Natalie speaks with Registered Dietitian and Diabetes expert Erin Palinski-Wade to get to the bottom of blood sugar for athletes. They discuss: Why athletes are wearing continuous glucose monitors and whether or not they are recommended for all athletes Do spikes in blood glucose do any long-term damage to the body?Is your insulin sensitivity heightened during the anabolic window, and does this help with muscle building?  What is the glycemic index and why do people talk about it so much?If...

McKale Montgomery is an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University, as well as a nutritional science researcher. She specializes in iron, specifically how changes in cellular iron affect disease progression. She's also a competitive marathon runner. In this episode, we chat about:  How she started running and her journey to the Olympic TrialsHow she balances mom-ing (yes, it’s a verb), work, and competitive runningWhy iron is her favorite nutrientDo runners lose more iron than everyday...

Dr. Kensa Gunter is a clinical and sport psychologist based in Atlanta, GA where she provides individual counseling, mental skills training, and consultation services to athletes and organizations. In this episode, we discuss: how psychological factors play into sportwhether or not athletes are open to mental health discussionshow to manage pre-competition anxietyHow the idea of perfectionism play into an athlete’s mental healthHow athlete’s can balance the idea of wanting to win/be the best...

Natalie chats with Vic Johnson, a nutrition coach for outdoor athletes and an outdoor endurance athlete, who has competed in trail and ultra running, triathlons, and cycling. They discuss:  What are some special nutrition considerations for mountain sports? Should you just rely on carbohydrates for fuel? Should you add in other nutrients besides carbs? What nutrients the body relies on for lower intensity exercise.How to you carry fuel and hydration with you during long outdoor eventsHow the...

In this episode, Sports RD Natalie Rizzo answers your burning questions. She chats about:  whether or not vegans need to supplement with Vitamin B12 and how much to takehow to fuel two-a-days why you may be hungry at night on a plant-based dietdo men have a faster metabolism than women?Submit your questions for a future Q&A here! Join the Greenletes Facebook Group IG: @greenletes 📕: Planted Performance

In this episode, Natalie chats with Sun Sachs, the CEO & Co-founder of Rewire Fitness, the first mental fitness platform that helps athletes reach their full potential and avoid burnout by providing tools that improve mindset, readiness and resilience. They discuss: Sun's journey as a plant-based athlete and how he recognized he was underfueling for sport.What is Rewire Fitness and what’s the mission of the company? What is mental fitness and why is it important?His personal stories about...

I'm back and ready to talk about nutrition for long runs! In this episode, we discuss: how many grams of carbs you need before and during a long run, different types of long run fuel, the importance of hydration on your energy levels and how recovery plays a role in how you feel while running. Join GREENLETES U! Learn more from me in my FREE 5-Day Mini Course: Fuel Your Fitness with Plants. And check out my book: Planted Performance Join Greenletes U! IG: @greenletes 📕: Planted Performance

Julie Shobe is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and ultra runner. She helps ultra runners learn how to improve their fueling before, during, and after running so they can dial in their nutrition during training and ultimately race faster.  In this episode, we chat about:  How ultra nutrition is different from marathon nutritionWhether or not she recommends that ultra-marathoners track caloriesHow many grams of carbs should someone eat per hour while running for hours on endHow to fuel...

Today is all about meal prepping for plant-based people! Welcome Nicole Osinga, a Registered Dietitian in the Greater Toronto Area. You can find Nicole on local or national TV and on Instagram/TikTok, where she is known as the 'Plant-Based Meal Prep Expert' and has an audience of over 100 K on Instagram and 44 K on TikTok.  We chat about:  Her meal prepping journeyThe benefits of meal prep, particularly for athletesHow to go about picking and organizing meals for the week?Tips for cooking...

Let's talk about carbs! Will the extra carbs in plant-based protein make you gain weight or cause health issues, or are they a healthy part of your diet? Follow @greenletes and visit www.greenletes.com for more. 

Ginger Hultin is a Seattle-based Registered Dietitian, who has worked with hundreds of clients to help them reach their weight loss goals. She has a new ebook called Meal Prep For Weight Loss 101. In this episode, Natalie and Ginger chat about: Your "why" behind wanting to lose weightHow much weight is it realistic to lose in a month Are calorie trackers harmful or helpful?Do you have to cook all your own meals in order to lose weight?Do some people just have a slow metabolism that...

Welcome to the Marathon episode! Today's guest is Ali Nolan, the author of Master the Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide for Women. She writes for Runner's World, Women's Running, Livestrong, and Self and works as an audience producer for This is Alabama. She's run three marathons and countless other races. We chat about: How female runners differ from male runners. What do they need to think about when tackling a marathon?What’s the first thing someone should do if they are considering...

This week's 5-minute Friday gives simple tips to incorporate meal prepping into your weekly routine! Read more here: https://greenletes.com/plant-based-meal-prep-athlete/ And download the Free meal plan here: https://nutrition-natalie.ck.page

Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, is a plant-forward registered dietitian nutritionist, classically-trained chef, award-winning cookbook author, professional recipe developer, media personality, spokesperson, and food writer. She’s the author of five cookbooks, including her newest, The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook. She is a private plant-based cooking coach and a former healthy cooking instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. We chatted about:  Her definition of "plant forward"Her...

Spend 5-minutes with Natalie learning about how much processed food is okay to eat and the difference between ultra-processed food and other "processed" foods that may be okay to eat. 

Wendy Sterling, MS, RD, CSSD, CEDRD-S is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Approved Supervisor through the International Eating Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics in the Bay Area in California. She has consulted for the Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, NY Jets, and NY Islanders. Her newest book, A Parent's Guide to Diet-Free Living, Exercise and Body Image, just came out this past March 2022. In this...

Special Thursday release due to the holiday weekend! Should you eat less on rest days? How to know how much to eat and the nutrients you should include on rest days. Read more about this topic: https://greenletes.com/rest-day-nutrition-and-meal-plan/

Alyssa Lavy, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian, who focuses on digestive health, using her foodie-first approach. In this episode, we chat about everything you've ever wanted to know about GI issues, including: Common GI issues among athletesWhat’s the difference between IBS and IBD?How can someone tell if they have a sensitive stomach or a condition, like IBS?What are the most common culprits of runner’s trots?the low FODMAP diet and its implications for athletesWhy plant-based proteins...

Get my RD-approved tips for beating gas and bloating on a plant-based diet! Read more here: https://greenletes.com/gas-bloating/

Let's chat about triathlon nutrition! Chrissy Carroll is an RD, an RRCA Running Coach and a USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She discusses: how nutrition differs from running to triathlonshow athletes know if they are fueling enough during a training cyclesupplements for triathletesHow to handle unexpected gut issues on race day?How to carry fuel while training and on race dayWhat foods best support recovery after completing a triathlon?Training in a pool in vs open water swim Head to Chrissy's...

For this week's 5-minute Friday, I'm answering the question "Does running make me hungrier?" I chat about some research that looks at the effects of exercise on ghrelin (the hunger hormone). Follow @greenletes or email [email protected] to submit your questions for future episodes. 

Bone health is something that athletes don't think about enough. This episode dives into the science of bones, including how bones grow and develop and when you start losing bone density. I chat with Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, the Nutrition Advisor for the California Prune Board, about nutrients and foods that can protect bones.  We also discuss some really interesting studies featuring prunes. Study links below: Prunes may protect you from fracture risk Prunes have also been shown to lower...

Introducing the new series: 5-minute Friday! I spend 5 minutes every Friday answering your sports nutrition and plant-based eating questions. Today I'm responding to a listener who asked: "I recently switched to a plant-based diet, and I feel like I'm always cold. Why?" Submit your own question to [email protected] Follow me @greenletes Read more about plant-based iron here: https://greenletes.com/plant-based-sources-of-iron/

Welcome to Season 2 of the Greenletes Podcast! I'm giving a little life update on what I've been up to since Season 1, including my infertility, IVF and pregnancy journey.  I'm chatting about  how we ended up doing IVF, my biggest fears during all of it and how it impacted me as an athlete. I also discuss my pregnancy journey and running until I was 33 weeks pregnant, my recovery from a C-section and my postpartum half marathon.  I'd love to hear from other infertility and IVF athlete...