How This Dietitian Feels about Intermittent Fasting & Fasted Training

Collaboration over competition – this phrase has helped me so much with my mindset as a registered dietitian, mountain athlete, business owner, and a member of the Jackson community. The only competition I have is myself. I always push myself to be better, and by doing that, I hope I can inspire others do the same. Not to compete with me, but just to strive for a better quality of life! We only get one. Let’s lift each other up. Let’s recognize the lights and gifts that others bring to this world.

“What’s the number one mistake you see from clients and athletes you work with?”

“Not eating enough or often enough throughout the day to support their activities and adventures.”

Lolly and I have experienced the consequences of chronic low energy availability, and both of us truly want to prevent other athletes from experiencing the injuries and hormonal imbalances that come from not providing our bodies with adequate nutrients.

I started following Vanessa Jane a couple months ago on Instagram because her profile looked amazing! She's a fellow private practice dietitian, former collegiate athlete, and entrepreneur.

In this episode, we discuss the effects of nutrition on sport performance, body image issues, mental health, and much more! We also discuss my experiences as a collegiate athlete, the aftermath, depression that can result from feeling major loss of identity after collegiate sports end, and how I regained my footing in a whole new world of nutrition and self care.

“The mountains brought me here, but the community keeps me here.” - one of my answers for why I live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Tyler Meany is a Jackson transplant from Minnesota. He owns his own marketing firm and lives in Wilson with his girlfriend and their two dogs, Bridger and Maverick. Tyler reached out to me to be a guest on his podcast after I participated in an Instagram Live for Jackson Hole Stillworks. This appearance is very different from my other guest appearances because we talked about so much more than nutrition, including our own unique paths that led us to Jackson Hole and our favorite pocket snacks for mountain adventures!

Nutrition connects us all. We have to eat to live, but think about how many memories you've made over a meal with family and friends. At a time where there is so much division in our political climate and we are encouraged to socially distance from one another, I wanted to highlight a way that we are all connected even if we cannot physically connect. Instead of posting about another nutrition trend, I am going to focus on what truly connects us to one another – our shared experiences.

Last week I was asked about the next nutrition trend for 2021. I had several thoughts and potential answers to this question. But if I had to choose what the next trend should be, it is eating seasonally, locally and sustainably. Eat produce that is in season (for one reason, it’s cheaper), choose produce and products that are local to support your community, and choose foods that will sustain the environment if possible.

Why is Vitamin D important? Why should we be paying attention to our serum (blood) Vitamin D levels? The short, incredibly relevant answer to why you should care about Vitamin D and its effect on your body is that there is significant, accumulating research regarding Vitamin D status and its connection to COVID-19.

Before I moved to Jackson, I rarely tasted wild game. I sometimes would have venison in the form of deer sausage while tailgating before Texas A&M football games. Other than that, my exposure to wild game and my knowledge surrounding its benefits was minimal. Check out this post about the benefits of consuming wild game!