It’s also saturated with sports dietitians, nutrition “coaches,” and athletic coaches of all bents – climbing, cycling, ultra running, you name it!

When you’re looking for help fueling your athletic adventures, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options around here. If you are an active person living in the Front Range who is seeking nutrition care, you probably want someone who can provide guidance about things such as your hourly carb intake and what electrolyte blend you should consume. However, the reality is that while basic sports nutrition strategies are important, there is so much more to fueling your active body and lifestyle, especially when you want to not only perform optimally but also be a healthy person as a whole.

At Alpine Fuel Nutrition, my approach to sports nutrition is fundamentally different from traditional models. In this blog, you’ll learn about what sets my nutrition practice apart, why my background as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®) brings a unique and valuable edge to your nutrition care, and how my functional sports nutrition approach can help you achieve your athletic goals and optimal health.

1. Functional Sports Nutrition vs. Traditional Sports Nutrition

Functional sports nutrition is an evidence-based approach that goes above and beyond basic caloric and macronutrient needs to identify and resolve the underlying physiological imbalances, such as gut dysfunction, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, stress hormone imbalances, or micronutrient depletions, that limit athletic performance and recovery.

Traditional sports nutrition often focuses on numbers and formulas, treating the human body a bit (dare I say it) like a machine: eat X grams of carbs per hour, drink Y ounces of fluid, and take a gel every 45 minutes.

While that framework may work fine for a perfectly healthy athlete, the reality is that most active peoples’ bodies don’t work like machines. Many active people these days (myself included!) also face one or more health issues that render formulaic nutrition recommendations unhelpful or even counterproductive. In addition, as active people living at altitude in the Front Range of Colorado, we must contend with altitude, temperature extremes, and intense dry air and UV that significantly impact our biochemistry and necessitate nutrition adjustments.

If you suffer from gastrointestinal distress daily or during exercise, chronic fatigue, brain fog on high-altitude summits, or stubborn autoimmune flares during peak training blocks, simply tweaking your hourly carb intake won’t solve these problems.

At Alpine Fuel Nutrition, we don’t just ask “What should you eat before, during, and after training or during your race?” We ask:

• How well is your digestive tract breaking down the food you eat and absorbing macronutrients and micronutrients?
• Are the populations of bacteria and other microbes in your gut supporting a healthy, well-functioning digestive system and immune system, or promoting chronic inflammation?
• Is cellular oxidative stress or underlying inflammation draining your energy and impairing your recovery?
• Are hidden micronutrient depletions (like low iron or vitamin B12) bottlenecking your body’s ability to transport oxygen?

By digging into root causes through functional health assessments and targeted lab work, we can identify the foundational nutrition and lifestyle factors that are compromising your health and athletic performance so we can course-correct and get you feeling and functioning optimally.

2. Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®) vs. Registered Dietitian (RD): Understanding the Similarities and Differences

Many active people are familiar with the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential, but fewer understand the depth and rigor behind the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®) credential (or have simply just never heard of it) and why it is uniquely suited for functional health and personalized sports nutrition.

A Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®) is an advanced personalized nutrition practitioner holding a Master’s or Doctoral degree in human nutrition, who has completed 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice under the guidance of experienced nutrition and medical professionals, and passed a rigorous board exam administered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS). The CNS® is the sister profession of the RD, with many similarities and also some important differences.

Here is how a CNS differs from a traditional Registered Dietitian:

I have a lot of respect for RDs, so this isn’t about one credential being better than the other. My goal in sharing this information is to show how a CNS® is well-qualified to provide sports nutrition care; based on my experience, I firmly believe this is not just the realm of the RD and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD).

Before obtaining my CNS credential, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science and my Master of Science in Human Nutrition. I chose the CNS path deliberately because I wanted to practice personalized, functional health.

While traditional RD programs often train practitioners for hospital settings, the CNS path is designed ground-up for advanced personalized nutrition care. When you work with a CNS, you are working with a practitioner uniquely trained to navigate complex cases, metabolic health, and individual biochemistry.

3. Tried-and-True, Colorado-Based Expertise

It’s hard for a nutrition professional to create a nutrition strategy for an active individual climbing Longs Peak or running a high-altitude trail race from a desk at sea level.

As a trail runner, mountaineer, climber, backcountry skier, backpacker, and mom living right here in the Colorado foothills, I experience the exact same environment you do. I know what it feels like to push through alpine winds, perform at altitude, and balance training with real-life family demands.

When we talk about nutrition for hiking 14ers or fueling long trail runs, my recommendations aren’t theoretical. They are rooted in real-world experience, biomedical science, and nutrition science.

4. Root-Cause Lab Testing and Biomarker Optimization

Standard medical lab ranges are based on population data and averages, not on people who are trying to optimize their health and performance.

For example, a standard lab panel might flag a ferritin (stored iron) level of 20 ng/mL as “normal.” But for a female trail runner pushing hard at altitude, a ferritin level that low may lead to heavy legs, rapid heart rate, and severe fatigue on climbs. Similarly, a serum vitamin B12 level of 200 pg/mL will be flagged as “normal” even though it is well below the level where B12 insufficiency can contribute to low energy and cognitive dysfunction.

At Alpine Fuel Nutrition, we look at your health through a functional lens at factors such as (but not limited to):

• Comprehensive blood panels: Ensuring optimal oxygen delivery capacity and mitochondrial function at altitude.
• Gut health and microbiome composition and function: Fixing bloating, nausea, reflux, and other gut issues by optimizing digestion, intestinal barrier integrity, motility, and gut microbiome composition so your gut functions well daily, whether you’re at work, in the backcountry, or racing.
• Blood sugar balance and metabolic flexibility: Teaching your body to utilize both carbohydrates and fats efficiently so you avoid the blood sugar roller coaster both in daily life and during training.

Ready to Elevate Your Whole-Body Health and Athletic Performance?

If you’re tired of generic nutrition advice or feeling depleted and unable to reach your athletic goals despite “eating right,” hitting your hourly carb target, fine-tuning your sodium intake, and balancing your macros, it’s time for a personalized nutrition approach that digs deeper.

Whether you’re gearing up for 14er season, training for a mountain ultra or big climbing project, or trying to navigate sports fueling alongside an autoimmune condition, perimenopause, or busy family life, functional sports nutrition can help you thrive.

Book your complimentary discovery call to learn how we can work together to build your foundation for peak health and performance.

With the right nutrition foundation in place, you can continue to move, train, and stay strong throughout pregnancy while fully supporting your baby’s growth and your own energy and recovery. Read on to learn about the nutrition foundations you should have in place as an active pregnant woman. 

Not Your Conventional Prenatal Nutrition Advice

As a functional sports nutritionist, I look at pregnancy nutrition differently than a conventional approach might. This isn’t about “eating for two” or following generic prenatal nutrition advice off a handout from your OB’s office. My approach to pregnancy nutrition for active women is about fueling your specific body based on your unique health needs, training load, and the scientific evidence on pregnancy nutrition. The goal is for you to feel strong, energized, and nourished from the first trimester all the way through delivery. For more information about postpartum nutrition, which is a topic unto itself, read my blog Reclaiming Yourself: Postpartum Nutrition for Active Moms. 

I was pregnant with my son in 2024 and into early 2025, and that experience significantly shaped how I now counsel active pregnant clients. My midwives didn’t provide nutrition information (providing specific nutrition guidance, including medical nutrition therapy, would have been outside their scope of practice anyway), and I found much of the nutrition information for active pregnant women on the internet lacking. Fortunately, I have a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition, my undergrad in Biomedical Science, and am a Certified Nutrition Specialist®  and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, so I knew what to do! However, many active pregnant women don’t have a nutrition background, and that’s one reason why I felt compelled to write this article!

Whether you’re trail running in the foothills, lifting weights, practicing prenatal yoga, or backcountry skiing some mellow runs, these are the foundational nutrition principles I emphasize with my active pregnant clients.

A Holistic Approach

A functional approach to prenatal nutrition is a whole-body approach. The functional approach I take with my pregnant, active clients includes:

• Optimizing gut health: A healthy gut is the foundation for a healthy pregnancy because it is where you break down your food and absorb nutrients, and it influences your inflammation levels, immune function, and even your mood. Hormonal changes in pregnancy can slow down gut motility and alter the gut microbiome, contributing to issues like constipation, reflux, and bloating. I focus on gut health with all of my clients to ensure that this health foundation is in a good place throughout pregnancy.
• Stress management: Experiencing stress is a normal part of life, but stress also significantly impacts how you feel and function during pregnancy, and even pregnancy and fetal health outcomes. Managing stress with nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle support is also something I focus on with each client.
• Gentle detoxification support: Exposure to environmental toxins is linked to adverse events during pregnancy and fetal development. Emerging, fascinating research links environmental toxin exposure to persistent nausea in pregnancy. (Source) For these reasons, I incorporate some gentle detoxification support measures in my active pregnant clients, especially if they are dealing with persistent nausea that is disrupting their quality of life and ability to nourish themselves. It is NOT advised to do any sort of intense detoxification practices during pregnancy, as this could cause harm to the growing baby.

These holistic approaches are not part of conventional pregnancy nutrition guidance, but in my clinical experience, addressing these aspects with functional nutrition are vital for helping women have an active, healthy pregnancy.

Eat Enough

This might sound obvious, but undereating is one of the most common issues I see with active, pregnant women. Between nausea, food aversions, and busy schedules, many women unintentionally fall short on calories, especially in the first trimester, especially when they’re also training or staying active.

Your body is doing an enormous amount of metabolic work during pregnancy. It’s building a placenta, growing a baby, increasing your blood volume (including total blood volume, plasma volume, and red blood cell mass), and preparing for birth and breastfeeding, all while you’re also trying to move, train, work, and get through your day. All of this activity takes fuel and nourishment. 

I don’t make blanket recommendations for calorie needs during pregnancy because every active woman is so different. Instead, I recommend working with a qualified nutrition professional who can help you ensure you’re meeting your (and your baby’s) nutritional needs. Now, let’s talk about the importance of dietary protein, carbohydrates, and fat during your active pregnancy.

Protein

Protein needs increase notably during pregnancy to support the growth of maternal and fetal tissue, placental development, and increased blood volume (Source). For active women, protein needs can climb even higher, since exercise increases the demand for muscle repair and recovery on top of the baseline needs of pregnancy. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g protein/kg body weight/day during the first trimester (the same amount recommended for non-pregnant women and men) and the slightly increased RDA of 71 g protein/day in the second and third trimesters is simply NOT enough for pregnant women to truly optimize their health. (Source)

However, eating enough protein can be challenging, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy! In my own first trimester, protein was one of the hardest things to stomach, and I usually crave animal proteins. I found myself frequently eating smoothies made with a high-quality protein powder to help me meet my protein needs without triggering nausea.

Try to spread your protein intake across the day rather than back-loading it at dinner. Pair protein with whole-food carbohydrates at each meal and snack helps keep blood sugar and energy more stable.

Carbohydrates

As an athlete, you may have focused more on carb quantity than quality in the past. However, pregnancy is a crucial time to focus on carb quality, as eating higher-quality carbs (e.g., minimally processed carbs like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains as opposed to processed flour-based products) is linked to better child neurodevelopment and motor development. (Source) 

Research also shows an association between eating high glycemic load foods (which tend to be ultra-processed carbs like cereal, white bread, and other baked goods) during pregnancy with future behavioral health problems in their children, including anxiety, depression, attention, and aggression, as well as language and vision. The mechanism behind these effects may be due to the adverse impact of high-glycemic load foods on a pregnant woman’s metabolism, which affects fetal neurodevelopment. (Source, Source) Based on this compelling research, I recommend limiting ultra-processed carbs like instant oats, breakfast cereal, and commercial bread and baked goods, even if you are active. 

I know, ultra-processed carbs are the foods you want to snack on during pregnancy, especially when you’re feeling nauseous. However, simply swapping some ultra-processed carbs for minimally processed ones – such as toast made from conventional ultra-processed bread for sourdough toast, can make an important difference. Additional examples of whole-food carbs include steel cut oats, quinoa, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fruit. 

The food choices you make now, including your carbohydrate intake, during your active pregnancy can have a significant impact on your child’s future health. It is a big responsibility to take on, but that’s part of being a parent! 

Fats

Fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, play a critical role in your baby’s brain and eye development, as well as in supporting a healthy inflammatory response for you as an active mama-to-be. (Source, Source) Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the omega-3 fats, is specifically linked to improved fetal and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. 

Good food sources of omega-3s include wild-caught salmon, halibut, and sardines. Certain plant foods, such as walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds provide alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a precursor to the more important omega-3s eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA. Since it can be difficult to eat enough of these whole-food sources of omega-3s, I typically recommend that my active pregnant clients take a high-quality fish oil supplement throughout pregnancy.

Avoid Fasted Training

If you’ve been that athlete who does fasted training first thing in the morning, or goes on a 2-hour run with no fuel or hydration, those days are over once you get pregnant! Fueling and hydrating during training is crucial for supporting your blood sugar and increased fluid needs (as your blood volume increases, so do your fluid needs). (Source) 

Always eat before training in the morning. A carb-focused option with a bit of protein, such as a banana with a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter or a hard-boiled egg, is a good option. Follow up your morning training session with a full breakfast within an hour of finishing your workout. This approach will stabilize your blood sugar and give you the energy to perform well and recover afterward.

Just as important, refuel within about an hour after your workout. This post-exercise window is a valuable opportunity to replenish glycogen stores, support muscle recovery, and keep your energy steady for the rest of the day. Skipping this step can leave you feeling depleted, shaky, or overly fatigued later on.

Micronutrients

Pregnancy dramatically increases your need for several key vitamins and minerals, referred to as “micronutrients.” These nutrients play essential roles in your baby’s neural development, your own energy production, and the healthy expansion of your blood volume. Three nutrients of note include iron, vitamin B12, and folate.

Iron

Iron needs increase substantially during pregnancy to support the expansion of maternal blood volume and adequate oxygen delivery to the growing baby. Active women often need to pay even closer attention here, since both pregnancy and endurance exercise independently increase the risk of iron depletion. 

This is where I want to make a Colorado-specific point. Living and training at altitude increases red blood cell production and turnover and iron demands even further. (Source) Combine that with pregnancy and an active lifestyle, and active pregnant women living at altitude can end up with suboptimal iron status. If you’re training regularly at elevation while pregnant, getting your ferritin and a full iron panel checked is one of the most useful things you can do.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell formation and neurological development, and your needs for this vitamin increase during pregnancy to support both maternal and fetal health. (Source) Women following plant-forward diets are at particular risk of insufficiency, since B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods like meat, poultry, and seafood. A vitamin B12 deficiency can also be difficult to catch through symptoms alone until it becomes fairly advanced. (Source) I strongly encourage women to get their vitamin B12 level tested when trying to conceive and early in pregnancy so deficiencies can be corrected promptly. 

Folate

Folate is one of the most well-known pregnancy nutrients, and for good reason. Adequate folate intake, especially in the weeks before conception and throughout the first trimester, is critical for preventing neural tube defects and supporting healthy fetal development. (Source, Source) Clinical guidance consistently recommends adequate folate supplementation for all women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy. (Source)

Importantly, not all folate is created equal. Many prenatal vitamins still use synthetic folic acid, but research suggests that methylated folate (5-MTHF) may be better absorbed and utilized, particularly in women with certain genetic variations affecting folate metabolism. (Source) 

On top of the importance of folate during pregnancy, as an athlete, you also need folate for red blood cell formation and cardiovascular health. (Source) This is one nutrient that you really need to prioritize consuming in the preconception period and during pregnancy.

These micronutrients are just one example of why individualized nutrition care matters so much, and why I can’t imagine practicing nutrition any other way. Every woman’s baseline nutrient status, dietary pattern, genetics, and lab values are different, and a functional nutrition approach means looking at your unique needs rather than applying a blanket recommendation to every pregnant woman.

Meal Consistency

Steady, consistent meals and snacks throughout the day help regulate blood sugar, stabilize energy, support mood, and in many cases, ease nausea. This is especially true in the first trimester, when many women find that going too long without eating makes nausea worse rather than better.

Aim to eat a balanced meal or snack (protein, whole-food carbohydrate, and fiber or healthy fats) every three to four hours. This doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple rhythm of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks works well for many of my clients. In my own pregnancy, I noticed that when I ate on a consistent schedule, that’s when I felt the best.

For active women, meal and snack consistency also supports better training performance and recovery. Your body simply runs better on steady fuel and nourishment!

Eat Organic, When Possible

Yes, I know eating organic food can be expensive. But if there was ever a time to really invest in your nutrition and purchase organic food, pregnancy is that time. Pesticide and herbicide exposure is linked to adverse pregnancy and fetal health outcomes including:

• Disruption of thyroid and stress hormone systems, which are crucial for fetal development (Source)
• Lower infant birth weight (Source)
• An increased risk of a newborn being admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (Source)  
• Preterm birth (Source)

Conventionally grown (non-organic) vegetables and fruits are treated with an increasing number of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides these days, and residues of those chemicals end up on the food you eat. (Source) Conversely, eating organic foods is associated with a significant decrease in levels of pesticides and herbicides chemicals in the body. (Source, Source) 

For most people, it isn’t possible to eat 100% organic food. I recommend you begin by focusing on eating certain high-priority fruits and vegetables that are heavily sprayed with pesticides and herbicides and purchasing those organic. Refer to the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce for this important information. 

Keep in mind that farmer’s markets are great places to find produce grown without pesticides and herbicides. This produce may not be explicitly marked “certified organic” because organic certification is expensive. Talk with some farmers at your local farmer’s market, and you’ll likely be able to find some wonderful sources of pesticide- and herbicide-free produce at lower prices than the certified organic produce at a grocery store like Sprouts or Whole Foods.

Choose a High-Quality Prenatal Vitamin

Not all prenatal vitamins are created equal, and this is an area where quality truly matters. Many mass-market prenatals contain synthetic forms of nutrients that are poorly absorbed, along with fillers, unnecessary additives, or inadequate doses of key nutrients like folate, choline, and DHA. As much as I love Costco, please don’t buy your prenatal at Costco.

I’ll say this plainly, since I get asked about it constantly: gummy prenatals are, in my professional opinion, one of the least effective options on the market. They’re popular because they taste good and feel easy, but most gummy prenatals skimp on nutrients (it’s hard to fit much into one gummy vitamin) and they usually contain added sugar, fillers, and other additives. 

Instead, look for a prenatal multivitamin/multimineral that uses bioavailable forms of nutrients, methylated folate rather than folic acid, for example and includes adequate choline. If you need to supplement with iron, I recommend taking it separately; I don’t care for prenatals that combine iron with the rest of the vitamins and minerals. A well-formulated prenatal is one of the simplest ways to fill nutritional gaps and support both you and your baby throughout pregnancy.

If you’re not sure whether your current prenatal is up to par, this is a great conversation to have with a qualified nutrition professional or your healthcare provider.

The Bottom Line on Pregnancy Nutrition for Active Women

Pregnancy nutrition isn’t about restriction, fear, or rigid rules. It’s about nourishing your body enough to support your baby’s development, your own energy and strength, stable blood sugar, and your ability to keep moving and doing the activities you love throughout this period of life.

For active women, this often means eating more than you think you need, fueling consistently around your workouts, prioritizing key micronutrients like iron, B12, and folate alongside essential fatty acids, and choosing a high-quality prenatal multivitamin/multimineral to fill in the gaps.

Every pregnancy is different, and your nutrition needs will shift throughout each trimester depending on your activity level, training goals, and individual health history. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here, and that’s exactly why an individualized, functional nutrition perspective matters so much during this season.

How I Can Help

If you’re pregnant and active, or hoping to stay that way throughout your pregnancy, I’d love to help you build a nutrition plan that actually fits your life, your training, and your body’s changing needs. 

In my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program, I help active clients navigate exactly the kind of nuanced, individualized nutrition planning I’ve outlined above, from protein and iron needs to prenatal vitamin selection and everything in between. You deserve to feel strong, nourished, and confident in your body throughout this incredible season, and I’m here to help make that happen! Schedule your complimentary discovery call to learn more about how I can help you during this vital and transformative season of your life! 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your OB, midwife, or another qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplement routine, or exercise program during pregnancy.

This content reflects general nutrition principles and research available at the time of writing and may not account for your individual medical history, lab values, or pregnancy complications. Individual needs vary significantly, and what works well for one pregnant woman may not be appropriate for another.

Nothing in this article should be interpreted as a replacement for personalized care from a qualified healthcare provider or nutrition professional who is familiar with your specific health history and current pregnancy.

If you are experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, vaginal bleeding, decreased fetal movement, or any other concerning symptoms during exercise or otherwise, please stop activity immediately and contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency care as appropriate.

Nutrition isn’t just about helping your active child climb the next grade at the gym, run faster, or score more goals. It’s about supporting their rapidly growing bodies, protecting their long-term health, and establishing a positive relationship with food that will shape their entire lives. The eating patterns your child develops now during these critical years of growth and development will influence their health, energy, and relationship with their body well into adulthood.

Let’s talk about how to fuel your young athlete for success!

Energy: The Foundation Everything Else Is Built On

One of the big mistakes I see active kids make is simply not eating enough. That may sound surprising, but it is true!

Active children and teens need significantly more calories than their sedentary peers, and those needs vary wildly based on their age, size, sport, training intensity, and individual metabolism.

When young athletes consistently don’t eat enough to match their energy expenditure, they may develop a condition called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). (Source) RED-S is associated with delayed puberty, weakened bones (and failure to achieve peak bone mass), frequent injuries, compromised immune function, and poor concentration. (Source) It may also disrupt normal growth in children and adolescents. (Source) In adolescent female athletes, it can show up as irregular or missing menstrual cycles.

However, we don’t want to load just any old calories into our active kids. A 400-calorie fast-food meal and a 400-calorie meal of grilled chicken thighs, quinoa with butter, and seasoned roasted vegetables affect your child’s body in completely different ways. Food quality matters enormously. Nutrient-dense whole foods provide not just energy, but the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids (like omega-3 fats), and phytonutrients (compounds in plant foods that offer us health benefits) that support everything from muscle repair to immune function to brain health.

The goal definitely isn’t to count your child’s calories; it is to learn (as a parent) and ultimately teach them how to build balanced, nourishing meals centered around whole, minimally-processed foods. If your child is highly active and you are concerned about their growth or the possibility of calorie insufficiency, work with a qualified nutrition professional to assess their nutritional intake and potential gaps in their diet. This is not a time to guess as to what your child may need!

The Building Blocks: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats

Let’s break down what should be on your young athlete’s plate.

Protein: The Blood Sugar Balancer, Mood Stabilizer, and Muscle Builder

Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue, supporting immune function, creating neurotransmitters (the substances that regulate mood and cognition), and maintaining healthy growth in children. Active kids generally need around 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, though some may need more depending on their age, sport, and training intensity. (Source)

One practical tip is to prioritize protein in your child’s breakfast. Many kids start their day with cereal, toast, or pastries – foods that are primarily refined carbohydrates. Adding protein to breakfast (eggs, Greek yogurt, high-quality breakfast sausages) helps stabilize blood sugar, improves focus at school, maintains an even-keeled mood, and supports muscle recovery from the previous day’s training.

Carbohydrates: The Primary Fuel Source

Carbohydrates are your young athlete’s main energy source. But not all carbs are created equal.

Whole-grain carbohydrates like quinoa, steel-cut or rolled oats, whole-grain bread, and sweet potatoes provide your child with sustained energy along with crucial fiber, B vitamins, and minerals. These whole-food carbs digest more slowly, providing steady fuel rather than the spike-and-crash pattern you get from refined carbohydrates.

Processed carbohydrates (white bread, breakfast cereal, pastries, chips) provide quick energy but little nutritional value. They’re usually stripped of fiber and nutrients, leaving just the starch and added sugars. While they have a place occasionally, they shouldn’t form the foundation of your child’s diet.

Fruits and vegetables are also carbohydrate sources, and they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that support performance, recovery, and overall health. (Source)

Healthy Fats: Essential for Growth, Brain Health, and Hormones

Dietary fat is essential for athletic kids. Healthy fats support hormone production (crucial during puberty), brain development, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K), and provide energy. (Source)

Focus on sources of healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), and nut butters. These provide essential fatty acids (fats that the body needs for healthy function and can’t produce itself) and other beneficial compounds that support everything from post-exercise recovery to cognitive function. (Source, Source) 

Avoid trans fats (found in many processed foods) and limit heavily processed “vegetable” oils, like canola, corn, cottonseed, and soybean oils, when possible. Vegetable oils have high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which can skew the balance of omega-3 to omega-6, a process linked to adverse health outcomes. (Source)

The Hidden Gaps: Micronutrients Matter

Here’s a sobering statistic: 62% of calories consumed by U.S. children come from ultra-processed foods. (Source) These foods are typically high in calories, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and inflammatory fats, but low in the vitamins and minerals active children desperately need.

Several micronutrient deficiencies are particularly common, and particularly problematic, for active kids:

• Iron is essential for carrying oxygen to muscles. Shockingly, 35.9% of young female athletes are deficient in iron. (Source) Low iron leads to fatigue, poor performance, and difficulty concentrating. Active young kids who live at altitude in places like the Front Range of Colorado may need even more iron than the average active child. Good sources include red meat, dark poultry meat, fish, beans, lentils, and dark leafy greens. Pair plant-based iron sources with vitamin C (like citrus, tomatoes, or bell peppers) to enhance absorption. 
• Calcium is critical during childhood and adolescence when kids are building the bone density they’ll rely on for life. (Source)  Dairy products are excellent sources (and the easiest sources of calcium for most kids), but so are dark leafy greens, sardines with bones, sesame seeds/tahini, chia seeds, and almonds.
• Vitamin B12 is essential for energy production and nervous system function. (Source) It’s found in animal products (meat, poultry, fish, and eggs), so young athletes following plant-based diets need to be especially mindful about supplementation or fortified foods.
• Vitamin D is crucial for bone health, immune function, and muscle function. (Source) Many children are deficient due to our increasingly indoor lifestyles. Sensible sun exposure and some foods (like fatty fish) provide vitamin D. Some active kids may benefit from supplementation; discuss this with a qualified nutrition professional or your primary care provider, as it is important to test your child’s vitamin D level before supplementing. 
• Magnesium supports muscle function, energy production, and bone health. (Source) It’s found in nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens, and legumes, foods that are often lacking in kids’ diets. 

Strategic Fueling: Timing Matters

What your child eats, and when, can significantly impact their performance and recovery.

Before Activity: 1-3 hours before practice or competition, offer a meal or snack that combines carbohydrates with some protein. Think: whole-grain toast with nut butter and banana, Greek yogurt with granola and berries, or a turkey sandwich (choose the preservative-free high-quality turkey deli meat) on whole-grain bread. This provides readily available energy without causing digestive discomfort.

During Activity: For activities lasting less than 60-90 minutes, water is typically sufficient. For longer sessions, your child may benefit from a sports drink easily digestible carbohydrates. However, try to avoid feeding your child neon-colored ultra-processed sports drinks and processed sports nutrition products frequently. 

Most commercial sports drinks are essentially sugar water with artificial colors and flavors. Artificial colors are linked to behavioral and allergic problems in children. (Source) Instead, consider whole-food carb options: orange slices, dates, bananas, or DIY sports drink (I have a recipe in this blog). These provide carbohydrates along with actual nutrients.

After Activity: The 30-60 minutes after intense exercise is a crucial window for recovery. Offer a combination of carbohydrates to replenish glycogen (stored glucose that fuels exercise) stores and protein to support muscle repair. A smoothie made with Greek yogurt, frozen fruit, and a healthy fat like almond butter or peanut butter is a great option!

The key is to prioritize real food over ultra-processed foods whenever possible. Your child is (most likely) already exposed to ultra-processed foods day in and day out at school, practice, friends’ houses, etc. They need you to set the example at home by prioritizing whole foods and setting boundaries around ultra-processed foods, which should ideally be for occasional enjoyment.

Hydration: Keep It Simple

Proper hydration is essential for performance, temperature regulation, and overall health. But it doesn’t need to be complicated. 

Water should be your first choice. Filtered water is ideal, as it removes potential contaminants that are so common in our water these days due to environmental pollution. Encourage your child to drink water regularly throughout the day, not just during practice. A good rule of thumb: their urine should be pale yellow, not dark or completely clear.

Electrolytes have their place, but perhaps not as often as you think. For activities lasting less than an hour in moderate temperatures, water is sufficient. For longer, more intense sessions, especially in heat and at altitude, electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium) become important. But you don’t need artificial, ultra-processed neon-colored drinks to get them. There are many natural electrolyte blends on the market that are free of artificial colors and flavors.

Be cautious with fruit juice. While it seems healthy, juice is concentrated fruit sugar without the fiber that helps regulate blood sugar. Fruit juice intake in children is linked to small increases in BMI that may compound in an unhealthy way over time. (Source) Whole fruit is usually going to be a much better choice than fruit juice (even 100% fruit juice).

Avoid making sugary drinks the norm. It almost goes without saying, but sports drinks, sodas, and sugar-sweetened beverages shouldn’t be everyday choices. They provide empty calories and can contribute to dental problems, blood sugar dysregulation, and a preference for overly sweet flavors that may make your child a very picky eater with a one-track mind for sugary foods.

Help Your Active Child Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Food

How you and your other household members talk about food and bodies has a huge impact on your active child’s relationship with food and their body. 

Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” which can create guilt, shame, and disordered eating patterns. Instead, talk about how different foods help their bodies perform and feel.

Rather than: “Don’t eat that cookie, it’s bad for you,” try: “Cookies are fine sometimes! Let’s also make sure you’re getting the nutritious foods that give you energy for climbing practice.”

Focus on what foods do for the body rather than what they do to the body. “Protein helps your muscles recover after practice” is empowering. 

Be very mindful of body talk: both about your child’s body and your own. Comments about weight, size, or appearance (even well-intentioned ones) can contribute immensely to body image issues and disordered eating. Instead, celebrate what bodies can do: “Your body is getting so strong!” 

Remember: your children are watching how you relate to food and your own body. If you’re constantly dieting, expressing guilt about eating, or criticizing your appearance, they’re learning that this is normal. Model the balanced, positive relationship with food that you want them to have.

In addition, I recommend practicing extreme caution around children and vegetarian and vegan diets. These restrictive diets are linked to eating disorders in children, and can also drive nutrient deficiencies. (Source) 

The Truth About Supplements

Supplements cannot replace a nutrient-dense diet, even in a super picky eater. They’re called supplements for a reason; they’re meant to supplement a solid nutritional foundation, not serve as the foundation itself.

A multivitamin simply cannot provide all of the beneficial compounds (antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber) that come packaged with nutrients in real food.

That said, some young athletes may benefit from specific supplementation:

• Vitamin D, especially in winter months or for athletes who train primarily indoors
• Iron, if deficiency is confirmed through blood work
• Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly for athletes who don’t regularly eat fatty fish

Supplementation should be individualized to your child and ideally guided by a qualified professional who can assess your child’s specific needs, consider their diet, and monitor for deficiencies through appropriate testing.

Your Next Step: Individualized Nutrition for Your Active Child

Every young athlete is different. Their nutritional needs vary based on their age, size, sport, training volume, growth stage, food preferences, family food culture, and individual metabolism. What works perfectly for one child might not be right for another.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all this information, or if you’re concerned that your child isn’t getting what they need to thrive, I’m here to help! As a nutrition professional specializing in active individuals, including active kids, I work with families to create individualized nutrition plans that support long-term health and performance without creating stress, rigidity, or unhealthy relationships with food.

Together, we can:

• Assess your child’s current nutrition and identify any gaps
• Create practical meal and snack strategies that fit your family’s lifestyle
• Develop fueling plans for training and competition
• Address any specific concerns (picky eating, food allergies, dietary restrictions, suspected deficiencies)
• Build positive food language and attitudes in your home
• Support your child’s growth, performance, and lifelong health

The effort you put into your child’s nutrition now will pay dividends not just in their athletic performance, but in their energy, health, confidence, and relationship with food for decades to come.

Ready to optimize your young athlete’s nutrition? Schedule a discovery call with me to learn how I can help your active child fuel and nourish their body for health and success!

The content provided on this nutrition blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

The information and recommendations presented here are based on general nutrition principles and may not be suitable for everyone. Individual dietary needs and health concerns vary; what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.

I make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information, but the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, and new research may impact dietary recommendations. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented on this blog.

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or another healthcare professional for personalized guidance.

Furthermore, the preconception nutrition guidance that works for the average sedentary woman won’t adequately meet the needs of most active women. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the evidence-based nutritional strategies to optimize your fertility while honoring your athletic identity—because you shouldn’t have to choose between the sport you love and the family you want to build.

This blog is all about nutrition for fertility in female athletes; stay tuned for a separate blog on nutrition for fertility in male athletes!

The Paradox of the Fit but Infertile Athlete

Let me guess: You’ve walked into your OB/GYN or a reproductive specialist’s office, and they’ve looked at your athletic physique and dismissed your concerns about your fertility struggles. “You look healthy,” they say, before suggesting IVF without investigating what’s happening beneath the surface.

I see this pattern regularly with active women, and it’s deeply frustrating. Here’s the truth that the fertility industry often overlooks:

Physical fitness does not equal fertility. Just because you’re at the peak of your athletic potential doesn’t mean your body has the resources for optimal reproductive function.

In fact, some of the physiological changes that may have occurred during your athletic career —your low body fat percentage, your elevated cortisol response to training stress, your menstrual irregularities —can work against your fertility. This isn’t a failure on your part. However, it does require a nuanced, athlete-specific approach to optimizing your nutrition and health for conception.

The good news? Once we identify and address the nutritional factors undermining your fertility, your athletic body often responds beautifully. Let’s explore what might be standing between you and conception.

Low Energy Availability – Leading to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)

The Problem: Low energy availability (LEA) – a chronic deficit between dietary energy intake and energy expenditure through exercise – leading to relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) – is the primary driver of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, the fancy medical terminology for the absence of menstruation in female athletes. And here’s the fundamental truth: if you’re not ovulating and menstruating regularly, conception isn’t possible.

A high percentage of female endurance athletes are at risk for LEA. (Source) The strategy of only eating when you are hungry tends to fail female athletes who are trying to conceive, as exercise can suppress appetite, leading to underfueling. Potential signs that you are underfueling (besides functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and fertility struggles) include persistent fatigue despite optimal sleep and recovery time, reduced immune function, a drop in performance, immune system dysfunction, and stress fractures.

The Solution: You need to eat enough—not just to fuel training, but to support the robust hormone production required for ovulation and conception. This means consuming sufficient energy to cover your basal metabolic needs, daily activity, AND training demands, with enough left over for your reproductive system to function optimally.

I’ll be direct: In some cases, you may need to reduce training volume to restore hormonal balance and menstrual regularity. This can feel like an impossible sacrifice, but there’s also significant room to optimize nutrition first. Together, we can explore how to adequately fuel your athletic pursuits while creating the metabolic environment for fertility.

Macronutrient Intake Imbalances

The Problem: Your macronutrient intake may be imbalanced, either at one end or the other. On one end, insufficient carbohydrate intake is directly associated with hormonal disturbances and menstrual dysfunction in female athletes, compromising both conception and pregnancy outcomes.(Source) 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, excessive carbohydrate consumption paired with inadequate protein and fat creates blood sugar dysregulation, insulin resistance, and sex hormone imbalances—particularly affecting estrogen and progesterone—which directly impact menstrual regularity and fertility. (Source) Your reproductive system interprets chronic low-carb intake as a signal of scarcity, downregulating fertility accordingly.

The Solution: Work with a nutrition professional to determine whether your carb, fat, and/or protein intake is imbalanced, and to develop solutions to bring them into balance to support a healthy menstrual cycle and fertility. If you are inadvertently (or intentionally) eating a low-carb diet, bring back healthy, whole-food carbohydrates that will support your athletic performance and fertility, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, fruits, root vegetables, squash, legumes, and whole grains.

A word of caution: There’s a popular pregnancy dietitian whose whole-food approach I deeply respect, but whose carbohydrate recommendations are far too low for most active women. This perfectly illustrates why fertility nutrition for athletes requires true personalization—not generic advice adapted from sedentary populations.

Micronutrient Deficiencies and Insufficiencies

The Problem: As athletes, we demand a lot from our bodies, and our micronutrient needs may be higher than those of the average sedentary person due to factors like increased micronutrient utilization and increased excretion through urine and sweat. (Source) Yet, many athletes are low in critical nutrients. (Source, Source, Source) 

Simultaneously, optimal fertility requires robust micronutrient status to support egg quality, ovulation, implantation, and early pregnancy. The following nutrients are essential for both athletic performance AND fertility—and frequently run low in active women:

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D influences the health of the endometrium – the lining of the uterus – which must be healthy and receptive for conception and implantation to occur. (Source) It is essential for ovarian function and follicle development, a small fluid-filled sac that contains an immature egg. Vitamin D supplementation is linked to an improved hormone status, including reduced androgens, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in women with PCOS, one of the most common causes of female infertility. (Source) Vitamin D deficiency is common in athletes. (Source)
• Magnesium: Low magnesium is associated with impaired blood sugar control in women with PCOS, which adversely affects fertility. (Source) Magnesium is also needed for vitamin D utilization, which, as discussed above, is imperative for fertility. (Source) It is a cofactor for enzymes involved in the production and function of reproductive system hormones and is linked to egg quality. (Source)
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids, found in seafood (in their most utilizable forms, EPA and DHA), and in flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts (in the precursor form to the more critical long-chain omega-3 fatty acids), regulate inflammation, which is essential for optimizing fertility and supporting egg quality. (Source, Source) Altogether, omega-3 fatty acids are linked to enhanced fertility. (Source)
• Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 regulates DNA synthesis (crucial for healthy egg development) and oxidative stress and inflammation, which can impair healthy egg development and implantation when elevated. (Source)
• Iron: Iron is needed to support a healthy endometrium for implantation and follicle development. (Source) MANY female endurance athletes, and especially those living at altitude, are low in iron because it is depleted by foot-strike hemolysis, losses through sweat, and higher demands. (Source) You can read more about iron and its specific implications for athletes in this article.
• Zinc: Zinc is crucial for egg development and maturation, fertilization, and the synthesis of reproductive hormones. (Source)

The Solution: I highly recommend comprehensive micronutrient testing for all women preparing for pregnancy, especially active women, who typically have higher nutrient needs than the average woman. A nutrition professional can guide you through which micronutrient tests to order (I use a comprehensive micronutrient panel in my nutrition practice) and help you optimize your micronutrient status through foods and, when necessary, supplements.

Check out my free micronutrient guide for outdoor athletes to learn about the optimal reference ranges for many micronutrients and how to test for them. If you want personalized guidance and testing support, I would love to work with you in my nutrition practice!

Side note: Besides nutritional testing, I also highly recommend getting the following labs done, as these markers also reflect critical aspects of your health that impact fertility:

• Thyroid function panel: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total T4, total T3, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO Ab), thyroglobulin antibodies (TG Ab)
• Hormone testing (if you are struggling with irregular periods), such as the DUTCH Cycle Mapping test.
• Diurnal cortisol test

Chronic Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

The Problem: Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive molecules generated in the body by stressors like exercise and the body’s ability to “quench” those free radicals with antioxidants, are linked to fertility impairment. (Source) While exercise offers profound health benefits, intense and excessive endurance training can tip this balance unfavorably if you’re not strategically supporting your body through nutrition and recovery.

The Solution: Eating a nourishing, colorful, whole-foods diet rich in antioxidants to help your body quench oxidative stress and inflammation. Limit high-glycemic and ultra-processed foods, which are linked to heightened inflammation and fertility issues. (Source, Source) Use comprehensive nutritional testing to assess levels of antioxidant nutrients needed for oxidative stress regulation and egg health, such as alpha-lipoic acid and glutathione. (Source, Source)

Gut Health Problems

Emerging research reveals a fascinating connection between gut health and female fertility—and unfortunately, many female outdoor athletes struggle with gastrointestinal issues. At the most fundamental level, gut health determines how effectively you extract and absorb the nutrients essential for optimal fertility.

But the gut-fertility connection goes deeper. Research indicates that the gut microbiome serves as a vital link between environmental factors—such as diet and stress—and reproductive health, specifically influencing the ovarian reserve and oocyte quality. For endurance athletes, who often balance high-performance fueling with reproductive goals, the sources highlight that diet is the most direct and modifiable factor shaping microbial composition; specifically, plant food-rich dietary patterns increase the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that support hormonal and immune functions. (Source)

If you struggle with gastrointestinal symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, or acid reflux, or extraintestinal (outside the intestine) symptoms that link back to the gut, like fatigue, skin issues, and mental health struggles, it is crucial to get to the root of your gut imbalances and address them before trying to conceive.

A Note About Hormonal Contraceptives and Fertility in Athletes

This is a complex topic that deserves acknowledgment: hormonal contraceptives (like the pill) may not only have adverse effects on athletic performance in female athletes but, even after a woman comes off of them, may be indirectly linked to fertility struggles. For example, hormonal contraceptives are linked to depleted levels of multiple micronutrients necessary for fertility.

If you were originally prescribed hormonal contraceptives for “period problems,” they have likely been masking underlying hormonal and inflammatory imbalances for years that will still need to be addressed to achieve optimal fertility.

For more information about hormonal contraceptives and athletic performance, I recommend you check out the work of Dr. Stacy Sims. For more information about how hormonal contraceptives impact fertility, I recommend looking into the extensive work of Lisa Hendrickson-Jack.

The Bottom Line on Fertility Nutrition for Female Outdoor Athletes

Your athletic lifestyle and fertility can coexist, especially when you nourish your body well and prioritize rest, recovery, stress management, and gut health. If you are struggling with fertility issues, then it is reasonable to expect it to take 3-6 months to optimize your health before trying to conceive. Just like training for a big race, the road to optimal fertility isn’t traveled overnight.

Based on everything I’ve discussed in this article, here are practical next steps you can take to optimize your fertility while maintaining your active lifestyle:

• Assess your current energy intake (ideally with a nutrition professional, but you can also start on your own) to ensure you’re eating enough. As long as you don’t have an eating disorder or disordered eating behaviors, using a food tracking app that provides quantitative feedback, such as Cronometer, is a great place to start.
• Next, get key nutritional testing done.
• If you’ve identified any macronutrient imbalances (too low-carb, not enough healthy fats), then work on correcting your macros.
• Evaluate your training volume and recovery.
• Get to know your menstrual cycle intimately. I love TempDrop for this purpose!
• Work with a nutrition provider to personalize your approach. There’s a lot to consider health-wise when you’re trying to conceive, especially if you’re an athlete. I would love to help!

Fertility nutrition for outdoor athletes isn’t one-size-fits-all—and this blog scratches the surface of what’s truly possible. The strategies you’ll discover here reveal the core principles: energy availability as your foundation, macronutrient balance, and the micronutrient gaps many female athletes miss.

A truly personalized approach with a nutrition professional goes deeper—comprehensive assessment of your current dietary intake and needs, functional testing, a customized nutrition plan, strategic supplement recommendations, and ongoing support to troubleshoot the challenges that arise. You’ve trained strategically for countless races, summits, and adventures; optimizing your fertility deserves that same level of personalized attention. 

Ready to move from understanding the problem to building your unique solution? Schedule your 20-minute discovery call to discuss your situation and explore how we can work together to fuel both your peak performance and your dreams of becoming a mother!

The content provided on this nutrition blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

The information and recommendations presented here are based on general nutrition principles and may not be suitable for everyone. Individual dietary needs and health concerns vary; what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.

I make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information, but the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, and new research may impact dietary recommendations. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented on this blog.

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or another healthcare professional for personalized guidance.

We navigated icy trails winding through the forest with our little one tucked snugly in the ski trailer. We had to frequently check in on him to adjust blankets, apply baby sunscreen, breastfeed, and gauge his comfort level. What would have been a relatively straightforward ski outing pre-baby became an intricate dance of logistics and timing, all while being physically active!

Our ski outing perfectly exemplified this crucial thing: Parenthood – especially if you are an active parent with an active family – is truly an endurance event! It requires great physical and mental stamina, and there’s no finish line or post-race recovery period.

Whether you’re a breastfeeding mom literally fueling another human with your own body (raising my hand here!), a stay-at-home primary caregiver managing your household and caring for children day and night, or a busy full-time working dad, parenthood places extraordinary demands on your physical and cognitive capacity. These demands are nutritionally significant, yet so often overlooked or minimized.

In my nutrition practice, many of my clients are parents navigating these exact challenges. They have busy personal and professional lives, yet they also have ambitious athletic goals—they want to PR their next trail half marathon, train for the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, or ski 14ers this winter. They come to me because they’re struggling to balance it all and are feeling depleted and unable to function as their best selves.

Here’s what I tell them: Optimizing your nutrition and caring for your health as a parent isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

You can’t pour from an empty cup. You can’t be the primary food source for a baby, chase toddlers, excel at work, and train for that ultra if you’re running on coffee and survival snacks. Proper nutrition isn’t about being perfect or having it all together—it’s about giving your body what it needs to sustain the incredible output parenthood demands of you.

Let’s talk about four foundational nutrition strategies that can help you not just survive, but truly thrive during this demanding season of life.

“Optimizing your nutrition and caring for your health as a parent isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.“

Four Foundational Nutrition Strategies for Active Parents

1. Start Your Day with a Protein-Rich Breakfast

I know mornings are chaotic as a parent. I wake up around 5 am most mornings so I can get in a workout and shower before my infant son wakes up around 6:30 am. I then need to nurse him, change his diaper, make and feed him breakfast, and clean up the kitchen before our caretaker comes over. Once she’s here, I head to my in-home office for a full day of work. It’s a lot, and I don’t even have to commute!

The rush and time crunch are real. I understand the temptation to grab a granola bar and call it breakfast – or to skip breakfast entirely. However, this is a significant nutritional mistake that can follow you through the rest of the day.

How you start your day nutritionally sets the trajectory for your blood sugar control, energy level, focus, mood, and motivation throughout the rest of the day. Instead of skipping breakfast, try eating a breakfast that provides 25-30 grams of protein.

You can prepare your breakfast in advance (such as egg muffins or a breakfast hash) or make a quick breakfast the morning of, such as a smoothie. Include protein, a whole-food carbohydrate source (such as sweet potato hash, fruit, or sourdough toast), and healthy fats to keep yourself satiated and provide steady, sustained energy. This will help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day. Stable blood sugar, in turn, enables you to stay sharp and patient (if you’re a parent, you know how important patience is!) throughout the day, AND provides the amino acids your body needs for muscle recovery and exercise adaptation.

2. Include Protein at Each Meal

Starting your day with protein sets a positive trajectory, and continuing that pattern throughout the day maintains it. Include adequate protein at each meal – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and also a small amount in your snacks. This is an underappreciated but highly effective strategy for keeping your blood sugar and energy steady throughout the day for parenting, work, and training.

Side note – for breastfeeding mothers, protein needs are even higher than for the average active adult. You’re literally building another human’s tissues with nutrients from your own body. Skimping on protein can leave you feeling depleted, weak, and struggling to maintain your own muscle mass and recovery capacity.

Aim for at least a palm-sized portion of protein at each main meal. Ideal protein options at main meals include eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products (if you tolerate dairy), legumes (like chickpeas and lentils), and organic tofu and tempeh.

Great protein options at snacks include hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, and nut or seed butters.

One of the biggest challenges I hear from parent-athletes is that they simply don’t have time to prepare elaborate meals. I totally get it, and the solution isn’t perfection—it’s having strategies that work within your constraints. In my nutrition practice, I help clients develop realistic, actionable plans to nourish their bodies.

3. Optimize Your Micronutrient Intakes

While macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) often get the most attention in the sports nutrition world, micronutrients—vitamins and minerals—are the unsung heroes of energy production, cognitive function, mood regulation, training performance, and recovery. And here’s the reality: many active parents are falling short on key micronutrients.

Micronutrients are involved in virtually every physiological process in your body. For example, B vitamins and magnesium are essential for converting the food you eat into usable energy. Vitamin D and iron support your immune system, which is constantly challenged when you have small children and a heavy training load. They’re necessary for bone health, which is especially important for breastfeeding athletes. They play vital roles in muscle contraction, oxygen transport, and the countless enzymatic reactions that keep you functioning.

When you’re deficient in key micronutrients, you might experience:

• Persistent fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest
• Difficulty recovering from workouts
• Increased susceptibility to illness
• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
• Mood disturbances, including increased anxiety or low mood
• Poor sleep quality
• Decreased athletic performance

Working with a qualified nutrition professional can help you identify your specific needs based on your diet, training load, life stage, and any symptoms you’re experiencing. Lab testing can reveal deficiencies that might be holding you back.

Because micronutrient optimization is such a crucial and detailed topic, I’ve created a comprehensive free eBook that dives deep into the specific micronutrients that matter most for active parents, food sources, and how to know if you might be falling short.

The bottom line: micronutrients have a big impact on how you feel and perform. Don’t overlook them!

4. Limit Your Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods

Let me be clear – I do not think it is realistic to cut ultra-processed foods out of our diets altogether. As a parent myself, I understand that sometimes the choice is between a less-than-ideal meal or snack and no meal at all. However, relying heavily on ultra-processed foods can significantly affect your energy, recovery, inflammation levels, and overall health. All of these factors directly affect your capacity to show up as the parent and athlete you want to be.

Ultra-processed foods are comprised of substances extracted from other foods, such as starches, oils, added sugars, and emulsifiers. They often bear little resemblance to the whole foods they originated from. Examples of ultra-processed foods include breakfast cereal, potato chips, candy, sugary drinks, and (yes) even vegan meat alternatives like “Beyond Meat”. These foods are often high in calories, low in nutrients, and can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess.

Ultra-processed foods send your blood sugar on a roller coaster, are associated with increased inflammation, and may have adverse effects on your gut health, where all of your food digestion and nutrition absorption takes place. Reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods can, therefore, make a big difference in your energy and inflammation level, and your ability to extract nourishment from your food.

What does limiting ultra-processed foods look like practically?

• Choose whole grains over refined grains when possible: brown rice instead of white, whole-grain bread instead of white bread, steel-cut oats instead of instant oats.
• Prioritize whole fruits over fruit juice or fruit snacks. The fiber in whole fruit slows sugar absorption and provides satiety.
• Cook at home more often than eating out or relying on packaged meals. Even simple home-cooked meals—a piece of grilled protein, roasted vegetables, and a baked potato—provide far more nutrition and far fewer inflammatory ingredients than most restaurant or packaged equivalents.
• Read ingredient lists. If a product has a long list of ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, it’s likely ultra-processed. That doesn’t mean you can never eat it, but it shouldn’t be a staple of your diet.
• Keep minimally processed convenience foods on hand for busy times: pre-washed salad greens, rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, canned beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts, and fresh fruit. These items require minimal preparation but provide real nutrition.

Again, I want to emphasize: this isn’t about never eating processed foods. It’s about the overall pattern of your diet. If 90% of what you eat is minimally processed, nutrient-dense food, there’s absolutely room for some treats, convenience items, and less-than-perfect choices. The goal is to build your diet on nourishing foods that support health, performance, and resilience.

Self-Care Isn’t a Luxury as a Parent – It’s a Necessity

When you prioritize your health and nutrition, you’re not being selfish—you’re ensuring you can show up fully for your family, your career, and your adventures. You deserve to feel energized, mentally sharp, and physically strong. Not just someday down the road when the kids are all grown up—right now, in the thick of parenthood.

Taking care of YOU is essential to taking care of them.

I see this transformation regularly in my practice. Parents come to me feeling depleted, struggling to balance everything, wondering if they need to give up their athletic goals or just accept feeling tired all the time. Then we implement these foundational nutrition strategies—nothing extreme, nothing unsustainable, just consistent, solid nutrition practices—and everything shifts.

They have energy for morning workouts and evening playtime. They’re more patient and present with their kids. They’re performing better in their training and recovering more effectively. They’re sleeping better. They’re getting sick less often. They’re hitting PRs while also being the parents they want to be.

This is why I love working with active and outdoorsy parents in my nutrition practice. You’re a unique population with unique demands, and you deserve support that understands and honors both your athletic ambitions and your commitment to your family!

Parenthood is indeed your longest endurance event. But unlike a race, you don’t just want to survive to the finish line—you want to thrive throughout the entire journey. Proper nutrition is what makes that possible.

The content provided on this nutrition blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

The information and recommendations presented here are based on general nutrition principles and may not be suitable for everyone. Individual dietary needs and health concerns vary, and what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.

I make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information, but the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, and new research may impact dietary recommendations. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented on this blog.

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or another healthcare professional for personalized guidance.

These substances—whether they come from the environment, the products you use, or are made inside your body—can quietly pile up and take a toll on your energy, athletic performance, and recovery. In this blog, we’ll discuss six sources of toxin exposures that athletes face and why supporting your body’s detoxification systems can aid your athletic performance and long-term health.

What is Detoxification?

The term “detoxification” may sound gimmicky, likely because many people associate it with questionable practices, such as juice cleanses and shady supplements. However, the reality is that “detoxification” is simply the process by which your body uses a coordinated set of biochemical pathways and organs to process and rid itself of toxins. Your detox system links together your brain, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, lymphatic system, and skin to create an elegant system for handling toxins.

“Toxins” (another term that’s often misconstrued) are substances that can be natural or man-made, acquired from outside the body or produced in it, that harm human health. In our modern world, we are exposed to a mind-boggling number of toxins – far more than ever before in human history. (Source, Source)

As athletes, we often consider what we put into our bodies in terms of food and hydration – chances are that you do if you’re reading this blog! However, few athletes consider what goes into their bodies in terms of toxins, let alone how their bodies handle those toxins. Yet, the reality is that your ongoing, cumulative exposure to toxins may be hurting your physiology and, in turn, negatively affecting your athletic performance, recovery, and long-term health.

Why Does Detoxification Matter for Athletes?

Most athletes focus on training harder or eating cleaner to perform better, but few realize how much their body’s ability to detoxify plays into the equation. Your detox organs, including your liver and kidneys, don’t just clear out what your body doesn’t need—they also help keep your metabolism, recovery, and energy systems running smoothly. (Source, Source, Source)

When those systems become bogged down, fatigue, inflammation, and sluggish recovery can creep in, regardless of how dialed-in your training is.

Supporting detoxification isn’t about trendy cleanses—it’s about helping your body function at its peak so you can train harder, recover faster, and feel your best.

Six Surprising Sources of Toxin Exposures for Outdoor Athletes and Their Health Effects

Here are six of the most common and, to many athletes, surprising sources of toxins that we encounter in daily life.

Microplastics

Microplastics are tiny, ubiquitous pieces of plastic that range in size from 1 nanometer (nm) to 5 millimeters (mm). They are intentionally manufactured to be used in the creation of larger plastic products or result from plastic degradation in response to wear and tear, heat, washing, and other environmental stressors. (Source)

Microplastic exposure is linked to:

• Damage to the lungs (a pretty concerning effect for athletes demanding a lot from their respiratory systems!) (Source)
• Gut inflammation and microbiome disruption (Source)
• Hormone imbalances (Source)
• Cognitive dysfunction (Source)

Athletes are exposed to microplastics through:

• Microbeads in face scrubs and toothpaste (Source, Source)
• Microfibers shed from polyester clothing (like most of your athletic clothes!) (Source)
• Disposable coffee cup liners (Source, Source)
• Plastic water bottles (yes, your Nalgene water bottle is mostly likely shedding microplastics into your water) (Source)
• Nylon tea bags (Source, Source)

The more plastic products we use in our active lives – plastic water bottles, synthetic fiber clothing, running shoes, hiking boots, yoga mats, etc. – the most likely we are to have a significant body burden of microplastics.

Ultra-processed Foods and Beverages

Ultra-processed foods are comprised of substances extracted from other foods, such as starches, oils, added sugars, and emulsifiers. They often bear little resemblance to the whole foods they originated from. Examples of ultra-processed foods that athletes commonly reach for include breakfast cereal, potato chips, candy, and energy drinks. These foods are often high in calories and low in nutrients. However, beyond their caloric content, ultra-processed foods and beverages can also be a significant source of environmental toxin exposure.

Eating ultra-processed foods and beverages is linked to a higher intake of “forever chemicals” and microplastics, likely because these toxins migrate into the food as it is being processed. (Source, Source) Athletes often eat a larger volume of food than the average person, which may expose them to even greater amounts of foodborne toxic contaminants.

We already discussed some of the health problems associated with microplastics above. “Forever chemicals” like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in products with non-stick and water-repellant properties, including a lot of outdoor gear. (Source) PFAS are linked to altered immune function, thyroid problems, and weight gain. (Source) These are physiological effects that could significantly compromise performance and recovery by increasing chronic inflammation (a barrier to efficient post-exercise recovery), possibly increasing your risk of respiratory infections (Source), and impairing your ability to reach your body composition goals.

Pesticides and Herbicides

Pesticides and herbicides are chemicals used to deter a variety of pests, from weeds to insects. They are heavily used in agriculture and thus end up in our food.

One of the most important effects of pesticides and herbicides for athletes is that they’re linked to mitochondrial damage. (Source) Mitochondria are the cellular powerhouses that generate the energy you need to fuel your daily life and athletic endeavors; without healthy mitochondria, achieving optimal health and athletic performance may be challenging.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is vital as an athlete for regulating inflammation, optimizing micronutrient intake, and supporting gut health. However, many fruits and vegetables in the United States are significantly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. You can remove some pesticide and herbicide residues by washing produce before eating it, but this will not remove all residues. This is why I recommend that my clients try to buy organic produce whenever possible and refer to the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce to determine which types of conventionally grown produce have the highest pesticide and herbicide residues, so they can prioritize which ones to buy organic and which to buy conventionally.

Water Contaminants

Water is essential for every process in your body—from regulating temperature to breaking down food for energy. But if you’re drinking straight from the tap, you might be taking in more than just H₂O. Studies show that tap water often contains chlorine disinfection byproducts, “forever chemicals” (PFAS), and even traces of pharmaceutical drugs—all of which can add to your body’s toxic load. (Source, Source, Source) And if you rely on well water, that’s not automatically safer—it can carry its own mix of pollutants. Choosing clean, filtered water is a straightforward way to protect both your health and your performance.

Air Pollution

When you train near busy roads, you’re not just pushing your limits—you’re also breathing in fine particles called PM2.5, released from exhaust and stirred up by passing traffic. These tiny pollutants can penetrate deep into your lungs, where they may reduce oxygen delivery, strain your cardiovascular system, and may impair your performance and recovery. (Source, Source) Over time, that added stress can erode endurance and performance, even in the most fit athletes.

Reactive Oxygen Species from Exercise

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are reactive molecules that your body generates as byproducts of metabolism, including metabolism during exercise. Those who train heavily can end up producing a significant amount of ROS, which contributes to the body’s total load of toxins that need to be processed and eliminated. (Source, Source)

This is not a comprehensive list of all toxins to which outdoor athletes are exposed, but it is a good starting point for addressing toxin exposures and making lifestyle changes to reduce them.

How to Start Supporting Detoxification as an Outdoor Athlete

Starting to support your body’s natural detox pathways doesn’t have to be complicated—small, intentional changes can make a real difference in how you feel and perform. Here are a few simple places to start:

• Prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods. Your body relies on high-quality protein, fiber, phytonutrients, and essential vitamins and minerals to process and eliminate toxins. Limiting ultra-processed and takeout foods also helps reduce exposure to hidden environmental contaminants. (Source)
• Swap to non-toxic products. Choose safer cleaning and personal care products to lower your daily toxic load. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep and Guide to Healthy Cleaning databases are great tools to help you make cleaner choices.
• Nurture your gut health. A balanced gut microbiome supports healthy detoxification and overall resilience—another reason to focus on whole foods and fiber. (Source)
• Opt for natural fiber athletic clothes whenever possible. Synthetic performance wear sheds microplastics that can accumulate in your body and the environment. Choose cotton, merino wool, or bamboo when possible.
• Get personalized guidance. Your genetics and lifestyle influence how efficiently your body detoxifies. (Source) Working with a functional sports nutritionist trained in nutrigenomics can help you identify whether additional detox support is needed—and design a plan that’s tailored to your unique physiology and athletic goals.

With the proper support, detoxification becomes less about restriction and more about unlocking your body’s full potential for health, energy, and performance.For comprehensive nutrition care to support your athletic performance and whole-body health, including detoxification, my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program can get you there! If you are ready to begin, I’d love to work with you!

Farmers’ markets offer access to fresh, nutritious, and (often) organically-grown produce (even if not certified organic), meat, poultry, eggs, and other whole foods that you can use to fuel your health and athletic performance. In this blog, I’ll highlight several farmers’ markets in the Denver area where you can pick up nutrient-dense foods to fuel your life and your adventures!

Boulder Farmer’s Market

Perhaps the most famous farmers’ market in the Denver area is the Boulder Farmers’ Market. Boulder has long been known for being a health-centric and active city, and its farmers’ market is the perfect place to pick up fresh, whole foods to fuel your athletic adventures!

When I lived in Broomfield, Colorado, during my first few years in Colorado, I often visited the Boulder Farmer’s Market. It is my favorite farmer’s market in the Front Range; the only downside is that they don’t allow pets, so I couldn’t bring my dog. 🙃

Some of my favorite produce purchases at the Boulder Farmer’s Market came from Aspen Moon Farm, a beautiful farm north of Boulder in Longmont. They have USDA Certified Organic vegetables, herbs, and even starter plants. I also love picking up mushrooms from Hazel Dell Mushrooms. I recommend trying their Lion’s Mane mushrooms – they are delicious pan-fried in a bit of butter!

Athlete-Friendly Functional Food at the Farmer’s Market: Beets

Pictured above, you’ll see the beautiful beets I got in my Aspen Moon Farm’s CSA order! Beets are a vegetable that should absolutely be in your diet as an outdoor athlete. They contain phytonutrients, including nitrates, that can improve anaerobic performance (such as sprints). Beetroot consumption is also associated with increased muscular strength and endurance performance and lower post-exercise muscle soreness in mountain climbers! (Source, Source)

Here’s my favorite way to prepare beets (it’s super simple):

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the beets in a glass or oven-safe enamel baking dish in a single layer with ¼ inch water (the water will create steam to help cook the beets).
3. Place a layer of unbleached parchment paper over the beets and then a layer of foil over that.
4. Roast the beets for an hour or until they are tender when you pierce them with a fork.

Golden Farmer’s Market

The Golden Farmer’s Market is another highly rated farmers’ market in the Front Range of Colorado. They are open on Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm, May 31st through October 4th, with vendors selling everything from peaches to kombucha to mushrooms.

Athlete-Friendly Functional Food at the Farmer’s Market: Kombucha

Fermented foods are powerhouses of probiotic bacteria and beneficial probiotic metabolites that can support our health and wellness as outdoor athletes. Kombucha – which you can find from multiple vendors at the Golden Farmer’s Market – is associated with reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, two factors that (in excess) can hinder athletic performance and recovery. (Source, Source)

Kombucha also contains probiotics, live microorganisms that can provide health benefits when consumed. Kombucha probiotics are associated with increases in beneficial gut bacteria (Source, [in vitro] Source)

As I’ve written about before, a healthy gut is vital for your long-term health and athletic performance. Kombucha (and other fermented foods) can be powerful allies in supporting your gut health!

South Pearl Street Farmer’s Market

The South Pearl Street Farmer’s Market is a popular farmer’s market in Denver proper. They have a ton of vendors! One of my favorite vendors is Il Porcellino Salumi, an artisan meat producer with all sorts of charcuterie.

Athlete-Friendly Functional Food at the Farmer’s Market: Dark Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens like kale, collards, and mustard greens are a great source of magnesium, a mineral that is vital for outdoor athletes. Magnesium is required for hundreds of biochemical reactions inside the body, including cellular energy production, maintenance of bone density, muscle contraction and relaxation, blood pressure regulation, hormone balance, and mental health.

You can eat dark leafy greens in a salad, saute them gently and serve with protein and a starch for dinner, or add them to smoothies (spinach tends to work well in smoothies, in my experience).

Farmers’ markets are a wonderful place to acquire whole, fresh foods to fuel your body and your outdoor adventures. If you live in the Denver area, the Boulder, Golden, and South Pearl Street Farmer’s Markets are the top ones to visit, in my experience.

Have you visited any Denver-area farmers’ markets? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!

When I recently became a new mom, I was shocked by how physically and mentally demanding motherhood is. Between breastfeeding my baby every 2-3 hours (and burning somewhere around 500 extra calories per day in the process!), running around all day tending to his needs, juggling new appointments with various healthcare providers, caring for our dog, and tending to household tasks and my marriage – I found myself utterly exhausted at the end of each day. And this was before I returned to my full-time job! 

As a functional nutritionist, I started to realize that parenting isn’t just an emotional journey—it’s a full-on endurance event. Much like training, parenthood places significant nutritional demands on the body due to the combination of physical and psychological demands it entails. (Source, Source, Source) 

Parenthood is the ultimate endurance event because it doesn’t end after a couple of hours, days, or weeks – it continues for years!

Many of my clients are parents who want to PR their next trail half-marathon, finish the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, or complete multiple climbing projects. This takes the endurance event that is parenthood up a notch, to say the least! They want nutrition care that supports their energy and health so they can show up fully for their families and in their professional and sporting lives.

In this blog, I’ll discuss the nutritional demands of parenthood, how these demands are increased when parents are also athletes, and how a comprehensive performance nutrition approach can help active parents thrive. 

The Nutritional Demands of Parenthood

We don’t often think of parenthood as “physical activity,” but for many parents, it is! Whether you are a stay-at-home mom caring for your baby all day, a parent constantly chasing after your active toddler, or working parents juggling car pools and all the household tasks involved with caring for kids and teenagers, parenthood is an active time for many!

The cognitive load of juggling work, a household, and children places significant demands on your brain. Your brain is a major consumer of calories, gobbling up about 20% of your daily energy (calorie) requirement! (Source) 

In addition, the sleep deprivation that often accompanies parenthood, at least in the early days, necessitates more food intake to keep you awake. (Source) And then, of course, the mental and emotional stress associated with caring for children may deplete B vitamins and magnesium, among other nutrients. (Source)

If you are a breastfeeding mother, your body is already burning about 500 calories more per day than it does at baseline. (Source) This calorie burn is basically equivalent to running five-6 miles a day!

Fueling Properly When Parents Are Also Athletes

I work with many active parents ranging from a high-level climber who has a young child and works full-time to a day training for long-distance mountain bike races. These individuals are ambitious athletes AND don’t want to compromise their personal or professional lives. 

When parents are also outdoor athletes, their fueling needs are increased further! Training, recovery, and racing expend a lot of calories. Individual calorie burn varies from one athlete to the next. If you’re curious, you can estimate the amount of calories you burn during physical activity with the total daily energy expenditure equation.

Total energy expenditure is calculated as follows:

TEE = BMR + TEF + SPA + TEA

• TEE = total energy expenditure
• BMR = basal metabolic rate (such as the Harris-Benedict equation)
• TEF = thermic effect of food (can use a TEF online calculator)
• SPA = spontaneous physical activity (% of RMR)
• TEA = thermic effect of activity

To calculate TEA and SPA, you’ll need to look up energy expenditure tables online. Alternatively, a functional nutritionist can use activity tables to calculate your estimated TEA and SPA. 

While the TEE calculation isn’t perfect because people’s individual calorie burn varies based on other factors, including their hormone status, it is a good starting point for ascertaining your unique calorie needs. 

Here’s the problem many active parents face – they don’t know how to properly fuel their bodies to meet the dual demands of life and training. They’re doing things like fasted training, cutting calories, and skipping meals, which can lead to fatigue, irritability, brain fog, non-restorative sleep, and compromised athletic performance and recovery, among other symptoms.

A few quick nutrition tips for active parents:

• Don’t skip breakfast! Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day for athletes and parents, although lunch, dinner, and thoughtful snacks are also vital. Eating a balanced breakfast sets the tone for healthy blood sugar control, energy, and stamina throughout the day.
• Remember that quantity AND quality matter. As an active parent, you must eat enough to support the demands of daily life and training. Avoiding low energy availability, which can significantly impact your health, performance, and recovery, is essential. However, we simultaneously want to prioritize high-quality, nutrient-dense foods that will nourish our bodies and brains – think: high-quality protein (pastured, organic, and/or wild-caught, if possible), starchy tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, root vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, organic dairy products, and olive oil, to name some example foods. 
• Plan your meals. Always winging it with your meals is a recipe for inconsistent blood sugar and energy levels, leading to fluctuating motivation, performance, and recovery. A little bit of meal planning can go a long way towards reaching your health and performance goals. 

I delve into these strategies and many more with my clients who are active parents.

It can be downright challenging to train for a climb, marathon, or mountaineering trip while parenting. However, as many of my clients have discovered, with dedication, a solid training plan, and a comprehensive nutrition plan, you can not only complete that climb, race, or expedition, but do so with flying colors!

Performance and parenting are not mutually exclusive. With the proper support, you can achieve your performance goals and be fully present in all aspects of your life, including parenting. 

How I Help Active Parents Thrive

I love supporting my active parent clients with my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program! This program is designed to help outdoor enthusiasts like you achieve sustained energy, smooth digestion, and stress resilience, so you can unlock peak performance and feel your best in daily life and during activities like trail running, mountain biking, climbing, and beyond.

Here’s how it works:

☑️ Trailhead Assessment: Let’s start with a deep dive into YOU! We’ll uncover your unique physiological and nutritional needs to understand what’s holding you back from achieving peak health and performance.

☑️ Peak Performance Panel: Boost your nutrition with the right data. Functional laboratory tests reveal key biomarkers that affect health and performance.

☑️ Your Nutritional Compass: Your personalized nutrition plan – no one-size-fits-all approaches. We’ll craft a strategy tailored to your goals.

☑️ Grounded Living: Let’s create a nutrition plan that fits your life seamlessly. We’ll tackle key factors like sleep and stress management.

☑️ Adventure Strategy: Fuel for the trails, peaks, and everything in between. Whether you’re training for a 5k, an ultra run, a multi-pitch climb, or a mountaineering expedition, we’ll create a custom fueling plan to help you feel and perform at your best.

The Trailblazer Nutrition program enables me to offer personalized, high-touch support to each of my parent-athlete clients, allowing them to feel their best and optimize their health and performance. If you’re an outdoor athlete or parent ready to take your health and performance to the next level, I invite you to learn more about the Trailblazer Nutrition program here! 

Being a Parent Doesn’t Mean Sacrificing Your Active Identity

Whether you’re a climber, trail runner, cyclist, or thru-hiker, or participate in one of the many other outdoor sports available, being a parent doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your active identity. It is 100% possible to fuel both your family and your goals with the right support. For comprehensive nutrition care to support your parenting, whole-body health, and active lifestyle, my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program can get you there! If you are ready to begin, I’d love to work with you!

While I chose to cancel my resort ski pass this year during this pregnancy (too many dangerous skiers out there), I felt comfortable backcountry skiing because there’s basically no risk of another skier running into me, and I can choose mellow and safe routes. 

Fortunately, I’ve had a very healthy pregnancy so far (I just hit 24 weeks a few days ago), and there have been no health contraindications for baby or me that would make carefully-planned backcountry ski days harmful. I am positive that all of the work I did preconception to optimize my health (nutrition, training, sleep, stress management, gut health) is what has allowed me to stay so active and healthy during pregnancy!

Skiing while pregnant (especially in the backcountry) is a bit different when fueling for two! Read on to learn how I’m fueling for backcountry touring during this season of life!

A Solid Breakfast is Non-Negotiable

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and it is particularly non-negotiable during my active pregnancy. About 2 hours before hitting the skin track (if you’re a backcountry skier, this terminology will make sense to you!), I eat a breakfast that checks all of my boxes: Animal protein, quality fats, and a whole-food starchy carb to keep my blood sugar steady. Lately, my go-to is:

• Applegate turkey or chicken breakfast sausages
• Steel-cut oats (I prefer these over quick or rolled oats based on their lower glycemic load) with chia seeds, unsweetened coconut milk, cinnamon, and collagen powder. 
• Sometimes, I’ll sprinkle some berries on top for extra flavor and nutrients!

This combo keeps my blood sugar steady and my energy consistent through gearing up and skinning.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Pregnancy hydration is crucial, especially when you’re at altitude. We need more water to support an increased fluid volume during pregnancy. On top of that, exercising at altitude increases water losses, thereby increasing our fluid needs.

I drink plenty of filtered water with a couple of servings of electrolytes daily to maintain fluid balance. My favorite is UCAN Hydrate (no affiliation) – no sugar, no sticky teeth, just balanced electrolytes with a bit of stevia.

There’s a time and place for sugary electrolytes, such as during long and/or intense endurance events, but it is not something I choose to consume when I’m engaging in lower-intensity activity that can be adequately fueled by natural sugars from whole foods, like fruit.

Pack the Right Snacks! 

Pregnancy is not the time to skimp on snacks during backcountry touring! Consuming a couple of snacks during touring is important for meeting your increasing energy needs (after all, you are burning more energy by touring, and baby needs energy too!) and it can help you feel strong and steady while exercising.

I include two snacks on each backcountry tour, usually a mix of whole-food carbs + protein (such as a banana + nuts). I eat one snack on the way up and one at the top to keep my blood sugar balanced so I’m focused for the (often tricky) backcountry ski descents. 

Iron Matters, Big Time

Iron levels naturally drop in the second trimester as your baby’s needs increase. If you don’t stay on top of it, low iron can make adventuring at altitude feel extra tough (and have negative effects on pregnancy overall). I’m maintaining a healthy iron balance by eating heme iron-rich foods like red meat, poultry, and even chicken liver pâté. (Not my favorite, but worth it for its nutrient density!)

You can read more about heme and non-heme iron in my blog Forging Health and Performance: The Importance of Iron for Mountain Athletes. Please note that this blog provides an excellent overview of iron for active individuals but it does not contain pregnancy-specific information. If you need help optimizing your iron status to support your active lifestyle during pregnancy, I can help you with this in my nutrition practice. 🙂 

Personally, I prefer to get iron from food, not supplements. Excess free iron, such as that found in supplements, can be hard on the digestive system and promote oxidative stress, especially if you’re taking in more supplemental iron than you actually need. In addition, iron supplements don’t contain the other crucial nutrients you need for proper iron absorption and metabolism – vitamin C, vitamin A, and copper. 

Don’t guess about your iron status; you must test your iron to understand where you’re starting and whether you need to further optimize your iron level.

If you are already pregnant, chances are your OB or midwife has at least run basic blood work to look at your hemoglobin level (hemoglobin is the iron-containing protein that transports oxygen in red blood cells). However, unless they are functionally-minded, they may not order a comprehensive iron panel that includes serum iron, ferritin, iron saturation, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC). I always prefer to have my clients, including preconception and prenatal clients, get a full iron panel to assess their iron status as it provides a more detailed picture of iron status than just looking at hemoglobin. 

Please note that women who don’t already live at altitude (like I do) are typically advised NOT to visit altitude while pregnant, as this can be stressful on their body and baby’s body. In addition, pregnant women are usually advised not to ski because it could present a risk to the pregnancy if they fall.

However, for women who already live at altitude, exercising at the altitude where they already live is usually considered fine. In addition, since I was already highly active prior to pregnancy and am a proficient skier with little risk of falling, I decided that it is safe for me to backcountry ski (but not resort ski) during pregnancy. Check with your healthcare provider before making any decisions about skiing during pregnancy!

The Bottom Line on Nutrition for Backcountry Skiing While Pregnant

Balancing my body’s changing needs with prenatal nutrition science has allowed me to keep adventuring through this season of life, which I am incredibly grateful for!

Are you an active mama or mama-to-be? Do you want to learn how to fuel your body optimally during the preconception period and pregnancy? I can help! Schedule a discovery call with me here to learn how I can help you. 

Have any of you backcountry skied while pregnant? What fueling strategies helped you? Let me know in the comments! 

Are you ready to take your health and skiing performance to the next level? Grab a copy of my free eBook, The 7 Nutrient Labs Your Doctor Won’t test For… But Every Outdoor Enthusiast Needs to Know About! In this eBook, you’ll learn about 7 micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids) that you need for optimal health and performance as an outdoor enthusiast. You’ll discover how to test your levels and how to use food and smart supplementation to support a healthy micronutrient status.

Fuel Your Adventures:
Get my free eBook that reveals the key nutrients outdoor enthusiasts need to thrive!

🏔️ Supercharge Your Energy & Stamina: Discover the 7 essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that fuel your body for daily life, trail runs, climbs, hikes, and mountain bike adventures.

🏃🏻‍♀️ Achieve Peak Performance: Learn how micronutrients directly impact your endurance, recovery, and overall athletic capabilities—so you can conquer every summit and trail.

💪🏼Stay Healthy & Adventure Longer: Avoid burnout and stay at your best with expert nutrition tips that optimize health for outdoor enthusiasts like you.

Subscribe

Disclaimer: The information provided in this

eBook is for educational and informational

purposes only. This eBook does not constitute medical or health advice and does not establish a nutritionist-client relationship. Consult your healthcare provider before making any dietary changes.

​

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with Kit

The content provided on this nutrition blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

The information and recommendations presented here are based on general nutrition principles and may not be suitable for everyone. Individual dietary needs and health concerns vary, and what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.

I make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information, but the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, and new research may impact dietary recommendations. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented on this blog.

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or another healthcare professional for personalized guidance.

In my nutrition practice, I meet outdoor athletes daily who struggle with gut issues and have accepted that these symptoms are “normal” and part and parcel of their daily lives. In fact, these symptoms deserve focused attention, testing, and treatment. If your gut health is a mess, it will be hard, if not impossible, to achieve the level of health and performance you desire in your life. 

In this blog, I’ll discuss the connections between gut health, whole-body health, and athletic performance and explore how gut testing can help you up-level your well-being and athletic experience! 

Your Gut: The Foundation of Health and Performance

The gastrointestinal system, often referred to simply as your “GI system” or “gut” (I will use these two terms interchangeably in this blog), plays numerous and profound roles in your physiology. 

In fact, in the functional nutrition paradigm, which you can read about here, a healthy gut is essential for whole-body health and optimal physical, mental, and emotional function. 

Your gut health (or lack thereof) significantly impacts the following aspects of your well-being and athletic performance:

• Digestion and absorption of nutrients: Digesting and absorbing nutrients from your food is absolutely vital for fueling your body in daily life, not to mention during training and racing. Nutrient availability also affects how your body repairs and recovers after exercise.
• Immune function: Your gut is home to a significant portion of your immune system, and an increasing body of research shows that gut health affects immune function. An unhealthy gut is associated with an increased risk of infections and autoimmunity. (Source, Source, Source) 
• Mood and mental health: An abundance of research demonstrates the connection between the gut and mental health. Gut imbalances are associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety. (Source) 
• Energy: Gut imbalances may drive fatigue by impairing digestion and absorption of key energy-supporting nutrients like iron and vitamin B12, causing chronic inflammation (which can drain your energy), or even disrupting hormones such as thyroid hormones. (Source, Source, Source, Source) 
• Blood sugar control: Your ability to maintain balanced blood sugar is affected by your gut. 
• Cardiovascular health: Gut imbalances are linked to high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. (Source, Source) 
• Body weight and composition: The gut may impact body weight and body composition through its effects on calorie absorption from food, inflammation, and hormones. (Source, Source) 
• Endurance, muscle recovery, and exercise capacity: The gut and overall gut health (or lack thereof) are linked to endurance, muscle recovery, and exercise capacity, thus impacting your overall athletic performance. (Source, Source) 

As you can see, your gut is involved in many processes that affect your health and physical functioning. The keystone aspects of health mentioned above (digestion, absorption, mood, immune function, etc.) are prerequisites to training and performing well as an athlete. 

If your gut health is a mess, it will be hard, if not impossible, to achieve the level of health and performance you desire. This is why it is so crucial to get your gut health in check if you’re struggling with symptoms. I guarantee you will feel and function better as a human being and an athlete when your gut is healthy! 

Common Gut Symptoms in Active Individuals:

• Loose stools before, during, or after running
• Constipation (defined as not having a bowel movement daily. A healthy GI system should produce at least one well-formed daily bowel movement.)
• Frequent bloating after meals or bloating that gets worse over the course of the day
• Food sensitivities
• Reflux
• Frequent burping 

In addition, problems in the gut can manifest in other parts of the body, potentially causing problems such as:

• Acne
• Eczema
• Rosacea
• Menstrual cycle difficulties
• Sleep issues 
• Brain fog 
• Low mood

What Most Sports Dietitians/Nutritionists Get Wrong About Gut Health

On social media and on podcasts, I commonly see sports dietitians attribute athlete gut issues to just a few factors:

1. Overeating sugar, mainly simple sugars from sports nutrition products.
2. Not hydrating sufficiently.
3. Not “training” the gut to tolerate certain types and volumes of sports nutrition products and foods before training and racing.

While these factors can contribute to gut issues, they are not the only factors compromising athlete gut health. In fact, for some athletes, these issues are just the tip of the iceberg. It takes a sports nutritionist who is highly trained in GI health and has worked with many people with GI issues to understand how to address and improve stubborn athlete gut issues. 

What’s Really Going on with Your Gut Health?

In my work with hundreds of clients, including outdoor athletes, I’ve noted that the following gut issues are common:

• Gut dysbiosis: Gut dysbiosis is an imbalance in the gut microbiota, the community of microbes that live in your intestines. A conventional gastroenterologist cannot identify gut dysbiosis with standard tests such as stool cultures or a colonoscopy. To identify this issue, we need to use a functional stool test (more on this shortly). 
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO): SIBO is a condition where an abnormal number or type of bacteria grow in the small intestine, leading to symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation. It can disrupt digestion and nutrient absorption, affecting overall gut health. In many cases, a person who was told they have IBS may actually have SIBO. (Source) 
• Increased intestinal permeability (aka “leaky gut”): Leaky gut is a condition where the lining of the gut becomes too permeable, allowing undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to pass into the bloodstream. This can lead to inflammation and may contribute to various health issues, including autoimmunity and musculoskeletal injuries. (Source, Source) 
• Gluten and dairy sensitivities: Dairy and gluten sensitivity are the two most common food sensitivities in my practice that can cause significant gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, constipation, bloating, excessive gas, heartburn, and reflux. Removing these foods for 4-6 weeks while working to improve gut health via testing and an evidence-based gut protocol can significantly improve gut symptoms and overall gut function.
  • Before you get all up in arms and say that “only people with celiac disease are gluten-sensitive,” you should be aware that there is an ABUNDANCE of research indicating the reality of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. (Source) 
• FODMAP sensitivity: Difficulty digesting certain types of carbohydrates known as FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols). These compounds are found in various foods and can ferment in the gut, causing symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, or abdominal pain, especially in people with conditions like SIBO and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

How Do Gut Issues Develop?

Clients often ask me how or why they have gut issues. While I can’t directly answer this question, I tell them that many factors can interfere with healthy gut function throughout life. 

Some of these factors include:

• Antibiotics: Decreases levels of beneficial gut bacteria and disrupts the healthy balance of microbes in the gut
• Hormonal contraceptives: Hormonal contraceptives are associated with adverse changes in the gut microbiota and gut inflammation. It is possible that the longer you’ve taken hormonal contraceptives, the more potential there is for gut dysbiosis. (Source, Source)
  • For more information about hormonal contraceptives and the gut, check out this blog by Jolene Brighten. 
• Stress: Stress can increase the growth of harmful gut bacteria and reduce beneficial bacteria. (Source) 
• NSAIDs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can promote leaky gut, especially when used in excess (which is common amongst athletes). This may be due to the toxic effect of NSAIDs on intestinal cells. Yikes! (Source) 
• Ultra-processed food: A diet heavy in processed foods, including added sugars and other refined carbohydrates like white bread and cereal, is connected to gut dysbiosis. (Source) 
• Exposure to pesticides and herbicides: Exposure to agricultural chemicals via residues on our food may negatively impact our gut health. This is one reason I’m a big proponent of choosing pesticide- and herbicide-free produce or conventional produce that is low in chemical residues. (Source, Source)
  • The Environmental Working Group is a good resource for choosing low-pesticide produce.  
• Excessive exercise: If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re an athlete and love training! However, intense training can cause gut issues for some people by disrupting the intestinal lining and causing inflammation. High temperatures, fluid restriction (aka dehydration), and high altitude may exacerbate exercise-induced leaky gut. (Source) 

Enhance Your Health and Performance with Gut Testing

There are some gut tests that I refer clients to their providers for, such as the small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) test and celiac disease testing. It is possible to get these tests covered by insurance, so I prefer to have clients go this route if their doctor is open-minded about testing.

However, as a functional sports nutritionist, I am also qualified to order and interpret a variety of gut tests based on my training. 

Here are several of the gut tests that I use with athletes in my nutrition practice:

• GI MAP: This is a comprehensive functional stool test that uses the PCR (DNA) method to analyze gut dysbiosis, digestive enzyme production, parasites, candida/fungal overgrowth, pathogenic bacteria, viral infections, healthy gut bacteria products (short-chain fatty acids), leaky gut, detox function, and H. pylori. 
• IBSSure (anti-vinculin antibody testing): Assesses for the antibodies associated with post-infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or IBS, that occurs after a bout of food poisoning. Identifying these antibodies helps to plan and optimize gut protocols, especially during maintenance phases. 
• Wheat/Gluten Sensitivity and Intestinal Permeability Testing: This test provides a detailed assessment of wheat and gluten reactivity/immunity, including Celiac, non-celiac, and wheat protein sensitivity. It also includes LPS antibodies (which provide a detailed assessment of intestinal permeability or ‘leaky gut’).

What will a GI MAP test show you? Here are several pages from a sample GI MAP report:

I offer each of these labs in my nutrition practice and get great results when I use these tests with my clients! 

If you decide to do a gut test like the GI MAP, it is crucial to work with a nutritionist who is trained in and experienced with using the test. I’ve seen some dietitians and other healthcare providers order the test and not know what to do with the results, leaving their clients in the lurch. 

Example interventions that I use to help athletes improve their gut health include:

• Supplementation protocols for SIBO (can be done alongside antibiotics from your doctor if you choose to go the antibiotic route), including evidence-based herbs, probiotics, and digestive supports
• Probiotic and prebiotic protocols for improving low beneficial bacteria
• Dietary interventions and supplement protocols for improving leaky gut 
• Short-term elimination diets to address chronic gut symptoms such as loose stools, constipation, and bloating 

For six quick tips on supporting your gut health while running, check out my blog, 6 Smart Tips for Navigating Runner’s Stomach on the Trail and in Daily Life. 

These are just a few examples of the tools in my “toolkit” that I use to help active individuals overcome their gut symptoms and feel and perform their best!

The Bottom Line on Gut Health and Athletic Performance

Taking care of your gut is about more than just avoiding digestive discomfort—it’s about supporting your overall health and maximizing your performance. From nutrient absorption to inflammation control, your gut plays a vital role in how your body functions and recovers. By using the right tests to identify gut problems, addressing imbalances, and implementing evidence-based gut protocols with the guidance of an experienced nutritionist, you can build a strong foundation for both everyday wellness and peak athletic performance.

Want to learn more about the gut health-athletic performance connection? Check out my free masterclass on this important topic here!

The content provided on this nutrition blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

The information and recommendations presented here are based on general nutrition principles and may not be suitable for everyone. Individual dietary needs and health concerns vary, and what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.

I make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information, but the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, and new research may impact dietary recommendations. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented on this blog.

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or another healthcare professional for personalized guidance.