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Digestive Health

The Microbiome’s Menu: How to Feed a Healthy Gut

Heather Mileski, RD September 22, 2020

In this post last week we established that you don’t need to take a probiotic to support a diverse microbiome

Should you add a probiotic to your shopping list?

Heather Mileski, RD September 8, 2020

If you’re wondering whether to add a probiotic (for yourself or your children) to your shopping list this fall, you’re

Introducing highly allergenic foods to infants: 2019 Canadian guidelines

Introducing highly allergenic foods to infants: 2019 Canadian guidelines

Rosanne Robinson, RD February 22, 2019

If you’re a new parent, there is a high probability that you’re suffering from information overload on every and

What’s the harm in removing gluten? celiac disease

What’s the harm in removing gluten?

Heather Mileski, RD September 29, 2018

I get asked this question (or some version of it) often when it comes to removing certain foods

Stop blaming gluten

Digestive Woes: Stop blaming all your digestive problem(s) on gluten … PLEASE!

Rosanne Robinson, RD March 26, 2017

The people closest to me know that I can sometimes get on my soapbox and go on a rant. We

Rosanne & Cara

Rosanne and Cara, the owners of Blueprint Nutrition, met at a 6 a.m. Body Pump class in Guelph, Ontario. They had an immediate connection and quickly realized they both had a passion for fitness and nutrition. When they launched Blueprint Nutrition, they enveloped their two passions into the company – athletes and families.

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blueprint.nutrition.kids

Rosanne Robinson RD

I bought 2 boxes of Halloween candy on the weekend

I bought 2 boxes of Halloween candy on the weekend with kid number 2. We don’t get much traffic at our house (maybe 20-30 kids?) but I always want to have enough on hand in case it’s a bumper crop year! 😉

We stood there comparing prices and quantities and eventually chose two boxes of candies that we’ve never bought before. (The red Nestle variety box is getting a bit old!) 😆

We tried a couple pieces on the way home and agreed that the oreo cadbury chocolate was superior to the toffee flavoured one and that we both love a good sour gummy! 🍬

When we got home, I put the boxes in the pantry beside our box of Welch’s gummies, and nothing has been said about them since then.

Boxes of candy in the pantry are a non-event.

No sneaking or stealing; no battles or stress; no wrappers hidden under the bed. If they want candy, they ask, and 9 times out of 10 we’ll say yes to adding it to a snack or meal.

So, you might wonder - is this how my kids are wired or is this a result of our food-parenting approach?!? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the answer is BOTH. ⤵️

Since day one, my spouse and I have been intentional (and consistent) around how we food-parent — how we talk about food specifically and how we model the enjoyment of all foods. As the kids have grown up, we’ve adjusted our messaging to be age-appropriate and now enjoy deeper conversations about food, which are super fun for me! 🤓

But I also know that my kids aren’t as ‘food motivated’ as other children naturally are.

We know that kid’s eating behaviours are trait-like and we continue to learn more through research as to what types of food parenting practices are most critical for supporting healthy eating and growth among kids who are genetically predisposed to love eating.

The big takeaway here is that you can do all the “right things” around Halloween “candy management” and it still may not be “working” because food parenting is not a one-size-fits-every-kid thing.

If you’re stressed or worried about Halloween candy, then you might need help with your long term approach and understanding the unique factors that contribute to your child’s eating/food journey.

That’s where we come in! 👋🏼

#feedingkids

Don’t settle for crappy instructions from a $10

Don’t settle for crappy instructions from a $10 kit ... 👿

Trying to put this haunted house kit together was clearly not for me. It had the worst directions I’ve seen in years and I gave up halfway through. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Because who has time for crappy instructions?

You don’t!!!

You’re a busy parent with work to do and mouths to feed and when things feel like they are falling apart at the dinner table because all your kid will eat is grilled cheese and then one day decides he doesn’t like that anymore ... then what do you do? 😫

Relying on little tidbits of information you hear from your friends, neighbours, doctor or posts on social media about picky eating isn’t a plan. It’s a crappy set of instructions that may completely mislead you. 😵‍💫

(And here’s the other thing. Solving picky eating isn’t intuitive for most parents. Oftentimes strategies go against what you naturally are inclined to do!)

Let’s collectively agree to get rid of the crappy instructions and acknowledge that you need (and deserve!) clarity about what to do in order to reclaim peace at the dinner table.

✨If you’re ready for clarity, stepwise instructions and support for the picky eating situation in your home, comment GROUP and I’ll send to you the link with information about our fall 2024 small group coaching cohort called Chaos 2 Calm! ☺️

PS - Early bird pricing ends Thursday October 24th at 10 pm ET so secure your spot ASAP!!

#pickyeaters #pickyeaterproblems #pickyeatingtips #feedingkids #realmotherhood #parentingproblems #kwawesome #dietitianmom #canadianmom

You can’t let their decision at suppertime send

You can’t let their decision at suppertime send you spiralling 🌪️😫.

I know this is easier said than done, but if you are so emotionally attached to whether they eat what you made for dinner or not, then a few things are going to happen.

No. 1 - You will find yourself either in rage-mode or just really angry or really sad most of the time. When your emotions are so wrapped up in what they eat at dinner, it’s really hard to stay regulated to do anything else you need to do. It’s exhausting. 😩

No. 2 - If you are so emotionally invested in what they eat, then you may stop making food you like and enjoy. You rob yourself of food that nourishes you and brings you joy. And if you gravitate towards just feeding them what you know they’ll eat, then they’ll never get exposure to new foods which in turn, makes the problem worse.

🤷🏻‍♀️ So how do we emotionally detach ourselves?

One of the biggest things that helps my clients to emotionally detach is to remember that “success” in feeding kids is not just marked by them “eating” the food. Rather, it’s about enjoying a pleasant mealtime at the table together.

Writing positive affirmations about your strengths as a parent are really helpful too. 🤍

This definitely is a more nuanced conversation - I’d love to hear your thoughts. ⤵️

✨ Don’t forget!! The EXTRA early bird rate for my online group coaching program for parents of picky eaters ends tomorrow morning. Comment ‘GROUP’ and I’ll send you the link!

#pickyeaters #feedingkids #feedingmyfamily #realmotherhood #motherhoodquotes #mealplanning #kwawesome #canadianmom

What’s the temperature at your table? 🔥 Did

What’s the temperature at your table? 🔥

Did you know that pressuring kids to eat doesn’t help their picky eating?! It often makes it worse.

Pressure to eat often leads to power struggles and battles at the table. And if the table is a constant place of conflict, kids will enter supper time with higher levels of anxiety. And anxiety is like a bully at the table - it robs kids of their appetite and makes it even harder to eat. 😞

Oftentimes parents are pressuring kids to eat “healthy” foods and this direct pressure makes kids associate unpleasant feelings with that food well into the future - making them LESS likely to eat it.

We all know what HOT pressure is - e.g. bribes for bites, coaxing for bites, rewarding bites with dessert, emotional blackmailing, force feeding etc. 🥵

But do you know what WARM pressure is? 🤔

Warm pressure are things that you might be saying that you don’t think are negatively impacting your kid but very well could be. It’s saying or doing things like:

☝🏼Talking about nutrients/nutrition non-stop (you won’t make rep hockey this year if you don’t start eating more protein)
😬 Reminders to eat at the table (one parent used to remind their child to eat over 60 times during in a 20 minute meal!)
👀 Starring and hovering (would you feel comfortable eating your meal if someone was constantly looking at you with judgmental eyes?)

So what should you do instead?

Well, that depends on your child, family and goals.

Generally speaking though, we recommend dinner table talk to include any topic other than food, or, to make the comments about food neutral.

Not sure where to start?

🌹 Try the rose/thorn/rosebud game - each family member shares their rose (good part) and thorn (unpleasant part) of their day, as well as their rosebud (what they are looking forward to tomorrow).

Overall, try to make your table a place of warmth from friendly conversation instead of warm from the heat of pressure.

✨Looking for more strategies and support for your picky eater? The doors for my small group coaching program ‘Chaos 2 Calm’ are open! Comment PROGRAM and I’ll send you the details and an extra early bird rate (on until Oct 17)

When was the last time that you went into a meal w

When was the last time that you went into a meal with the opinion that your kids could surprise you? 🤔

There was a 90% chance (based on previous experience) that my kids wouldn’t eat the peppers in the fajitas that I made last night.

But had I not made this dish, then there would be no way for them to learn to like it over time.

So, I still made the meal, even though it’s not their favourite, and I plunked the cast iron pan on the table with the mix of chicken, peppers and onions.

There were wraps, grated cheese, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole there too for topping selection. There was something that everyone likes.

One kid picked the chicken pieces out for a “chicken-only” fajita while the other one took chicken and a few cooked peppers but then pulled some of the peppers out as the fajita was eaten.

That was new!

Sure, it wasn’t a “yeah - cooked peppers are now a favourite” win of sorts, but a “hey - there is some willingness to try”.

These types of mini wins are what you can get overtime by taking the shot - making the meal - time and time again. 🏀

But if you don’t take the shot … well, you know what happens. 😉

So, when was the last time you took the shot?

*Don’t forget that tips for feeding kids on IG are not always applicable for every child, family or situation. Kids with significant feeding difference may need a different approach.*

#feedingkids #familymealideas #familymeals #pickyeaters #canadianmom #dietitianmom #realmotherhood #kwawesome

“Yes! You need to keep offering ... AND … !!!!

“Yes! You need to keep offering ... AND … !!!! 👇🏼

AND #1 - AND You need to ask yourself if you’ve done the work to truly uncover all the root causes for the picky eating. “Keep offering” is fine but if your child is actually struggling with chronic constipation or has undiagnosed iron deficiency or sensory processing concerns then “keeping offering” only goes so far. (PS - Don’t do this on your own! This is our job as dietitians who specialize in helping families with selective eaters!)

AND #2 - AND You need to be offering these exposures without pressure or expectation. Pressure and expectation weigh heavily on a child and oftentimes increase anxiety at the table. Anxiety is an appetite-thief and so this will not be helpful!

AND #3 - AND You want to spark their curiosity in these ‘learning-to-like’ foods because when you can spark their curiosity, you can spark true learning!

Here are a few ways to spark curiosity using apples as an example:

🧪 Science-minded kids - do a science experiment together to see which medium (lemon juice, salt-water, sugar-water, cinnamon or nothing) helps to keep sliced apples from browning.

🌳 Outdoorsy-kids - go apple-picking together and then compare the sizes and qualities of different apples together

🎨 Crafty-kids - make apple stamps for painting; build a structure using only apples (cut into various shapes/sizes) and toothpicks; draw an apple together using a step-by-step video

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen-kids - make something with apples together - e.g. apple muffins, apple crisp, homemade apple juice, or an apple fruit kabob with 5+ different varieties of apples

📺Video-inclined kids - watch a video together on how apple trees grow, how apples are harvested, how applesauce or apple chips are made etc.

What questions do you have about sparking your child’s curiosity around food?

#feedingkids #pickyeaters #pickyeater #realparenthood #feedingtoddlers #canadianmom #feedinglittles #kwawesome

Which ones will you try this fall with your kiddo?

Which ones will you try this fall with your kiddo?! 🍎🍏

Exploring foods with your child at the mealtime table is great but there is a lot more you can do away from mealtimes!

The fall is a perfect time to explore locally grown foods and make some connections for your learning eaters.

But REMEMBER! It’s not about them eating it in the moment you’re exploring it! 🙅🏻‍♀️

It’s about giving them positive experiences around the food to help increase their interest and curiosity in it and decrease any fear. 👍🏼

In our work with clients, we often provide lists of activities to help families explore specific foods. We even have a full 60-page guide book to explore every veggie from A to Z!

✨Are you ready to get some support for your learning eater (picky eater?) Send us a DM or click link in bio to book your free call with one of our dietitians!

#pickyeaters #pickyeater #exploringfood #ontariofruit #goodthingsgrowinontario #dietitianmom #canadianmom #toddlermommy #feedingkids #kwawesome

3 reasons why (*most) kids shouldn’t choose what

3 reasons why (*most) kids shouldn’t choose what’s for dinner every night ….. ⤵️

*see note below about the exception …

1️⃣ If they choose (aka you always ask them “what do you want for dinner?”) then you may eventually feel resentful towards them for limiting your dinner repertoire because chances are they’ll keep requesting the same stuff over and over again. Kids often prioritize comfort and familiarity around food and eating. (TBH, many adults do too.) It’s not a bad thing. It’s just hard to help kids learn to like new foods if we’re never making them. 🤷🏻‍♀️

2️⃣ Assuming you make the same handful of things that they request, then you’re limiting their variety of foods eaten and subsequently limiting their intake of nutrients their body gets as well.

3️⃣ Your kids only know that “x” (aka a small number) of foods/meals exist in the world. You know SO much more than they do about food!! This is why it’s our job to come up with the menu (feel free to offer some choice too tho) and trust them to explore at their own rate and pace.

When was the last time that you truly cooked a recipe that you wanted and you enjoyed for supper?!
———

*I say most because there are certain circumstances when working with a child with ARFID or other feeding differences when it might be helpful to use a different approach. Remember feeding kids is nuanced and not every post or reel you see about raising adventurous eaters will apply to you or your situation.

#realmom #realmomlife #pickyeater #pickyeaters #pickyeating #canadianmom #kwawesome #suppertime

blueprintnutritionsport

Cara Kasdorf, Dietitian

🏃‍♀️ Training for a marathon or triathlon

🏃‍♀️ Training for a marathon or triathlon can be a tricky beast when you’re prone to over-exercising. It can have you doing mental gymnastics 🤸🏽‍♂️ justifying why you should exercise every day.

❌ No training plan should have you training 7 days per week. And if you’re asking if a rest day means you can still do strength training or mobility or yoga or cross training, then I would ask you what the purpose behind it is.

Sure, there are times when active recovery is part of the rest day.

But if the thought of a full rest day with no exercise scares the sh*t out of you and you’re already thinking about how you’d cut back on food, or do more mileage the next day, or any other compensatory behaviours, it might be time to get support. 💙

Training is supposed to fun and life-enhancing. If it’s stressing you out, or making you anxious, or feels like a burden 👉🏼 these are huge red flags that something needs to change.

And guess what? By improving your relationship to exercise and fuelling (so that a rest day eventually doesn’t stress you out!) 👉🏼 you’ll feel better, have more energy, recover faster and hit those PBs! 🔥

✨ If you want support to balance your training with your fuelling plan and improve your relationship with food and exercise, reach out for more info about our 1:1 nutrition programs. We have limited spots available to start in September with Cara or Alexis! Click link in bio to book a free call or simply send a DM! ✨

#disorderedeatingrecovery #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #marathontraining #triathlete

🏃‍♀️ When your body gives you feedback, y

🏃‍♀️ When your body gives you feedback, you want to listen.

So if you’re finding that…

Your resting heart rate is sky high for days after a tough workout

You’re skipping periods or they’re all over the place, and the week before your period feels awful

You’re exhausted but also wired and can’t get a good night’s sleep

And wondering what is going on?!

It always requires looking at ALL the components of your life: including rest, stress (ALL mental and physical stress), and gaps in nutrient intake.

(This doesn’t get fixed with a quick tip on the ‘gram 😉😘)

But my top 3 nutrient related tips to get started👇🏼

✅ Don’t go long periods of time without eating (ie fasting is a big no-no)

✅ ALWAYS wrap your workouts in good nutrition

✅ Eat full-fat nutrient dense foods (skip the fat free dairy, it tastes disgusting anyway! 🙃)

✨ And if you’re ready to do the deeper work of tackling how you feel, repairing your body’s physiological functioning, improving your relationship with food and exercise, and performing and feeling your BEST - send us a DM or click link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s chat! ✨

#trilife #marathoner #femalerunner #womenwhorun #motherrunner #disorderedeatingrecovery #fuelyourbody

👑 Carbs are QUEEN when it comes to making you f

👑 Carbs are QUEEN when it comes to making you faster, recovering quicker, and hitting those shiny new PBs!

But once runners are up to speed on increasing their carb intake, this is the number 1️⃣ mistake I see runners make 👇🏼

No strategy behind it!

Here’s what I mean 👇🏼

Meals and snacks should contain enough carbs for sure. But we also want to feel good with balanced energy levels and blood sugars throughout the day. Protein and fat help us do this. The fondation of our diet should still be balanced with the things that will make us feel good. It’s about prioritizing different nutrients at different points in training but still finding that balance.

Next, we layer on the extra carbs as we need them: naked” carbs (I.e. straight carbs with not a lot of protein or fat) right before and during runs.

Post-run: guess what? Carbs are just as important as protein. So after long runs and high intensity runs, most people need 1g carb per kg body weight (in addition to a good dose of 25-35+ grams of protein depending on your size)

✨ If you need support with developing your carb strategy during training so you can feel great, balance blood sugars, and keep your hormones happy - simply send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free call - we have 1:1 programs and an upcoming group to get you race day ready! ✨

#marathontraining #triathlontraining #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃‍♀️ Imagine a life where you’re not co

🏃‍♀️ Imagine a life where you’re not constantly spending energy, brain space, and time trying to be as small as possible.

✨Your body deserves to be respected, nourished & fuelled (yes, even on rest days and yes, regardless of your body weight, shape or size)

As a runner myself, I know it can feel super stressful to worry about both under-fuelling and over-fuelling at the same time.

It’s hard to know how much you *actually* should be eating… and you spend all your time trying to figure it out but then it turns eating and food into a something that causes a lot of stress and anxiety (making everything worse!)

✨ Do you want support to learn exactly what your body needs to fuel your biggest goals without stress, anxiety, counting and tracking every last bite?! Simply send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s chat! We currently have limited spots in our 1:1 nutrition coaching.✨

#marathontraining #marathonmom #triathlontraining #triathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃 Oh, comparison can be such a trap. Whether y

🏃 Oh, comparison can be such a trap.

Whether you’re comparing to your own high mileage weeks of 100+ km or comparing to runners on social media posting their high mileage weeks. It can feel like you’re not doing enough to justify eating more carbs, or fuelling your runs.

I’m here to tell you that’s a lie. If you’re running several days per week, your carb needs are higher than the general population. Full stop.

Remember that population health guidelines are developed for mostly sedentary people. Not for athletes.

Think of yourself as an athlete and start fuelling like one.

Unless you want your 60km weeks to feel hard. Then go ahead and keep cutting carbs and not fuelling runs 😏

✨ If you want support to fuel the heck out of your body so that you can PERFORM and THRIVE, we’re your people! We’re currently accepting clients in our 1:1 nutrition programs so send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s get rolling! ✨

#marathontraining #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #triathlontraining #fuelyourbody #disorderedeatingrecovery

🏃‍♀️ Do you ask yourself this question wh

🏃‍♀️ Do you ask yourself this question when signing up for your next big race?

Chances are you may not. But it may be the biggest determining factor in your success. 🥇

When planning your next race, consider:
👉🏼Do you have time to meal plan and prep extra food?
👉🏼Are you prepared to eat more to keep up with energy demands?

If you don’t have time, energy, or capacity to make sure you’re giving your body what it needs - then you shouldn’t be signing up for that race.🤷🏻‍♀️

Training is stress on the body. Under-fuelling also puts stress on the body. Stress + stress does not equal success. If you want to dig yourself into a hormonal mess of a hole, then go ahead and train without considering the nutrition implications.

But if you’re ready to make sure you’re giving your body what it needs for performance, hormone health, energy, health, and more - then let’s chat! ☺️

✨ We work with performance-minded endurance athletes who want to fuel their bodies to crush their badass goals, while keeping hormones healthy and energy levels up! We have spots for new 1:1 clients - simply send us a DM or click link in bio to book a free call! ✨

#endurancetraining #marathoner #marathontraining #triathlon #triathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃‍♀️💩 Running can be hard on the body

🏃‍♀️💩 Running can be hard on the body (especially when we run for a long time and /or high intensity) so all sorts of physiological changes can lead to your sprint to the nearest port-a-potty 😩

When we’re doing hard things, we need to make sure our body is supported properly and that we’re giving it what it needs to perform and function!

There are many reasons for exercise-induced GI symptoms but dehydration can be a big one.

Havjng a hydration plan for baseline daily hydration, pre and post run hydration and intra run hydration can be THE thing that changes your gut function during long runs.

So that you can enjoy long runs again instead of feeling anxious, avoiding running with a group, and mapping out routes based on where the bathrooms are 😳

✨ If you want my tried and true hydration strategies mapped out for you so you know exactly what to do, comment HYDRATE and I’ll send you the link! ✨

#marathonrunner #marathontraining #triathlon #hydration #electrolytes

🏃‍♀️ Unintentional under-fuelling is a bi

🏃‍♀️ Unintentional under-fuelling is a biggie. And intra-day under-fuelling is one of the biggest challenges. Here’s what I mean 👇🏼

You may have a long run or brick on the weekend or even two big days of training, but weekends are also often a time where routines are not as regimented and you may skip a meal or snack.

Or you may be doing your big grocery shopping or meal prep on Sunday so there’s not much in the fridge on Saturday (when you actually need to eat more!)

Or you could be doing your workout over a mealtime so you end up skipping that meal and never really compensate for it.

Or you don’t feel hungry after your long run so you end up not eating until a few hours later.

It’s impossible to always perfectly match up your food intake to your training output so there will sometimes be a deficit.

However, if there’s a deficit every weekend, we’ve got a problem. Your training, energy, and recovery will start to be impacted (hello sitting on the couch all day because you’re exhausted!)

The first step is to look at if and why you’re under-fuelling and then implement practical solutions to fix it (for example, if you’re missing a mealtime, start adding more to pre/intra/post workout fuel; or maybe you need to do some mid-week groceries and meal prep so your fridge is well stocked).

These may seem like simple things but these habits and details matter over the course of a training cycle.

✨If you need support to create a high performance fuelling plan to make sure you’re eating the right amount for your training goals, simply send a DM or click link in bio to book a call! We currently have limited spots for new 1:1 clients in August. ✨

#marathontraining #triathlontraining #ironman #marathoner #enduranceathlete #fuelyourbody

Fuelling.youth.athletes

Youth Sport Dietitians

Here’s are some things this crazy world wants us

Here’s are some things this crazy world wants us to believe 🌎 😆:
🔸If not eating meat, your young athlete can’t be getting enough protein daily
🔸Athletes have to have the exact same amount of protein at every meal in order for it to be effective 🍽️
🔸Everyone needs mega doses of protein to build muscle 💪

Here’s the truth: ✅
🔸While meat is one source of protein, it is by no means the only source! There are numerous plant based sources and other animal sources like dairy that we often forget about. All will bring essential vitamins and minerals that your athlete needs. 🌱
🔸Yes, it can be great to spread out our protein evenly across the day but sometimes we’re short on time or appetite is different than the day before. If a certain meal is harder than the others, try to ‘bookend’ that meal with higher protein and calories. 👍 📕
There are also times we actually don’t want to include much protein - such as 30-60 minutes before a practice but other times we want to focus on protein intake for recovery and repairing tired muscles.
🔸Protein is certainly the buzzword of the year but we want to make sure that we don’t forget our other essential macronutrients (carbohydrates and fats) as it is the overall balance and combination of these that fuel your athlete best!

How much protein do kids need anyway?
🔸On average, kids need 1 gram of protein per kg of body weight. Ie. a 25 kg child needs 25 grams of protein. 👍 You’ll be amazed at how fast this can add up.
☀️1/2 ounce of hemp hearts = 5 grams
☀️1 tbsp peanut butter = 4 grams
☀️1 bagel = 8 grams
☀️1/2 cup greek yogurt = 13 grams

Some things to think about: 🤔
🔸What’s a different protein source you could add?
🔸What’s a protein containing meal or snack your athlete feels comfortable making themselves? If there isn’t already one- try to make this a goal.
🔸What time of day does your athlete get the least protein? What’s a way to add some here?
🔸Are they having some protein within 30 minutes of finishing practice or a game?

*If your child is struggling with these sources or their overall intake is quite low- please reach out! 👍

Happy fuelling everyone! 🧀🌱🍗🫘🫛🥛🥯🐟🥚

Got young athlete at home feeling more tired and r

Got young athlete at home feeling more tired and run down? Are they needing extra breaks or running out of steam earlier in practice? 🤔

⭐️Consider the fact that young athletes can need 2-3x more carbs than their less active friends.

Why Do Carbohydrates Matter anyway?

🔹Primary Energy Source: During exercise, the body primarily relies on carbohydrates (stored as glycogen in muscles and liver) for energy. 🚙
🔹Improved Performance: Adequate carbohydrate intake can improve endurance, reduce fatigue, and enhance overall athletic performance.
🔹Faster Recovery: Carbs help replenish glycogen stores after exercise, helping with quicker recovery and reducing muscle soreness. 💪
🔹Brain Function: This is a big one! Carbs provide glucose, which is crucial for cognitive function. This can help young athletes stay focused during training, practices, or competitions. 🧠

What to watch for:
🔹Over-reliance on Processed Carbs: While sugary snacks, soda, and candy provide quick energy, they often lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that support overall health and long-term athletic performance. Focus on nutrient-dense, complex carbohydrates most of the time.
🔹Carb-Restricted Diets: Some young athletes might be tempted to follow LOW-carb but restricting carbs can hinder their performance, recovery, and growth. It’s important to focus on balanced nutrition rather than extremes. 🍽️

Check out these examples:
🔹Banana with peanut butter
🔹Greek yogurt with berries and honey
🔹Whole grain toast with avocado and a sprinkle of salt
🔹Smoothie with fruit, milk (or dairy-free option)
🔹Trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit

Take away:
⭐️For young athletes, carbohydrates are essential for fueling bodies, enhancing performance, and ensuring recovery. By consuming an adequate amount of high-quality, nutrient-dense carbs from whole foods and following appropriate timing strategies, young athletes can maintain energy levels, support growth and development, and perform at their best in their sports.

Now go enjoy some carbs everyone! 🍎 🍞 🥛 🫘 😊

#teenathletes #hockeylife #sportsdietitian
#youthathlete

🙏🏼I’m saying this with so much respect to

🙏🏼I’m saying this with so much respect to coaches and appreciate all the hard work they do.

They can play a huge role in how an athlete develops and the trajectory of their relationship with food, their body, and sport.

But even well-intentioned comments about food and nutrition can have huge negative consequences.

Unless a coach has extensive training in how to provide safe, eating disorder-informed nutrition advice to athletes, these are the ONLY nutrition questions and advice they should be giving their athletes:

➡️ Did you eat or drink before practice (advice: you should always eat and drink before practice)

➡️ Make sure to drink (and eat depending on the length and intensity) during training sessions

➡️ Are you going to eat and drink something after practice (advice: you should eat or drink something after training)

And then give them opportunities to do exactly that:
✅ Adequate breaks and time for eating and drinking
✅ Reminders to eat and drink
✅ Refuelling and hydrating stations available for during or after practice
✅ A culture where a well fuelled athlete is the priority

That’s it. That will already have a massive impact on their fuelling.

What athletes don’t need from you is:
❌ Meal plans
❌ Comments about what they should and shouldn’t eat
❌ Comments about what they bring to practice
❌ comments that refer to eating as a reward for working hard
❌ Comments about how food will impact body composition or weight

✨If you’re or a coach or parent who feels like your athletes need more than just the recommended coach advice above, we are here to help!

✨We provide mentorship and training for coaches so that you can screen athletes and talk about nutrition in a safe way. We also provide talks for athletes, teams and sport organizations. Simply send a DM if you’re interested in learning more!

#youthathlete #teenathlete #sportnutrition #fuelyourbody #eatingdisordersupport

⭐️Including some SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES in the 3

⭐️Including some SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES in the 30-60 minutes (even 15-20 minutes) before a practice or game. Think of this as a FUEL TOP UP or a CARBOHYDRATE SUPER BOOSTER 🦸‍♀️(maybe that saying will catch on 😉).

We are looking for something that will hit their system to give your youth athlete energy asap! 🔋

⭐️If you aren’t including this top up of energy source OR if you’re including options that are higher protein, fat or fiber, it will take too long for athletes to access this beneficial fuel source and they will miss out on this performance optimizer.

Don’t worry, we have you covered for some ideas:💪
-large banana
-applesauce squeeze pouch
-graham crackers
-dates
-pretzels

*Carbohydrate needs will vary depending on factors including intensity of their activity, their age and body size, how much time they have to digest and their own tolerance levels before sport. Keep in mind, anxious tummies may have different tolerance levels 👍

Remember- many different foods can be helpful for a young athlete’s nutritional status, but eating these foods at the optimum times- pre, during and post sport- will make a world of difference in their performance and overall energy levels. 👏 👍⛹️‍♀️⛹️‍♂️

Happy Fuelling everyone! 😊

🥤I’ll start this off with my usual preface of

🥤I’ll start this off with my usual preface of “something is always better than nothing”

BUT: if you’re relying on protein shakes as your main source of recovery nutrition, you’re majorly missing out ❌

Remember that protein powder is a very processed food - and while it can play a role in our fuelling, we shouldn’t rely on it - it should be a supplement to our diet, not a staple.

To maximize the improvement from your training in the gym, focus on these 4 R’s:

💪🏼Replenish with carb rich foods (a protein shake has no carbs!). Add something like a piece of fruit, toast, or oatmeal to replenish your carbohydrate stores so you’ll feel better and have waaaay more energy for your next workout AND it helps protein do it’s work on your muscles.

💪🏼 Recover with protein rich foods. Yes protein powder checks this box, but some studies show better recovery with whole food sources of protein like eggs, Greek yogurt, or milk.

💪🏼 Rehydrate with fluids. This one is also covered with a protein shake but including some food with electrolytes like sodium and potassium can help even more with rehydration.

💪🏼 Revitalize with nutrient dense foods - protein powders really lack in this area as they don’t contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. Your body needs these to help with all the recovery, inflammation reduction, and rebuilding after a hard workout or practice or game. Include foods like fruit or veg or nuts/seeds to boost up your recovery game!

Nothing against protein powder - it can be a convenient supplement - but focus on real food first to get the full benefit from all the nutrition food has to offer!

✨ If you want to develop a simple but effective fuelling strategy for your family and teen athlete, DM us to learn more about our new Youth Athlete Performance Meal Planning strategy session! ✨

#teenathlete #youthathlete #fuelyourbody #hockeynutrition #sportnutrition

Are you even a sport-parent if you don’t have to

Are you even a sport-parent if you don’t have tortillas in your grocery cart every week?! 🛒 🤣 🙃

Hey, as a dietitian and fellow sport parent to sport parent, here is the formula you should use when planning your supper meals AND 5 meal ideas for the next 5 days! 💡

🥇Your winning dinner formula: The Athlete’s Plate

➡️ Aim to serve food at dinner so that their plate can be covered in 1/3 to 1/2 of whole grains, 1/4 protein and the rest with colour. Then add a serving of fruit on the side. ✅

Here are 5 quick and easy ideas that take ~15 minutes to make from start to finish and follow the athletes plate! 💪🏼

1️⃣ Stir-fry veggies (buy a pre-chopped frozen mix) add tofu and serve with rice (in the rice cooker of course). Add soy sauce for a sodium boost!

2️⃣ Beef stew (in the slow cooker) with potatoes and veg. Serve with whole grain bun and bagged salad.

3️⃣ Grilled tuna pesto sandwiches. Mix flaked tuna with enough pesto and a spoon of mayo until desired moisture. Spread tuna mix with cheese between 2 slices of bread and grill. Serve with veggies (and tomato soup for a sodium boost!)

4️⃣ Quesadillas! Take one can of drained black beans, mash in a bowl with about 1/2 cup salsa. Spread bean mixture on half of a tortilla and add desired toppings (shredded cheese, green onion, cilantro). Fold the other half over and either bake or fry until golden brown. Serve with bagged salad or veggies.

5️⃣ Nann bread pizza. Spread tomato sauce and your fav toppings on naan bread for a quick and easy pre-practice pizza. Leftover chicken makes a great protein rich topping. Serve with veggies or bagged salad kit.

Looking for more help with fuelling your athlete?

Look no further! Hi! 👋🏼 It’s nice to meet you! 😊

✅Follow along with us for more hot fuelling tips 🔥, and science-backed strategies for fuelling your athlete without that diet culture BS.

You’ve got this! We’re rooting for you! 📣

#teenathlete #youthathlete #canadianmom #sportmom #fuelyourbody #sportsdietitian #sportsnutrition #kwawesome

Daily, I will hear clients say....”I know it’s

Daily, I will hear clients say....”I know it’s bad but.....I ate a cookie” 🍪 or “I was doing good until... I went out to eat with friends” or “I am feeling more energy from these changes but... I’m a size larger”.

Now, this topic will not be solved in a single IG post however, I want to plant some seeds of thought for yourselves, your young athletes and anyone you may come into contact with across the day: 🪴

☀️If you constantly criticize yourself, you’ll think more negative thoughts and then why would you feel worthy of caring for yourself? 🤔
☀️Our Thoughts Aren’t Facts: Just because we have a negative thought- doesn’t mean it’s true even though it can feel that way.
☀️Try taking note of how often negative thoughts pop up or how we speak about our body or that of others. Do we provide it with kindness? ❤️ Or do we pick it apart? ❤️‍🩹
☀️Food has no moral value: It is neither good nor bad. As you’ll hear us say many times to athletes- food is fuel 😊It gives our body different types of energy and nourishment. An 🍎 may nourish our vitamin levels while a 🍪 may nourish our mind/soul and both are equally important. ✅

What can we do?
☀️Think of positive statement instead. Try ‘what went well today’ or ‘what did your body do for you today?” Consider how you would talk to your best friend and loved ones? Use that same language.
☀️Be patient- behavioral changes takes time, all good things do.
☀️Have you and your athletes consider “I Am” statements to start the day with. Ex. I am Worthy, I am Loved, I am Kind, I am Grateful, etc.

We always will have inner/self talk but we want to try and have more of it to be positive wherever possible. 🥰

I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Speak to your body in a loving way. It’s the only one you’ve got. It’s your home and it deserves your respect” - Iskra Lawrence

Happy Monday everyone, have a kind and positive week🥰

#teenathlete #fuelyourbody #kwawesome
#hockeynutrition #youthathletes

🍲 Family mealtimes have numerous health benefit

🍲 Family mealtimes have numerous health benefits - studies show that kids in families who eat meals together have a diet higher in nutritional value, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviour. Family mealtimes have also been shown to be protective against disordered eating!

So what’s a family to do when practices and games always happen over dinner time and you’re often rushing straight from school and work to drop-offs, pick-ups and everything in between?!

➡️ The good news is that studies also show that even just a parent sitting/eating with their child still has those same health benefits. It doesn’t have to be a full course sit down meal with everyone in the family present.

This means that you could:

➡️ Pack a dinner for both you and your athlete and spend 5 minutes sitting together and eating at the arena before practice, or stop to eat in a park on the way.

➡️ Even if your athlete gets home at 9 pm and eats dinner then, you can still pour yourself a cup of tea and sit with them while they’re eating.

➡️ That if they’re eating a mini-meal right after school in preparation for the evening’s activities, you can grab a snack and sit down with them.

✨ It might be only 5-10 minutes of sharing time and food together but it can make a lasting impact on their health and relationship with food.

✨ If you need help figuring out how to build a solid nutrition plan for your teen athlete, send us a DM to learn more about our NEW youth athlete Performance Meal Plan Strategy Session! ✨

#teenathlete #youthathlete #fuelyourbody #hockeylife #sportnutrition

Adding another activity (or more training hours) =

Adding another activity (or more training hours) = your kid committing to eating enough to fuel it! ‼️

You cannot say “yes” to another training day or another team (even if it’s labelled as ‘just the school basketball team’) unless your kid truly understands what that means in terms of them committing that much more to feeding themselves ENOUGH of the right foods at the RIGHT TIMES!

If you’re already worried that they’re not getting what they should be, you need to address that first.

Moral of the story here: ⤵️

✨Discussions about joining teams and training for sports NEED to coincide with conversations about how your child is going to commit to eating enough and, if age-appropriate, helping to make that food with you every week.

I’m curious if you’ve had this conversation with your athlete?!

#teenathlete #youthathlete #sportnutrition #sportsdietitian #kwawesome #youthathletes #teenathletes #hockeynutrition #hockeymomlife🏒

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