The world’s best nutritionists and dietitians answer your nutrition questions. Learn about gut and digestive health, performance nutrition, or weight loss and lifestyle nutrition from specialists like Claire Fudge, JJ Virgin, and Erin Judge.

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Kristin Kirkpatrick is a sought-after public speaker, author, media personality, and wellness consultant. She has a Master's Degree in Health Management and has dedicated 15 years to leading nutrition programs at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. She is the author of the best-selling book, Skinny Liver, and has appeared on The TODAY Show and the Dr. Oz show. Her mission is to help individuals get off their latest diet and adopt a sustainable lifestyle to fuel their bodies and soul. A former Cleveland native, Kristin now lives in Colorado with her husband, two boys, and three pets. She is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and enjoys hiking, running, skiing, grocery shopping, and spending time with her family.

Jonny Bowden began his career as a jazz musician, studying under Herbie Hancock and at Juilliard before earning degrees in music & psychology from NYU. He found his passion for nutrition while working as a pianist for Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. Bowden changed careers and earned 6 personal training certifications, a psychology masters, and a nutrition PhD. He was the Dean of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute for 4 years and became a board-certified nutritionist. Bowden has penned 15 books, including best-sellers "The Great Cholesterol Myth," "Living Low Carb," and "150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”. He's a worldwide speaker, has appeared on every major network (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC), has been interviewed on dozens of podcasts, and featured in The NYT, Men’s Health, Woman’s World, Forbes Online, GQ, Cosmo, Self, Prevention, InStyle, Shape, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Known as The Nutrition Mythbuster™, Bowden is committed to debunking health myths and speaking truth to power.

Erin Judge is the Founder and Lead Dietitian at Gutivate. Diagnosed with IBS as a child, she accepted her symptoms as "normal" until a major flare-up during college. She discovered her food triggers and learned to manage stress, restoring her relationship with food and her body. Now, she helps others do the same. She has a BS in Food, Human Nutrition & Hospitality from the University of Arkansas and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Tennessee Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, Florida Licensed Dietitian, Mississippi Licensed Dietitian, and ACE Certified Personal Trainer.

Lauren Link is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She earned her bachelor's degree in dietetics and in nutrition, fitness, and health and her master's in health & kinesiology, both from Purdue University, where she played soccer and was a four-time Academic All B1G honoree and a member of the 2007 Big Ten Tournament championship team. In January 2014, she returned to her alma mater as Purdue's first full-time sports dietitian and is presently the Director of Sports Nutrition. In addition to promoting optimal performance during their athletic career, she also is passionate about helping her athletes successfully navigate the transition into the real world. Beyond publishing her book, The Healthy Former Athlete, she has led multiple initiatives to this end, founding a student-athlete community garden and spearheading a transitional program called BLAST (Boiler Life After SporT).​

Leslie J. Bonci is an MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, and owner of Active Eating Advice- Be fit, fed, and Fearless? – A nutrition consulting company. She works with the National Dairy Council, California Dried Plum Board, National Peanut Board, Potatoes USA, Gatorade, Ready Nutrition, General Mills, and Douglas Labs. She is the nutrition consultant for the Kansas City Chiefs, Carnegie Mellon University athletics, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She's written several books and authors a blog for Us News and World Report Eat + Run. She also has a weekly radio and TV spot and is on the Fitness magazine advisory board. She lectures extensively, teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, and is developing programs with chefs and master gardeners for kids and adults.

Registered Dietitian since 1999, Abby Langer has a passion for all aspects of nutrition. She has won awards for her teaching and has served on her regulatory college’s council. Abby focuses on body respect and intuitive-style eating, and works with brands aligned with her nutrition philosophy. She has extensive experience in media and a dedicated, engaged following. When not working, Abby loves running, discovering new foods, and spending time with her family.

As director of 4thDiscipline, Claire has a passion for food and sport.  As a clinical dietitian and age group endurance triathlete/cyclist, Claire leads consultations with professional athletes, clinical patients and sporty professionals to leverage knowledge and motivate behaviours for personal and athlete development. Claire have experience with nutritional support across clinical/medical conditions and preparing athletes for Tokyo 2021 Olympics and Beijing 2022, and her work includes Clinical ITUs, sports medical teams, medical teams and mental health teams.

Kelly Jones is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and the owner of KJN. She has been featured in outlets such as Well + Good, Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Insider, and more. She works with athletes and active individuals to optimize their nutrition and fuel their busy lives with a plant-based approach. Kelly has experience working with collegiate and professional athletes, USA Swimming, the Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Road Runners. She also founded the nutrition and medical fitness program at the Newtown Athletic Club and Student Athlete Nutrition. Follow her on social media and YouTube for tips and recipes.

Hey there. So the question is, the person does most of their morning training fasted, even moderate interval training. They want to know, can they keep fasting after a low, moderate bike run or run without compromising improvement, and I'll tell you my experience with that. I do all of my morning training fasted. I played tennis every day from 10:00 to 12:00 minimum, sometimes starting even earlier, so I do maybe two to three hours of tennis till noon, and I do it on an empty stomach or with bulletproof coffee or coffee with fat added to it. The most I'll do sometimes is a handful of nuts during my fasting days, and I can certainly continue to do that after 12:00. I usually wait till about 2:00 for my first big meal, but the measure that I always use the metric that I always use is how's my energy how do I feel. If I feel good, if I feel like I'm really on a roll, I'm in fat burning modem, my energy is OK, and I'm not feeling that drop in blood sugar. Sure, I can continue fasting after a low to moderate or even heavier workout. The ultimate metric for this is how do you feel. Are you improving? Do you feel energetic? Is your attitude optimistic? Are you kind of involved in and alive? Because that's the real test of whether something's working, whether it's a diet or a fasting program. It's how do you feel-- that's the ultimate arbiter. Don't deny the evidence of your own senses, because that will tell you whether what you're doing is working or not.

I personally do all of my morning training fasted, and I can continue to do that after a low to moderate or even heavier workout. The best way to tell whether it's working or not is to pay attention to how you feel-- if your energy levels are good and you're improving, then it's likely working for you.

I do most of my morning training fasted (even moderate intervals). Can I keep fasting after a low/moderate run/bike without compromising improvement?

Fasting for Morning Training: Feel the Benefits & Maintain Improvements

The person asking the question mentions that they do most of their morning training fasted, including moderate interval training. They want to know if they can continue fasting after a low or moderate run or bike ride without compromising improvement. Based on my experience, I can share that I also do all of my morning training fasted. I play tennis for a couple of hours every day on an empty stomach or with bulletproof coffee or coffee with added fat. Sometimes, I may have a handful of nuts during my fasting period, but I typically wait until around 2:00 PM for my first big meal.

The key factor I consider is how I feel and my energy levels. If I feel good, like I'm in fat-burning mode, and I don't experience a drop in blood sugar, I can continue fasting even after a low to moderate or more intense workout. The ultimate measure is how you feel. Are you improving? Do you have good energy levels? Is your attitude positive and engaged? These are the real indicators of whether something is working for you, whether it's a diet or a fasting program.

Ultimately, trust your own senses and listen to your body. How you feel will be the ultimate judge of whether fasting after a workout is beneficial for you or not.

OK. The question, why do they say white bread is bad for you? Well, if you've listened to some of my answers, you know that I'm not really a big proponent of labeling or shaming food good or bad. But white bread in general is usually a little bit lower in what's called nutrient density so there won't be as many nutrients. There's less fiber, less vitamins, less minerals. So normally, it's just a little bit less nutrient dense. You can get a lot more bang for your buck if you do more of a whole grain bread. I hope that helps.

White bread is generally lower in nutrient density, so it is not as beneficial from a nutritional standpoint as whole grain bread.

Why do they say white bread is bad for you?

Unveiling the Truth: Why White Bread is Lacking Nutrients

The reason why white bread is often considered bad for you is because it tends to be lower in nutrient density compared to other types of bread. It contains less fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In contrast, whole grain bread offers more nutritional value. However, it's important to note that labeling or shaming food as good or bad is not something I advocate for. It's about making choices that align with your personal preferences and nutritional needs.

There are loads that I could actually suggest. Magnesium is a super obvious one. But I think you know that. So I'll just leave that. Creatine is not so obvious, but that would be one that immediately springs to mind, because it helps with recovery, helps your bones and muscles. And it's not often one associated with endurance. And in fact, because of the potential for fluid gain, a lot of people avoid it. But three grams a day will saturate the cells, allow for a bit of recovery of the bone and muscle. And it's super good for your brain, too.

Magnesium and creatine are good supplements to take for endurance athletes. Magnesium helps with recovery, and creatine helps with bones and muscles. It also has benefits for brain health.

If you could recommend one supplement that is key for every endurance athlete to take, what would it be?

Unexpected Supplement for Endurance Athletes: Creatine Boosts Recovery, Muscles, and Brain

If I had to recommend one supplement for every endurance athlete to take, I would suggest creatine. While magnesium is an obvious choice, I'll leave that aside. Creatine may not be commonly associated with endurance, but it has numerous benefits. It aids in recovery, supports bone and muscle health, and even benefits brain function. Despite concerns about potential fluid gain, taking three grams of creatine per day can saturate the cells and provide these advantages.

So I think-- and this isn't non-obvious, but a food that I do think helps a lot-- and more so even at meats than training-- is beets or beet juice. So that's a good vasodilator, opens up the veins to help your blood flow a little bit easier. So beets is a good one.

Beets or beet juice can help improve blood flow, making them a useful food to eat in order to improve performance at both training and meat eating.

What is the most non-obvious food/drink you eat that makes a difference to your training? 

Beets: The Secret Weapon for Training and Performance

One non-obvious food/drink that I find beneficial for training is beets or beet juice. While this may not be a surprising choice, it does have significant advantages, particularly for endurance activities. Beets act as a vasodilator, meaning they help open up the veins and improve blood flow. This can enhance overall performance during training sessions. So, beets are definitely a food to consider incorporating into your training routine.

Wow. How to lose weight after the age of 40? It can be done. It's not easy, and it's a lot harder than it was when we were 25-years old. I actually wrote a whole article about this for the Huffington Post where I talked about trying to fight against a muffin top and keep my energy. So here's some evidence from research that has been shown to be beneficial. This is also coming from someone who is 46-years old and having the same challenges that I'm working through with my patients as well. Number 1, what worked when you are 25, typically, will not work when you get into your '40s, '50s, and beyond. That's number 1. Number 2, what has been shown to be beneficial is moderating carbohydrates a little bit more. So a moderate carb approach, which for the most part, is about 45% of your total amount of energy coming from carbohydrates tends to be better for over 40, if we want to lose weight and keep it off. And that's because it helps in avoidance of those blood sugar and insulin rollercoaster rides. Those are things that actually encourage fat-gaining, encourage our body to hold on to fat. And that's the second point, really wanting to avoid any kind of yo-yo dieting. So losing weight and then putting more back on, doing it again, doing it again. So what we go through here is something that's really looking at adaptive thermogenesis, which is where the body is assuming that you're going to go into another famine because you've done it before. And so it starts holding on to your fat. It's got to prepare for that famine, and it makes it so much more difficult to lose weight. So moderating those carbohydrates, that could be something as easy as simply taking a carb out for a snack option or in a dinner option, not having carbs after, let's say 4:00. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to be beneficial, and then exercise. Even though the evidence is not strong that exercise is the golden key for weight loss, that's food, it is one of the golden keys for weight loss maintenance. So if you do lose weight, you want to keep it off, move, move, move, move, move. Moderate those carbs. Sleep. Get at least 7 hours of sleep. If you don't, you're also more likely to not be able to lose weight and keep it off. Hey, it's hard once we get over 40. I'm experiencing it myself. Take a look at my article, and I can give you some more tips than that. Thanks so much for that question. It's a good one.

Losing weight after 40 can be done, but it's not easy. You should try to moderate your carbs, do intermittent fasting and exercise, as well as get 7+ hours of sleep. All of these things will help you to lose weight and keep it off.

Any advice on how to lose weight after 40?

Unlock Weight Loss After 40: Moderating Carbs, Exercise, and Sleep

Losing weight after the age of 40 can be challenging, but it is possible. Here are some tips based on research and personal experience as a 46-year-old facing similar challenges.

First, what worked in your 20s may not work in your 40s and beyond. Adjust your approach accordingly.

Moderating carbohydrates can be beneficial. Aim for a moderate carb approach, where around 45% of your total energy comes from carbohydrates. This helps avoid blood sugar and insulin fluctuations that promote fat gain.

Avoid yo-yo dieting, as it can trigger adaptive thermogenesis, where the body prepares for future famines by holding onto fat. Instead, focus on sustainable weight loss and maintenance.

Consider intermittent fasting, as it has shown benefits. Additionally, prioritize exercise for weight loss maintenance, even though it may not be the primary factor for weight loss itself.

Don't overlook the importance of sleep. Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep, as insufficient sleep can hinder weight loss efforts.

Losing weight after 40 is undoubtedly challenging, but with a combination of moderating carbs, exercise, sleep, and sustainable habits, it is possible. For more tips, you can refer to the article mentioned.

Typical day of nutrition, I have actually just finished my morning coffee, which was an americano double espresso with some water. Classic, good, old, humble banana. Nothing wrong with that. Get fired up. I'm about to go running, so I like to keep it light. And the nutrition I have is very much adapted to the training I have, whether I'm trying-- what I'm trying to achieve that day. It's never really the same. Although, I do have my standard meals that I go to, but I really adapt the timing of it. Say I'm having a super long training day, I might actually only have two meals in the day and try and get in most my nutrients on the bike, which would be in terms of more an energy drink, maybe some gels and some bars. I do like a protein heavier bar, simply because it sustains me for a little bit longer, which would be something that I'll get in terms of egg whites, dates, or that kind of thing, working together nicely. And then I generally load up quite heavily on dinner. I do not subscribe to any low carb, low fat, or low protein, high protein, whatever, diet. I try to get a good balance in. I do have a lot of fat in my diet, in terms of olive oil. I'll probably go through about a liter a week, add to that some coconut oil and, that kind of thing. But, again, for me, I balance it out with the other nutrients, as well. And my favorite snack I actually got from Dan Plus, who's also on here. I believe they call it the nut butter slam, or something like that, which is a piece of dark chocolate with your favorite nut butter on it. It's a great snack for you in between that I really enjoy. Feels like a treat, sustains me well and, at the same time, doesn't bother me for my next session.

I have coffee for breakfast with a banana, and then my nutrition varies depending on my training for the day. Usually I'll have energy drinks, gels and protein bars on long training days and then a heavier dinner. I also like to snack on dark chocolate with nut butter.

What does a typical day of nutrition look like?

A Day of Nutrition: Coffee, Bananas, and Adapting to Training

A typical day of nutrition for me starts with a morning coffee, usually an americano double espresso with some water. I like to keep it light before my morning run, so a banana is a classic choice to fuel up.

My nutrition throughout the day varies based on my training goals and activities. While I have some standard meals that I go to, I adapt the timing and composition of my meals. For example, on a long training day, I might only have two meals and focus on getting most of my nutrients through energy drinks, gels, and bars while I'm on the bike. I prefer protein-heavy bars that combine ingredients like egg whites and dates for sustained energy.

I tend to load up on dinner, and I don't follow any specific diet like low carb, low fat, or high protein. I aim for a good balance of nutrients. I incorporate healthy fats into my diet, such as olive oil and coconut oil, along with other essential nutrients.

One of my favorite snacks, inspired by Dan Plus, is what they call the nut butter slam. It's a piece of dark chocolate topped with your favorite nut butter. It's a satisfying and enjoyable snack that keeps me fueled between sessions without weighing me down.

Overall, my nutrition is tailored to my training needs and preferences, focusing on a balanced approach to fueling my body effectively.