Cheese It Up!

Why your favorite dairy treat, doesn’t have to ruin your diet.

Having it shredded, melted, or sliced, cheese transforms an ordinary dish into a culinary delight. Unfortunately most of the time cheese, gets a bad reputation due to that amazing taste coming with a lot of extra calories, fat, and sodium. But stuffing your face with pizza, macaroni and cheese, and nachos isn’t the way to go about it either, but that doesn’t mean you should rule it out all together.

 

Cheese Is Nutritious- FACT!

Cheese contains a lot of calcium and protein, two very important nutrients for dancers (females especially). Protein from cheese helps with muscle growth and development. and can contribute to a healthy immune system. Calcium also helps the relief of PMS.

Cheese is packed with phosphorus and vitamins A and B, making it good for your bones and skin, along with maintaining energy levels. This dairy product also contains biotin which is great for strong silky hair!

Low Fat Is Where It’s At!

Full fat cheese is packed with nutrients but super heavy in calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat. Cheddar is the worse offender, with 9.4 grams of total fat (6 grams are saturated), with 114 calories per serving! Now cheeses like skim mozzarella has far less fat and fewer calories.

Cheese Food- Not JUST Cheese…

Processed cheese is a terrible mixture to create ‘cheesy foods’ and spreads, though they do have some benefits, most come at a price. There are added preservatives, colorants,  additives, and dye. These cheeses are also very high in sodium, doing the exact opposite of what we want. Sodium makes us excrete calcium instead of retaining it for muscle growth. You don’t need to avoid these all together, the key word is simple, it’s called balance and moderation. But the closer to al natural you can get, then better off you’ll be.

And The Verdict Is-

Cheese passes the dietitians test! Although we wouldn’t recommend eating a block of cheese at every meal, but it is a tasty option you can add to your daily diet and not feel bad.

Superfoods- pack a nutrtional punch!

Would you like some immune boosting vitamin C? Or how about some extra potassium to help avoid muscle cramps? There is no need to take extra supplements to get the extra boost you need for your dance day. It can be as simple as squeezing a lemon on your salad, or having celery sticks as your rehearsal snack (instead of that packet of chips). A lot of ordinary fruits and vegetables are secret superfoods! A bonus? They are flexible, portable, and with your creativity can add a little ‘zing’ to your typical meal.

Dancers need to be aware of their nutritional balance, which tends to get lost in the daily shuffle of your schedule. For instance a lot of dancers are low in vitamin D (which is fat soluble), and low in calcium (which can lead to higher risk of bone fractures).  It’s easy to add mineral and vitamin rich foods to your diet. It is recommended to have five servings of both fruits and vegetables per day.

Below is a list of fruits and vegetables that can make a big difference in ensuring you are consuming enough of your daily essential nutrients.

LEMONS: CITRUS BOOST!

Vitamin C helps the body in producing collagen, which aids in creating new bone mass, blood vessels, ligaments, and tendons. Most dancers don’t realize the importance of vitamin C in your diet, vitamin C is a huge booster in muscle recovery as well. A single lemon can contain more than 50 milligrams, over half the daily requirement for females. Simply adding lemon juice to your salad, tea, or water, will add some extra flavor and help you get that extra daily punch.

CELERY: OLD SCHOOL; BUT CLASSIC

Dancers need to replace electrolytes quickly, and celery can help majorly during those long rehearsals. Celery is very high in fiber, vitamin K, folic acid, magnesium, sodium (also an electrolyte), and essential amino acids. How much more of a superfood do you need? Celery leaves also contain vitamin A, which helps to keep your skin vibrant and healthy. You can dip sticks in peanut butter, or humus for added protein, or chop them up to add in soups and salads.

POTATO: VITAMIN RICH RESOURCE

Those lumpy brown tubers get an unfortunate reputation from those no-carb losers, and often get overlooked for their nutritional value. Now it is time to reconsider those spuds in your diet! Made of complex carbohydrates, they are very filling, transportable, and low on the glycemic index. (And eating that skin, will give you an extra boost!) potatoes contain vitamin C, D, folate, potassium, magnesium, and iron. One roast potato will deliver the intake of 21% the daily requirement for vitamin B6, (which helps with your nervous system), and the skins are full of antioxidant flavonoids.

 

Drizzle Fo Shizzle

Four oils that give you body a healthy boost!

Dancers tend to avoid all fat in their diet and what some don’t realize is your body actually needs to consume a healthy amount of fat to function. “Fat plays an essential role in the absorption of vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are key for bone health and the immune system,” says Emily Cook Harrison (DM). “The body uses fat as building blocks. Plus fat can be used as fuel along with carbohydrates when dancing requires endurance.”

So what are healthy fat sources and how much should you consume? Fat has an average of nine calories per gram compared to protein’s four. This goes to show a little bit can go a long way! Company directors, nutritionists, and dance teachers recommend getting only 25 percent of your daily calories from fat; a small amount for long distance. Using oils to season food can be a nutritious way to make sure you get enough in a healthy way, and there’s no need to stick to the usual olive oil. There are many various heart healthy, omega packed, oils out there such as canola oil, sunflower seed oil, macadamia oil, flaxseed oil, and more! But here our Chace Dance Company’s four favorite oils to drizzle over meals.

Coconut Oil
Pure Virgin coconut oil is a saturated fat, consume it in moderation. The body absorbs this very rapidly, in which case it can serve as a quick source for fuel (instead of always grabbing the chocolate). Coconut oil is an immune booster as well, and an excellent source of lauric acid (for cholesterol). Use it for baking, or spooned right into your yogurt, oatmeal, or frying pan! It can withstand high heat and does not need to be refrigerated which is a plus for being in South Africa.

Walnut Oil
This is delicate with a nutty flavor and has many benefits. Walnut oil is packed with nutritional value of omega 3’s, vitamin K (bone health), and vitamin E. Plus walnut oil is a natural melatonin which will help improve sleep. Studies have shown a correlation between using walnut oil and lower blood pressure, also lowering the risk if heart disease. Because of its strong flavor, a small amount will be all you need to season a salad or meat dish. This oil has a short shelf life so will need to be stored in the refrigerator.

Flaxseed Oil
Touted by many as a more palatable alternative to fish oil, flaxseed oils carries many anti-inflammatory properties. In other words, perfect oil alternative for dancers! It is rich in omega 3s to help with brain function and lower the risk of heart disease. Go for the unfiltered options which tend to offer more nutrients. Flaxseed oil is a good substitute for cooking oil, but works great in pesto, humus, and salad dressings. This oil is perishable so store in the fridge with your walnut oil.

Sesame Oil
Nothing jazzes up a dish like sesame oil! Especially asian soy vinaigrette! This also is a host to health benefits, like helping lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Added nutrients included vitamin E and K. Some studies connect consuming sesame seed oil with reducing high blood pressure and artery plaque. THis oil works well for stove top cooking, baking, and dressings.

 

Food for your Mood

The general population knows that many different factors can affect our mood at any moment of your day. However, an increasing amount of research is showing there to be a direct connection between the nutrients we eat during the day to the way we feel, cope, and react to different events on that same day. This may seem a strange idea, but it makes perfect sense if you think about it! Our emotional responses are strongly related to our brain health and chemistry. For dancers, moods can have a significant impact on their training methods, technique quality, and motivation levels.

The main brain chemical that is responsible for a person’s moods is serotonin, which is produced in the body from tryptophan (an amino acid that aids the body’s process to break down protein). Serotonin is mainly produced in the gastrointestinal tract, thus the foods we eat plays a major role in the levels of serotonin in the body. When you don’t have enough serotonin you become lethargic, minor depression, increased anxiety, and difficulties with sleep. But mostly, low serotonin levels makes a person crave high energy carbs like no tomorrow!

WHAT CAN LEAD TO LOW SEROTONIN LEVELS?

1. Not enough protein

2. Low-calorie diets and skipping meals

3. Not enough sunlight

4. Periods of high stress

5. Chemicals in food such as caffeine, alcohol, or artificial sweeteners

6. Genetics

SO WHICH FOODS can help you mood?

1. Yogurt and fruit

2. Nuts, seeds, dried fruit mix

3. Whole grain Crackers

4. Baked Beans

5. Canned tuna, or Salmon

 

So next time you feel like a quick snack, try to choose wisely. You never know, you may start to feel better about yourself!