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Welcome to The Gymnast Nutritionist® podcast, a free resource for gymnast, parents, and coaches to learn to fuel the gymnast optimal performance and longevity int he sport. Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSP, CSSD is a board certified pediatric/adolescent registered dietitian nutritionist, former gymnast, and current nationally rated gymnastics judge. She helps gymnasts and their parents take a proactive approach to fueling, without the stress or overwhelm. This podcast is all #realtalk where she tackles tough subjects about nutrition, body image, and more in the sport of gymnastics.
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Does your gymnast really need to eat less when she’s injured? This is one of the most common and most damaging assumptions parents make during time off from the gym. In this episode, we break down gymnast nutrition needs during injury and why cutting food, especially carbohydrates, often does the opposite of what parents intend. When a gymnast is injured, her body isn’t “doing less.” It’s working overtime. And 99% of high level gymnasts have no business eating less during recovery. Under-fuel...
Gymnast parents have been joining me for a FREE weekly webinar each week of December: the FUELED Comp Season Series. Each Tuesday this month at noon MT, I’m covering a key topic your gymnast needs to navigate competition season successfully. So today let's talk about Competition Nutrition Strategies from Level 5-10 and Elite gymnasts With the 2026 competition season upon us, we're going to focus on the varying needs for competition nutrition strategies for gymnastics at the ...
Gymnast parents have been joining me for a FREE weekly webinar each week of December: the FUELED Comp Season Series. Each Tuesday this month at noon MT, I’m covering a key topic your gymnast needs to navigate competition season successfully. So let's talk about how every tenth matters...would your gymnast’s nutrition score an 8.0 or a 9.5+? Your gymnast SAYS she wants to do well this competition season...but does her nutrition really reflect her goals? Most gymnasts' f...
ICYMI… this week we launched our new, FREE, 4-week Zoom webinar: the FUELED Comp Season Series. Each Tuesday this month at noon MT, I’m covering a key topic your gymnast needs to navigate competition season successfully. First up: injuries, immune health, endurance/performance issues, and REDs during comp season. In this episode, we’re diving into the overlooked connection between why so many gymnasts struggle with injuries, illness, and performance decline right when it matters most and REDs...
In this episode, we’re having an honest conversation about gymnast bodies, growth, and the persistent (and harmful) belief that adults can (or should) control how a gymnast develops. You cannot tell where a gymnast is in their growth trajectory just by looking at them or comparing them to their teammates. Growth is completely individual. It's shaped by genetics, prior growth patterns, and the adequacy of nutrition. And yet, the sport continues to act like height, weight, or body type de...
Welcome back to Fueled Gymnast Fall, a podcast series on what you need to know about fueling your gymnast as we move into this next competitive season. Today, we’re tackling a major issue I see EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR: the mid-season implosion. A lot of gymnasts start the season in one of two places: ✔️ Looking strong but already running on fumes, or ✔️ Already dealing with nagging injuries, chronic fatigue, or inconsistent training. By January or February, the wheels start to ...
Welcome back to Fueled Gymnast Fall, a podcast series on what you need to know about fueling your gymnast as we move into this next competitive season. Today I'm addressing a sensitive subject for those gymnasts who are injured and not quite sure what season will look like this year. If your gymnast was injured last season or is struggling with an major injury this preseason, it can feel frustrating and discouraging. But this doesn’t have to be a wasted time in her gymnastics journey. I...
Welcome back to Fueled Gymnast Fall, a podcast series on what you need to know about fueling your gymnast as we move into this next competitive season. Today I'm answering a question constantly asked around this time of the year, "Should a gymnast “Clean Up” their diet before comp season starts?" As competition season approaches, many parents and gymnasts start thinking about “cleaning up” their diet; cutting out sugar, eating more salads, or trying to be “extra healthy.” Maybe the gym or coa...
Welcome to Fueled Gymnast Fall, a podcast series on what you need to know about fueling your gymnast as we move into this next competitive season. And on today's episode, we're diving right in with the question, "Are so many gymnasts really underfueled?" Yes, yes they are… Why do parents and coaches not believe us? Maybe it's because we are so conditioned to seeing “teeny, tiny pre-pubescents gymnasts” especially at the upper levels that we assume this is normal. So many parents a...
What Is OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans) and how does nutrition play a role for your gymnast? In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most misunderstood overuse injuries in gymnastics. OCD, or Osteochondritis Dissecans, and how nutrition plays a powerful role in both prevention and recovery. Parents, if you’ve ever wondered whether your gymnast’s elbow or knee pain could be related to underfueling, this is a must-listen. We’ll start by breaking down why gymnasts are at higher risk ...
When a gymnast is underfueled, deciding whether they should practice can feel like a tough call. But is keeping them out of practice a punishment...or protection? In this episode, we dive into why it's sometimes the safest and only option for a gymnast to miss practice because of underfueling and what it means for safety, progress, and long-term health. When your gymnast isn’t eating enough to support their training, it can be an incredibly difficult situation for both the parent and the coac...
Is your Level 9/10 gymnast disciplined enough with nutrition to perform, recover, and reach their biggest goals? Every high-level gymnast knows that discipline is part of the sport. From perfecting routines to managing school and training, your Level 9/10 gymnast already works incredibly hard. But when it comes to nutrition, discipline often takes on the wrong meaning. In this episode, we’re unpacking what gymnast disciplined nutrition truly looks like—and how many athletes are missing the ma...
s your gymnast talking about quitting? If so, you’re not alone. Many parents and coaches face this difficult situation of their gymnast saying she wants to quit. But whether it comes out of the blue or feels like the inevitable conclusion, I'd really challenge you to dig in and try and understand what could be making your gymnast feel this way. In this episode of The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast, we dive into the real reasons why gymnasts feel like giving up and whether nutrition can p...
When it comes to fueling high-level gymnasts, there’s no shortage of opinions and advice floating around online. But when it comes to your gymnast’s health and performance, “guessing” is not a strategy. In this episode, I’m breaking down our approach to labs, supplements, and mineral analysis for gymnasts. You’ll learn why blindly adding supplements can do more harm than good, when lab testing makes sense, and how mineral analysis can give us deeper insights into your gymnast’s fueling and re...
Thinking about gymnast nutrition coaching but feeling hesitant? You’re not alone. Many parents wrestle with the same fears before starting 1:1 coaching for their gymnast—and in this episode of The Gymnast Nutritionist Podcast, I’m unpacking the most common concerns and what you really need to know before making the investment. We're in the thick of Preseason and I know gymnast nutrition coaching is not at the top of the list for many families right now. Skills verification, putting toge...
When parents hear “fueling,” they often assume their gymnast is doing okay—but our recent gymnast fueling audits revealed a very different story. Here’s what we found: 2 out of 3 gymnasts had already fallen off their growth curve.Most were missing 25% or more of their daily nutrition needs.Many were already at moderate to high risk for RED-S, not because they were training 30 hours a week like elites—most averaging closer to 20 hours per week.And the scary part? A lot of these gymnasts alread...
There’s a lot in gymnastics that frustrates parents—but truthfully, much of it is out of your control. You can’t control the judging. Or the coaching. You can’t control every practice or every skill. So as a parent of a gymnast, what can you actually control? Gymnastics is a roller coaster of a ride. There are so many factors outside a parent's control along the way. But one thing I’ve learned in 6+ years of working with gymnastics parents…most wait too late. January is our biggest coho...
When it comes to gymnast nutrition, “healthy” and “adequate” are not the same thing. And confusing the two can keep your gymnast stuck in frustration, struggling with performance, and at higher risk of injury. So many parents tell me, “But Christina, my gymnast eats so healthy!” And while that’s absolutely important, the real question is—is she eating enough? Here’s the truth. A gymnast can eat the cleanest, most nutrient-dense diet in the world, but if it’s not adequate—meaning enough total ...
Why is our practice The Gymnast Nutritionist® even though we are all Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (specialized in pediatrics and sports nutrition). Marketing. No one knows what a dietitian is. Not even in the hospital. We get all dietricians, dietary, nutritionalists, etc. But, there are HUGE differences between dietitians and nutritionists. We are not created equally. And, like in any professions, they bad dietitians and bad nutritionists. But, I am confident to say t...
Your gymnast’s lunchbox comes home full… and your heart drops. You know what’s ahead—hours of intense training—and your gymnast skipping lunch just isn’t an option. But between picky eating, short lunch breaks, and the chaos of the school day, it happens more often than we’d like to admit. Back-to-school season means jam-packed schedules, early mornings, homework piles, and rushing from the classroom to the gym. For most kids, missing a meal isn’t ideal—but for gymnasts, it can be a game-chan...
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