Female hands in yellow knitted sweater holding a bowl with pumpkin cream soup on dark stone background with spoon decorated with cut fresh pumpkin, top view. Autumn cozy dinner concept

Why and How to Incorporate Pumpkin Into Your Autumn Meal Plans

Pumpkin, in its various forms, provides a versatile canvas for creativity in the kitchen. Canned pumpkin purée, a pantry staple, can be easily incorporated into soups and pies, and frozen pumpkin can be added to oatmeal and pancakes. When fresh pumpkin is roasted, its caramelized edges and tender interior add a delectable dimension to salads, pastas, or a standalone side dish. Don’t overlook the seeds; toasted pumpkin seeds make a crunchy, nutritious snack or a flavorful salad topper.

Clear glass food storage meal prepping containers with fresh berries, carrots, fruits, vegetables and meat on white background.

Mealtime Strategies for Your Busiest Dance Days

While cooking from scratch is often touted as the ideal approach to healthy eating, it’s not always feasible for dancers during busy rehearsal and performance periods. Elaborate home-cooked meals are also not the be-all and end-all of nutritious eating. Particularly when time is scarce, turning to nutritious snacks and relying on packaged and frozen foods can be part of a healthy eating plan, offering convenience without sacrificing nutrition.

an iPad with a cafeteria good food article displayed

Why Cultivating Food Flexibility is Crucial for Your Health

Just as nutrition is important to a dancer’s fuel plan, eating patterns that support a dancer’s relationship with food can have an incredible impact on performance potential onstage and in the studio. Yet research suggests that dancers are three times more likely to struggle with an eating disorder than the general population. This often involves inflexibility around foods that diet culture deems to be “bad” or “unhealthy,” like processed foods or desserts.

a hand holding a smartphone to take a photo of the food on the table

3 Reasons to Scroll Past “What I Eat in a Day” Posts

While the intent behind “What I Eat in a Day” posts is often harmless, the reality is that they can lay the groundwork for a dancer’s struggle with food. Dancers are already more vulnerable to harmful food and body beliefs that risk disordered eating—adding another source for comparison can leave dancers feeling doubtful.