Identifying the sports would be helpful. RED-S is definitely an issue with teen girls, and you are smart to focus on how your daughter can fuel herself to meet the demands of her sports. The issue is not "eating healthy," the issue is getting enough calories to fuel what she is doing.

Follow the Gymnast Nutritionist on Instagram, even if your daughter does not do gymnastics. Lots of information about how message about "eating healthy" can be counterproductive for teen athletes because they need calories.

Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow is a great cookbook with calorie and nutrient dense foods for runners. Lots of information about RED-S.

For those warning about OP giving her daughter an eating disorder - the message is not dieting or "eating healthy." It's about how to consume enough food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I felt like disordered eating what coming from her teammates and coach so the nutritionist has really showed what is correct. And there is a healthy dose of eat what you like (even when that is junk),

OP please clarify that you used a registered dietitian nutritionist, or a sports dietitian, and not just a "nutritionist." At least I hope you did.

Dietitians are told that they are the only people qualified to dispense nutrition and health information.

However, I have worked with many over the years (through my job) and found that many of them are biased and not amazing at being kind to those they are counseling—which then results in the person being counseled feeling afraid or resentful of the changes.

Just because someone went to become an RD doesn’t mean they are the ONLY ones who can do the job. If the OP’s daughter and family are doing well and have good energy, then clearly the outcome was positive. Saying “omg you went to the wrong person” isn’t useful or accurate.

You know how many steps she takes in a day?

One of my daughters dances 6 days a week and once in awhile she will become underweight. She then drinks Ensure for the calories until she’s back at her regular weight.

High schoolers trying to pursue college sports typically don’t do high intensity sports back to back. Injuries are more likely and burnout.

Anonymous wrote:I felt like disordered eating what coming from her teammates and coach so the nutritionist has really showed what is correct. And there is a healthy dose of eat what you like (even when that is junk),

OP please clarify that you used a registered dietitian nutritionist, or a sports dietitian, and not just a "nutritionist." At least I hope you did.

I felt like disordered eating what coming from her teammates and coach so the nutritionist has really showed what is correct. And there is a healthy dose of eat what you like (even when that is junk),

Anonymous wrote:This is OP and wanted to follow up with this. I did find a sports nutritionist and it has been REALLY helpful for the whole family.

My daughter was almost eating enough but changed some of her habits so she has more energy. The nutritionist was great and really has helped all of us. Also it has gotten my teenager really interested in cooking, grocery shopping, eating breakfast, etc...

If you have an active kid- I would recommend.

Good for you! Sports nutrition is so important for teens of all genders. My D1 college athlete has benefited greatly from her team's nutritionist - so for all the posts saying that you are leading a kid to disordered eating, they are off-base.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP and wanted to follow up with this. I did find a sports nutritionist and it has been REALLY helpful for the whole family.

My daughter was almost eating enough but changed some of her habits so she has more energy. The nutritionist was great and really has helped all of us. Also it has gotten my teenager really interested in cooking, grocery shopping, eating breakfast, etc...

If you have an active kid- I would recommend.

Thank you for the update! As a fellow parent who has been down this road, I want to say kudos to you and her coaches for being proactive. It is disturbing to read the earlier replies from people who think getting female athletes good sports nutrition guidance will somehow give them an eating disorder, when the reality is quite the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP and wanted to follow up with this. I did find a sports nutritionist and it has been REALLY helpful for the whole family.

My daughter was almost eating enough but changed some of her habits so she has more energy. The nutritionist was great and really has helped all of us. Also it has gotten my teenager really interested in cooking, grocery shopping, eating breakfast, etc...

If you have an active kid- I would recommend.

That’s great! Would you share the name?

This is OP and wanted to follow up with this. I did find a sports nutritionist and it has been REALLY helpful for the whole family.

My daughter was almost eating enough but changed some of her habits so she has more energy. The nutritionist was great and really has helped all of us. Also it has gotten my teenager really interested in cooking, grocery shopping, eating breakfast, etc...

If you have an active kid- I would recommend.

Check Rehab2perform

My teen was not getting enough fat in their diet. Who knew.

https://novasportsnutrition.com/about/meet-the-team/nicole-hindle/

Have not used her, but strongly considered it when my DD was too thin from training a lot and not eating enough (unintentionally, not eating disordered).

I think you've gotten really good advice here, OP, especially the post at 8:33. RED-S feels very abstract but it's a nightmare to get out from under it.

My DD was having trouble keeping weight on and worked with Christina Anderson, RN (she runs an online practice focused around nutrition for gymnasts) and really benefited from the athlete-focused group coaching sessions which counteracted some of the ignorant peer food chatter that surrounded her at school and at practice.

The biggest wake-up call for both of us was realizing how far off we were when it came to her getting sufficient carbs and calories. I ended up adding a lot more carbs into her snacks and meals. Coaches, just like yours, will say things like "protein!" and girls get caught up in that.

OP - Her coach and your instincts are absolutely correct. Based on her unintentional weight loss, she is not getting enough food to fuel her activity level. Teen girls are trained to think of foods as good or bad, but those rules don’t always work for athletes. And they are told thinner is better for performance, so they don’t worry when they are losing weight unintentionally. It is a big problem for girls in sports and can easily result in increased injuries and disordered eating. Learn about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S) https://red-s.com/about

Having been through this with a teen girl, I strongly recommend making sure you have her iron levels checked regularly. As for personalized nutrition advice from a dietician, we found Rebecca Scritchfield in DC very helpful in a very similar case. https://www.capitolnutritiongroup.com/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is an athletic nutritionist for a teenager even a thing? My concern- my teenage daughter is involved in two cardio intensive sports and I want to make sure she is getting good information about calories and right combos of foods (and possibly recipes?). She isa generally healthy eater and we have never said she couldn't have things but she is burning a lot of calories. Like yesterday, she had both sports practices plus school and had over 30K steps for the day.

Any help would be appreciated.

OP I am a sports dietitian and work with a lot of teens in the DC area. Yes it’s a thing. (But note: you want a licensed registered dietitian, not someone who is a “nutritionist.”). It’s great that your DD seems to love both sports and food but you do want to make sure she is taking in enough energy to sustain this level of activity.

DP. Are there any books or websites you would recommend for a teen as an introduction to sports nutrition? Looking for something focused on what's necessary to fuel and rebuild after workouts (rather than a general balanced diet). Thanks

Anonymous wrote:Do you want to give your daughter an eating disorder? This is how you give your daughter an eating disorder. You said she eats healthy and you don't limit what she can have. Leave it be.

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