Female Athlete Nutrition Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is an elite runner for Team Boss and sports dietitian Maddie Alm. Maddie shares her story from high school soccer player to college walk-on to professional athlete, and how nutrition has fueled this progression. We discuss some of the common fueling pitfalls faced by college and high school athletes, and tips for improving performance: post-workout snacks for avoiding within-day energy deficits, electrolytes and hydration, and lots of carbs! Maddie and I debate whether or not to supplement, avoiding nutrition deficiencies, and underfueling. Maddie debunks the myth that lighter is faster, the link between weight and performance, and how your strongest and best-fueled self is actually faster, even at a higher bodyweight! Maddie’s business “Fueling Forward” helps athletes address these issues, including RED-S, fuel their performance better, and gain a healthy perspective on nutrition for sport and life. We finish off with a topic we’ve not discussed before: alcohol and athletic performance, sharing some of the negative impacts on sleep and recovery.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

8:00 Maddie’s athletic story: from soccer player to elite runner

11:40 Understanding the link between nutrition, health, and performance 

14:30 Challenges for college athletes: underfuelling, lack of nutrition support

18:25 Fueling tips for better performance

23:40 Maddie’s non-traditional path to pro running for Team Boss and the Olympic Trials

33:15 Sports nutrition and training tips as a pro athlete: carbs, electrolytes, and workout fueling

42:50 Supplements and nutrient deficiencies 

51:00 Alcohol for athletes: impacts on sleep and recovery 

58:10 RED-S awareness; weight, performance, and over/under fueling 

1:07:10 Maddie’s business “Fueling Forward”

1:11:00 Retiring from elite athletics

1:13:50 End of the podcast questions

Check out Maddie’s business “Fueling Forward”

Follow Maddie on Instagram @madsalm12 Fueling Forward @fueling_forward and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with elite trail and ultra runner and wildlife biologist Becca Windell. Becca has a remarkable story from professional cycling in her early 20s, to retiring from sport due to an eating disorder, then returning to competitive sport as an elite ultra runner in her 30s, and recently earning a Golden Ticket into the Western States 100 mile race. We discuss the disordered nutrition culture Becca experienced as a professional cyclist, and how the pressure to be lighter was the catalyst for a severe eating disorder and falling out of love with sports. Becca shares about stepping away from sports to fully recover, which allowed her to find her passion for wildlife biology and animals. We talk about Becca’s journey back into elite racing as a fully fueled trail and ultra runner, and how she developed a happy and healthy relationship with sports as part of David and Megan Roche’s Team SWAP. Becca gives the listeners plenty of fueling tips for before, during, and after workout nutrition, emphasizing the power of high-carb fueling for optimal performance: more fueling equals better training and racing!

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

7:45 Becca’s PhD in wildlife biology 

11:20 Becca’s former pro cycling career

19:10 Disordered eating culture in pro cycling; Becca’s nutrition journey 

21:20 The harm of commenting on bodies 

27:55 Healthy vs harmful nutrition education

29:30 Eating disorder struggles as a pro athlete 

33:20 Becca’s ED recovery and changing relationship with sport

35:25 Identity and life changes outside of athletics 

39:30 Meat vs vegan diets in athletics and ED recovery 

42:10 Returning to competitive sports in a healthy and happy way: becoming an elite ultra runner

47:10 Workout fueling tips; pre/post training snack ideas 

54:20 High carb fueling for better performance; training and race day nutrition 

1:01:30 End of the podcast questions

We mentioned Dr. Megan and David Roche (Becca’s coach) and Team SWAP. Tune into episode 35: Run like a Puppy, Fuel with Taco Tuesday to hear them on the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast. 

Find more about Becca on her website: www.beccawindell.com

Follow Becca on Instagram @beccawindell and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with  sports dietitian, runner, and mom of two, Meghann Featherstun. As well as helping other athletes with their fueling, Meghann is a rockstar athlete in her own right with multiple marathon finishes. We talk about how she uses her professional knowledge to help her own performance, leading to her best races aged 40 after having kids. We dive deep into marathon and endurance nutrition, focusing on pre-race nutrition. Meghann gives listeners great travel nutrition tips, as well as advice for dealing with gastrointestinal (GI) issues. Meghann and I talk all about carbohydrate loading: the what, why, when, and how. We then focus on understanding your hydration needs by measuring your sweat rate, and the importance of replacing sodium losses, avoiding over- and under-hydrating. We bust some myths around sodium fears, weight gain during a carb load, and emphasize the reality that athletes likely need more carbohydrates than they think. To better understand your unique carbohydrate and hydration needs, Meghann has some amazing resources: Meghann’s quick carb calculator and sweat rate/ hydration calculator.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

5:50 Meghann’s dietetics and running story 

10:30 Marathon running and pursuing athletic goals for fun 

15:50 Meghann’s nutrition philosophy and fueling performance 

18:25 Nutrition travel tips and pre-race fueling

24:00 Carbohydrate loading 101

28:30 How many carbs do you really need?

31:20 Carb loading myth busting: gaining weight and water retention

34:40 Rebalancing meals: prioritizing carbs over proteins and fats

37:50 Hydration needs and tech for calculating sweat rate

48:00 Debunking a fear of sodium 

49:30 Under-hydrating vs over-hydrating 

54:30 Dealing with GI issues and gut symptoms

58:45 End of the podcast questions

Check out Meghann’s website: https://www.featherstonenutrition.com/ and her podcast: Fuel for the Sole

Follow Meghann on Instagram @featherstonenutrition and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with  World-renowned sports dietitian and nutrition researcher Professor Louise Burke. For over 40 years, Professor Burke has been studying elite athletes, and today we take a deep dive into her research into the ketogenic diet and performance.  We discuss why low carb, high fat diets impair elite performance, as well as immune and bone health, and iron status. We also chat about ketone supplementation and the use of different diets for different athletes. Professor Burke talks about her study looking at athletes training on a low carbohydrate diet, but fueling with carbs on race day, highlighting the need to practice fueling in training, in order to optimize performance. A leading voice on RED-S, we discuss the difference between RED-S and low energy availability, as well as the potential for overdiagnosis. We finish off with our usual end of the podcast questions.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

7:00 Professor Louise’s role as a top sports dietitians and researcher studying elite athletes 

17:00 Ketogenic (keto/ low carb-high fat) diets for elite performance 

22:15 Keto diets impair performance and economy

26:40 Uses of low carb diets for athletes: different sports nutrition for different athletes 

29:00 TL:DR keto diets, fat metabolism, and carbohydrate fueling 

33:10 Debunking the “train low carb, race high carb” paradigm 

40:00 Training with carbs for optimal performance 

42:45 Ketone supplements for sports nutrition  

46:10 Keto diets impairs immune and bone health, and iron status 

53:20 RED-S: is it being over-diagnosed?!

1:01:00 End of the podcast questions 

Follow Professor Burke on Twitter at LouiseMBurke and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Olympic Trials qualifier and registered sports dietitian Kelsey Pontius. Kelsey recently competed in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Team Trials, and comes on the podcast to share about her nutrition and athletics journey. Growing up playing soccer, Kelsey credits this background to her ability to remain injury free as a runner, allowing her to ascend to an elite level. Personal and professional experiences have highlighted to Kelsey the importance of carbohydrates for health and performance; we discuss the emerging awareness of low carbohydrate availability (LCA) independent of RED-S, and the impact of carbohydrates on recovery, bone health, hormones, iron absorption, performance, and more.

Kelsey’s current area of interest is around understanding blood glucose and the usefulness of measuring it for healthy, athletic populations. We do a brief blood sugar 101, talking about healthy responses to exercise as well as disorders like diabetes and glycogen storage disease, the condition affecting my son. We chat about continuous glucose monitors for healthy and unwell populations, as well as tips on how most of us should think about blood sugar spikes, fluctuations, and CGMs. We finish off with our usual end of the podcast questions.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

8:15 Kelsey’s journey as an athlete and sports dietitian

13:00 From soccer to running in the Olympic Trials

20:15 Low carbohydrate availability, performance, and RED-S

24:15 How many carbs do we really need?

27:50 The effects of carbohydrates on iron levels, bone health, recovery and hormones

34:00 Performance improvements from more carbs

41:15 Society’s carb phobia and how carbohydrates impact blood glucose 

47:40 Measuring blood sugar, spikes and fluctuations: lower is not better!

51:15 Blood glucose 101, diabetes, and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)

55:00 Use of CGMs in sport and healthy populations

1:05:00 Blood glucose disorders and CGMs 

1:09:30 Night time snacks for better blood sugar control and sleep 

1:11:30 How to think about blood sugar and CGMs

1:16:40 End of the podcast questions

Check out Kelsey’s website: meteornutrition.com 

Follow Kelsey Pontius on Instagram @sportsdietitiankelsey and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with professional ultrarunner and board-certified physician and surgeon Dr Stefanie Flippin. Stefanie just completed lululemon’s FURTHER event, running an epic 6-day ultramarathon in the name of science and research into women’s sport. We discuss her career path as a surgeon, as well as her recent decision to step away and prioritize her running and coaching careers. Stefanie shares her athletic background, beginning as a ballet dancer before finding running and now competing as an elite ultrarunner. She talks about how her medical training informs her approach to injuries and coaching, and the ways stress and grief have recently influenced her physical health. We discuss some key factors influencing injuries: nutrition, training, and strength. Stefanie follows a vegan diet and we dive deep into how and why she made the transition, meeting her nutrition needs as a plant-based elite athlete, and common myths about getting enough iron and protein. Stefanie gives listeners great advice on finding vegan protein sources, as well as tips for people wanting to eat more plant-based. We chat about Stefanie’s racing and training nutrition, including avoiding high fiber foods close to race day, and consuming carbohydrates and gels on the run. We finish off with our end of the podcast questions, hearing more about Stefanie’s diverse athletic background! 

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

10:00 Dr Flippin: Stef’s medical background as a surgeon; from ballet to running 

14:10 The impact of stress and grief on injuries

18:00 Knowing when to run vs rest, when to push through 

21:00 Injury prevention: addressing nutrition, training, and strength 

25:00 Going vegan as an elite athlete 

30:45 Vegan fueling myths: iron and protein deficiencies 

34:45 Protein on a vegan diet

38:35 Tips for eating more plant-based 

41:45 Nutrition is part of training 

44:50 Race day nutrition advice: fiber and carbohydrates

48:20 Career changes: choosing athletics over medicine 

57:20 End of the podcast questions

For more on Stefanie, check out stefanieflippin.com 

Follow Dr Stefanie Flippin on Instagram @stefanieannflippin and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot!

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code RISEUPNUTRITION for 20% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order