Rework Nutrition, LLC

Mornings with three kids are chaotic 🤪, so breakfast needs to be fast, simple, and something everyone will actually eat. These banana pancakes (bonus with some added fiber & protein) check all the boxes 🍌🥞✅

As a former soccer player and now sports dietitian, I thought I knew how to eat for performance. Looking back, there are a few things I wish I would’ve done differently, and they’re the same mistakes I see many athletes making today!

1. Not eating enough carbohydrates.
Rushing between classes, practices and lifts often left me under-fueled. I was trying to make balanced choices, but I definitely wasn’t eating enough to support my training. Carbs are your body’s primary fuel source for performance. A good starting point for many athletes in moderate training is 5–7 g carb/per kg of body weight/day. It’s also important to plannnnnnn ahead (a whole different topic)🙃

2. Not taking recovery nutrition seriously.
After training sessions, I’d often wait too long to eat and drink. At the time, I didn’t realize that delaying recovery meant potential for more soreness, slower recovery, and less energy for the next day’s training. Need a quick option? Chocolate milk (one of my greatest joys post morning lift when I decided to actually drink it🫠). It provides carbs to replenish glycogen, high-quality protein (including leucine) to start muscle repair, and fluids to rehydrate.

3. Treating hydration like an afterthought.
If I wasn’t thirsty, I assumed I was hydrated. In reality, dehydration can begin affecting performance before you ever feel thirsty (esp during two a days or in the heat). Aim for 8–16 oz of fluid before training + drink throughout based on your sweat losses (roughly 6-12 oz per 15 min), and include electrolytes + carb during longer sessions (>60 minutes) or in hot, humid conditions.

4. Taking only game day nutrition seriously. 
Performance nutrition isn’t about one perfect pre-game meal. It’s the consistency of what you eat every day that supports better training, faster recovery, and improved performance when it matters most.

The good news? You don’t have to make the same mistakes I did 🙌 If you’re ready to fuel smarter and perform at your best, I’d love to help! Reach out to learn more about working together💪

Monday thoughts 💭

Dietitians aren’t the food police! My job is to help you build a healthier relationship with food, understand how to fuel your body well, and create habits you can actually stick with!

Nutrition should fit your life, not take it over. If you’ve been avoiding seeing a dietitian because you’re worried you’ll be judged or told to give up everything you love, I hope this changes your mind 🤍

Unpopular opinion from a sports dietitian: most people don’t need added electrolytes and here’s why 👇

Water is often enough for the vast majority. If you are dehydrated, it’s probably from lack of fluid..not lack of electrolytes. Oral “rehydration solutions” (LMNT, Liquid IV, etc.) will help people that are dehydrated and sweat excessively to rehydrate. During exercise, you lose fluid + electrolytes through mostly sweat. Research consistently shows that performance deficits begin when you are losing around 2% of your body weight from dehydration (cardiovascular strain rises, perceived effort increases, endurance performance declines, etc.)

But here’s the nuance most people miss: most workouts won’t get you to that point of dehydration.

To reach that 2% body mass loss, you typically need:�⏱️Longer duration (60-90+ min)�💦High sweat rates (often 1–2+ L/hour)�🥵Heat/humidity or high intensity

It’s important to state that added electrolytes DO matter…when physiology demands it. HOWEVER, if you’re mostly at a desk, doing short workouts, or just trying to “stay hydrated”…you’re probably not losing enough sweat to meaningfully deplete electrolytes. The avg diet already provides more than enough electrolytes to replace losses. �
🍉🥬🥛Instead, eat whole food often and aim for 1/2 your weight in ounces daily of fluid! Let’s try not to solve a problem that we don’t even have! Save your money and drink water with lemon if you need to spice it up 😉

Pre-run fuel goals: Ideally anywhere from 30–60g of carbs 30 min before your run is what you want to aim for. This number will increase or decrease depending on the amount of time you have before. Think low fiber, low/mod protein + low fat for easy digestion!

So as a sports dietitian, what’s the option I would pick?!

💧LMNT + Water: Great for hydration and electrolytes (esp sodium), but not enough carbs (specific to this brand)
🔋 Fasted: Can you complete it fasted? Sure. But research continues to support having carbs for improved performance and glycogen preservation (aka sparing stored energy).
🥣Yogurt: 12–15g carbs..not quite enough. For many runners (including myself), dairy can sit strange on your stomach this close to a run. If it works for you, dress it up with granola, honey and fruit to meet carb goals.
🙃Pistachios: Tasty but only 6g carbs and high fat—pass this close to a longer run!
🍌 Fig Bar + Banana: 40–50g carbs, low residue and easy to digest. Love it!
⭐️Pop-Tart: about 40g carb for one pastry. It’s processed and low fiber = perfect quick fuel!

WINNER: Pop-Tart OR Fig Bar + Banana! Bonus would be to add water + electrolytes for the ultimate 90 min pre-run combo💪🏻

What’s your favorite pre-run fuel?