Dancers often experience hormonal imbalances due to restrictive eating, high training loads, and stress—which can impact everything from metabolism to bone and reproductive health. In this episode, Rachel Fine breaks down the key factors that influence hormone balance and how dancers can nourish their bodies to support optimal hormonal function.

You’ll learn:
✅ Common hormones that affect dancers, including hunger, thyroid, and reproductive hormones
✅ How energy availability and proper nutrition prevent issues like RED-S and amenorrhea
✅ The role of stress in hormone disruption and practical strategies to reduce its impact
✅ Evidence-based foods that support hormone health, from oatmeal and eggs to healthy fats and magnesium-rich nuts
✅ Why restrictive “hormone-balancing” diets aren’t necessary and can be harmful

📅 Perfect for: dancers experiencing hormonal changes, parents supporting young dancers, and educators seeking a holistic approach to student health.

📖 Read the full blog: https://dancenutrition.com/hormone-balance/

📲 Follow on Instagram: @ToThePointeNutrition

🔔 Subscribe on YouTube: Nutrition for Dancers

🎙️ Listen on Apple + Spotify: Nutrition for Dancers with The Dance Nutritionist® Podcast

Rachel Fine, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Sports Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, and Certified Counselor of Intuitive Eating works with dancers to help them build supportive relationships with both food and body. 

Disclaimer: This is produced for informational purposes only. This information is general, not specific to you. The information in this podcast does not substitute for medical advice. The viewer assumes full responsibility for consulting a qualified health professional regarding health conditions or concerns, and before starting a new diet or health program.

Timestamps ⬇️ (Skip to the section you need!)

0:00 – Introduction to Hormonal Balance
Hormonal balance for dancers and the connection to food choices.

0:47 – The Healthy Dancer® Platform
The Healthy Dancer® as a tool to support dancers’ health and performance through nutrition.

1:14 – Hormones: The Basics
Chemical messengers produced by the endocrine system and their role in metabolism, appetite, bone health, and circulation.

1:44 – Hormonal Fluctuations and Balance
Hormone fluctuations during puberty and pregnancy, and explains what general hormonal balance means.

2:11 – Key Hormone Groups for Dancers
Hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin), thyroid hormones, and reproductive hormones, highlighting their impact on energy and performance.

3:20 – Factors Affecting Metabolism
How genetics, age, body composition, activity level, and eating behaviors influence metabolism and hormonal regulation.

4:02 – Reproductive Hormones & RED-S
Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, bone health, and introduces relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S).

4:40 – Signs of Hormonal Imbalance
Irregular menstrual cycles, hair changes, mood swings, weight fluctuations, and recurring bone injuries as potential red flags.

6:00 – Role of Restrictive Eating & Stress
Explains how underfueling and restrictive eating, whether intentional or unintentional, can lead to hormonal dysregulation. Discusses the role of stress, cortisol, and adrenaline.

6:50 – Dance-Specific Stressors
Highlights physical stress from dance and emotional stress from body image, auditions impacting hormones.

7:33 – Stress Management Strategies
Adequate nourishment, working with mental health professionals, journaling, listening to music

8:02 – Food & Hormonal Balance: Caloric Needs First
Ensuring meals and snacks meet caloric and nutritional needs as the first step for hormonal balance.

9:25 – Key Food Priorities for Hormonal Support
Foods rich in B vitamins (oatmeal), omega-3 fatty acids, full-fat dairy, healthy fats, and magnesium for supporting hormones.

12:19 – Summary & Call to Action
Adequate nourishment is the priority