheese, energy bars and the like are great ways to bridge breakfast and lunch while still maintaining proper nutrition. You don’t want your child to lose energy between breakfast and lunch; a small snack will tide them over before their next meal.

Whenever Possible, Keep It Fresh

For lunch and dinner, and just overall, it’s important to keep processed foods and fast food to a minimum. Given, we understand the difficulty of having a fresh meal prepared every day, but with a little bit of planning, you can make this possible. Things like instant pots and crock pots make it possible to have fresh and healthy meals ready with minimal time or preparation. Things like fresh meat, fish, vegetables and whole grains are great keys to a balanced and nutritious meal. Whenever possible, try alternatives with your young dancer—whole grain pasta and brown rice are better than white rice and pasta.

Dessert Doesn’t Have to Disappear

While yes, desserts can sometimes be high in processed sugars and fats, when trying to maintain a healthy diet, things like ice cream, cookies and cakes are fine in moderation. If your little dancer has a sweet tooth, there’s ways to satisfy this while still being healthy. Fruit and yogurt can go a long way, especially with desserts! Things like bananas, strawberries, kiwis as well as vegetables like zucchini are more adaptable than we realize, and can make for some really delicious desserts that are as healthy as they are enjoyable. Don’t give up on dessert, just turn it into something new!

Those are just a few tips for helping your young dancer maintain a healthy diet. Vibe Dance Studio wants our students to be happy and healthy, and a nutritious diet is a great start to living a healthy lifestyle. For more information about our classes, contact Vibe Dance Studio and register today!

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