How This Taylor Swift Backup Dancer Stays Pescatarian on the Road
When you’re bouncing between hotel rooms without access to a kitchen, eating a pescatarian diet can be challenging. Stephanie Mincone, who most recently traveled the globe with Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour, told Dance Magazine how she does it—while fueling herself with enough energy to perform for thousands of Taylor fans.
Her Shopping List
Mincone relies on the salad bars at local Whole Foods or health stores, loading her to-go box with fish and nuts. She also stocks up on yogurt, milk and Vega Protein Nutrition Shakes for when she needs a pick-me-up. “The shakes are low in sugar, and have a bunch of greens,” she says. “They’re a good supplement for times when I’m not able to eat great.”
Typical Tour Diet
Breakfast
- Dairy-free yogurt with granola and berries
- Avocado toast
- Scrambled eggs
Lunch
- Mixed-greens salad with vegetables like broccoli or butternut squash. “I try to bring vibrant colors into my diet.”
Dinner
- Fish with some complex carbs like vegetables or grains
Snacks
- “I always have a bar, a fruit snack pack, an apple and peanut butter, or an orange backstage just in case.”
Eating to Perform
Mincone makes sure to eat two and a half hours before performing. “I do my best to get enough food so that I have energy, but not overeat. I don’t want to feel sluggish onstage.”
Suitcase Must-Haves on Travel Days
- rice cakes
- peanut butter
- dark chocolate
- apples
Staying Hydrated
Mincone is serious about drinking water—particularly since it’s easy to get dehydrated on the road. “If you ask anyone on tour, I have a water bottle in my hand at all times. And on travel days, I drink extra.”
Eating Like a Local
Of course, one of the perks of dancing on a world tour is the chance to explore the delicacies of other cultures. “I’m a big foodie, so I was always the one who would find the best places for us to go out to eat,” Mincone says. Yet she doesn’t deny the comfort of all-American breakfast food. “Pancakes and waffles are really what do it for me,” she says.
Mincone says it comes down to balance. “On tour you need to get all the nutrients you need to do your job well. But you have to know when it’s okay to treat yourself.”
