Female Athlete Nutrition

Host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes interviews Brittany Miller, a certified sports nutritionist with SwimStrong Dryland who supports swimmers worldwide through a largely virtual program offering strength training, nutrition, wellness, mentorship, and mental skills for athletes from age group to Olympians. Miller shares her personal history of underfueling in softball, later developing restrictive and binge patterns before improving through Precision Nutrition and ASPDA connections, emphasizing scope and referrals to sports dietitians when needed.

They discuss swimmer-specific challenges including hidden sweat/hydration, indoor training and low vitamin D, non-weight-bearing bone density risk, early morning two-a-days and underfueling, short recovery windows, nervous stomach at meets, and using interactive, competitive education activities to make nutrition engaging for youth athletes.

Brittany Miller is a certified sports nutritionist through Precision Nutrition and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and is an allied health professional through the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association. She's been working with swim athletes for over 7 years, from age groupers to Olympians. She and her team at SwimStrong Dryland inspire and change the lives of competitive swimmers through strength training, nutrition & wellness, mentorship and care. As a lifelong athlete, she loves to equip young swimmers with practical knowledge and tools that lead to better performance, more fun, and lifelong habits. Brittany lives on the northside of Indianapolis with her amazing husband, two kids and maltese poodle.

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Host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes introduces the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, aiming to help female athletes overcome confusing and harmful nutrition messages, and includes sponsorships for Wave Bye menstrual cycle products and Lindsey’s REDs resources and membership.

Lindsey interviews binge eating expert Amber Abila, who shares her progression from calorie restriction and vegan dieting as a teen to bingeing, purging, and over-exercising, with therapy helping bulimia but not binge eating. Amber explains binge eating often stems from restriction and nutrient deficiency, and discusses how hyper-palatable foods and added “natural flavors” can intensify cravings, referencing concepts from The Dorito Effect and artificial sweeteners. She emphasizes shifting from weight-loss focus to feeling normal around food, treating bingeing as a changeable habit, using mindset tools like visualization (featured in her free audio “Stop a Binge Before It Starts”), and building regular meals before refining hunger/fullness cues. Amber outlines her three-month coaching and notes overeating and binge eating use similar strategies.

Amber Abila helps women stop binge eating & overeating by rewiring their brains so they can feel normal and in control around food for good.

After years of trying everything from therapy to intermittent fasting, nothing worked until she learned about the psychology of habits which led to her losing 30 lbs, eliminating food noise, and gaining her life back.

She now walks others step by step through her process in her signature Confident Eater Program as well as in her podcast, in the top 2% worldwide, called “Become a Confident Eater.”

Free gift! Get instant access to Amber’s guided audio to “Stop a Binge Before it Starts” ⁠HERE⁠!

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Host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes explains her six-week podcast break was due to moving across the country, an unexpected third pregnancy, illness, and parenting two sons, including one with glycogen storage disease managed by individualized nutrition; she shares that amniocentesis at 21 weeks confirmed her unborn baby boy does not have the disease, and she is embracing being a full-time stay-at-home mom, so future episodes will be less consistent but ongoing.

She highlights resources for female athletes, including RED-S education and a $15/month RED-S recovery membership, and then reviews basic pregnancy nutrition: prenatal folate early, managing first-trimester nausea with small frequent meals, hydration, and adding protein/fat; increased energy needs in second (~350 kcal/day) and third trimester (~450 kcal/day); screening for gestational diabetes; food-safety cautions (listeria, salmonella, mercury); and key nutrients including iron (27 mg/day) and choline from eggs.

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Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes interviews returning guest Marina Paul, founder and CEO of Superhera, a data-driven sports apparel company addressing female athletes’ ill-fitting, male-centric gear and its links to body image and performance. Marina describes research conducted with 858 respondents (with researchers from Brooklyn College and Notre Dame) showing contradictions: 65% said sportswear is “fine,” yet 55% considered restricting food to fit better and 39% had done so; many also altered gear to make it work.

Most athletes prioritized fit over look, and while 80% said they look like an athlete, descriptions of the “ideal” athlete emphasized being leaner and more toned. Marina explains Superhera’s evolution into a sizing technology company using athlete measurements and photos to recommend uniform sizes and create custom gear for teams, now including men’s teams.

Marina Paul is the Founder and CEO of Superhera, a data-driven sports apparel company dedicated to closing the "gear gap" for female athletes. A former Division I soccer captain at Georgetown University, Marina transitioned from elite athletics to a career in consulting before launching Superhera to solve a systemic multi-billion dollar sizing error in the sportswear market. Her mission is deeply personal: after a successful career on the field was marred by a battle with body dysmorphia—driven by ill-fitting, male-centric uniforms—Marina set out to revolutionize the industry.

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Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes shares her take on the 2025–2030 USDA Dietary Guidelines released in 2026, explaining how the USDA updates them every five years and how they affect downstream food policy. She says the new inverted food pyramid and “eat real food” messaging feel more like marketing than a true 180, though she appreciates that the guidelines are shortened to 10 pages.

From a sports dietetics lens, she critiques the low grain/carbohydrate guidance as inadequate for athletes, recommends past episodes on carbs, sugar, and during-training fuel, and notes athletes may need some refined carbs to avoid excessive fiber and GI issues. She likes the increased protein target (1.2–1.6 g/kg), the more permissive tone on whole fats despite a still-low saturated fat cap, and the stronger “limit alcohol” message, and discusses potential implications for SNAP, school lunches, and ultra-processed foods.

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Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes, host of the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, reflects on Super Bowl ads, praising Dove’s body confidence message but feeling disheartened by multiple GLP-1 weight loss commercials and what she sees as renewed cultural pressure to lose weight. She clarifies she is not anti–weight loss or anti-medication, but supports body acceptance, fueling and nourishing with real food, and case-by-case medical decisions, and she critiques the broad “lose weight to be healthier” message, including concern about Serena Williams promoting Ozempic.

Lindsey discusses REDs risk in female athletes and shares advice she gave an 11-year-old worried about being bigger than friends: bodies grow differently and she should keep fueling and training. She apologizes after a listener reported a GLP-1 ad ran on her podcast due to hosting-platform ad miscategorization, says it was fixed quickly, and invites listeners to email feedback.

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The episode features Nora Bordeau of Balancing Bowls, a former collegiate rower and food blogger focused on practical bean- and lentil-based cooking for families and athletes. They discuss types of beans and lentils, nutrition benefits (protein, complex carbs, fiber, micronutrients, antioxidants), and how beans can count as multiple food groups.

They cover convenience, affordability, accessibility, and how to use canned versus dried beans (soaking, rinsing, cooking tips). They address gas and bloating, fiber tolerance, and strategies like gradual intake increases and discarding soaking liquid. Nora shares recipe ideas including bean salads, crispy chickpeas, stuffed peppers, brothy beans, pizza spreads, and using blended beans to create creamy soups.

Nora Bourdeau is the creator of Balancing Bowls, a food blog focused on balanced, practical cooking with a special passion for beans and lentils. A former college athlete, Nora brings a grounded, food-first perspective to nourishment, strength, and sustainability in the kitchen, helping women fuel their lives with confidence and flexibility.

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Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes, host of the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, welcomes returning guest Dr. Kate Bennett, a clinical sports psychologist, licensed Way of Champions trainer, and multiple-time national champion, to discuss her new venture, Full Send Consulting. Bennett explains that while her mental health practice (Athlete Insight) continues, Full Send was created to address the systemic gap between education about eating disorders/RED-S and rising prevalence rates by shifting from individual treatment to team- and coach-focused culture change. She outlines the Way of Champions philosophy—rooted in Eastern thought, mindfulness, values, and transformational (rather than transactional) coaching—emphasizing psychological safety, purpose, belonging, and eliminating fear-based scarcity mindsets to help teams become protective factors for athlete wellbeing.

Lindsey connects these concepts to nutrition, RED-S prevention, and team-wide fueling standards, sharing an example of value-based work with a university equestrian team. They discuss how teammates and coaches influence culture, the importance of trust and accountability, and how athletes—including alternates—contribute to team success through relationships.

Bennett describes how Full Send Consulting works with teams and one-on-one with coaches in customizable formats (one-day intensives to season-long support) and serves youth, high school, college, and professional teams in person, virtually, and via travel.

Kate Bennett, PsyD, is a clinical sport psychologist. She is the reigning 2024 Downhill Masters National Champion in addition to being a two-time national track cycling champion. Prior to her clinical training, Dr. Bennett was an athletic trainer and cycling coach. She combines her sport experiences and clinical expertise to treat athletes recovering from eating disorders, disordered eating, exercise dependency, and REDs. Dr. Bennett authored "Treating Athletes with Eating Disorders."

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NEED HELP FOR AN EATING DISORDER? Call: 888-364-5977 or head to: https://emilyprogram.com/begin-recovery/

Host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes interviews Dr. Jillian Lampert (Vice President of Strategy and Public Affairs at The Emily Program), who explains eating disorders as mental health diagnoses that disrupt a person’s relationship with food and negatively impact life, and outlines diagnoses including anorexia nervosa (including that it can occur without visible underweight), bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED; she notes orthorexia is not currently a DSM diagnosis.

They discuss why athletes are at higher risk (temperament traits like persistence, rule-focus, and high standards combined with sport pressures), warning signs such as secrecy, defensiveness, and constant preoccupation with food, and serious health consequences including RED-S impacts, cardiac risk (especially with purging and electrolyte disruption), GI issues, bone and endocrine effects, and dental damage.

Dr. Lampert describes The Emily Program’s full continuum of care (inpatient through outpatient, including virtual options), emphasizes individualized treatment for athletes (including decisions about training/competition), and shares Jessie Diggins’ public story of treatment, recovery, relapse, and ongoing support; the episode closes with encouragement to seek help by calling or requesting contact through emilyprogram.com.

Dr. Jillian Lampert, PhD, MPH, RD, LD, FAED, is the Vice President of Strategy and Public Affairs for The Emily Program, a national eating disorder treatment company. She completed her doctorate degree in Nutrition and Epidemiology and Master of Public Health degree in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. She earned a Master of Science degree in Nutrition at the University of Vermont and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. She has an expansive range of policy, clinical, research, education, teaching, and program development experience in the area of eating disorders.

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In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes discusses the complexities of nutrition, especially for female athletes, and the high expectations placed on them. Special guest Jess Cerra, Vice President of Product and Community Development at Elite Active Nutrition, shares her journey from an elite athlete to an entrepreneur in the sports nutrition industry.

They dive deep into the importance of electrolytes, how sweat testing can help optimize hydration and balance, and the innovative products offered by Salt Stick. They also touch on Jess's personal athletic achievements and provide practical advice on managing nutrition and hydration for optimal performance.

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Beyond her athletic pursuits, Cerra is the founder of JoJé Bar, a gluten-free, real-food energy bar designed for endurance athletes, which became part of the Alete Active Nutrition portfolio in 2021. She also co-founded The Last Best Ride, a gravel cycling event in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana, which allocates its proceeds to scholarships for women pursuing post-secondary education.

Use code FAN20 for 20% off at saltstick.com

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