Jessica Isaacs, The Sports Dietitian

Jessica Isaacs, The Sports Dietitian A Registered Dietitian with a passion for performance nutrition, helping athletes fuel for sport and humans fuel for life.

I believe in creating easy to digest nutrition resources all can understand and apply.

04/23/2026

Excited to share ’s feature on highlighting the team behind the team!

04/21/2026

The most human thing about AI tools like ChatGPT? It too suffers from the Dunning–Kruger effect.

A paper in BMJ Open tested tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Llama, and Grok using 250 health questions across cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition, and athletic performance.

Experts graded the responses as:
• Non-problematic (accurate + complete)
• Somewhat problematic (missing context or minor errors)
• Highly problematic (misleading or potentially harmful)

Results:
• ~50% were solid
• ~30% had issues
• ~20% were highly problematic 

The biggest drop-off happened with open-ended questions, where context and judgment matter more.

And the worst-performing areas? Nutrition and athletic performance, which makes sense because those rely heavily on timing, context, and individual variability, not one-size-fits-all answers. 

Other issues:
• Weak or missing citations
• Hard-to-read responses
• Almost never saying “I don’t know”
• Confident tone, even when wrong 

Full study here: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/4/e112695

So yes, AI can be helpful for general info. But about half the time, it’s incomplete or off.

04/20/2026

“Definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” — Albert Einstein

In this case, practice doesn’t always make perfect—“, but you can train your stomach. If pre-game fueling has been an issue, start by adjusting timing, portions, and food type to build tolerance over time.

That said, if certain foods or ingredients consistently upset your stomach, they’re not the ones to keep testing right before competition.

04/17/2026

Don’t worry moms and dads, your team sports dietitian is stepping in as the interim parent for your overgrown toddlers and their very loud appetites and poor hydration habits 🤣

04/16/2026

Thank you for everyone who made National Banana 🍌 Day so much fun! Especially those that don’t like bananas that tried my treats anyway!

And thank you to my student workers and intern that chipped in to help bring my vision to fruition!

04/13/2026

Jk, the answer was always “DoorDash”.

The hardest part of fueling athletes right now isn’t the food… it’s the freedom to not eat it.

I’ve been having this conversation lately with other sports dietitians… how different fueling looks now.

It used to be simple: team meal = you eat what’s in front of you.

Now? Athletes have options. A lot of them. Between DoorDash, NIL money, stipends, and access, they don’t have to eat the pregame or postgame meal if they don’t want to.

And honestly, that changes everything.

Because sometimes you put a ton of thought into a team meal… budget, performance, preferences, logistics… and the ones you’re really trying to dial in? They’re ordering something else.

Meanwhile the meal you planned is feeding coaches, support staff, walk-ons, managers, and whoever else is around.

And look, I get it. That level of access is a privilege not everyone has. But more athletes than ever have choice… and choice makes nutrition harder, not easier.

So the job shifts.

It’s less about controlling the meal and more about coaching decisions.

If they’re going to order anyway, I want to know:
- what they’re getting
- where they’re ordering from
- what we can add or tweak

Sometimes it’s recommending better spots in a city.
Sometimes it’s “hey, that might not sit well before a game.”

Sometimes it’s just helping them build a plate that actually supports performance and recovery.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about whether they eat the meal I coordinated. It’s about whether they’re fueling in a way that shows up when it matters.

You can’t control the menu anymore… but you can still coach the choices.

04/09/2026

Energy drinks are not harmless, especially for kids and teens.

Most medical organizations recommend that anyone under 18 avoid energy drinks entirely. Even outside of those products, caffeine intake for adolescents should stay low, around 100 mg per day.

The problem is that many popular energy drinks contain 160 to 300 mg in a single can, easily exceeding that in just one serving.

And it’s not just about one drink.

Caffeine doesn’t clear instantly. With a half-life of about 3 to 7 hours, it can take up to 10 to 24 hours to fully leave your system. That means caffeine from earlier in the day, or even the night before, can still be active.

Coffee, soda, pre-workout, chocolate, and energy drinks all count, and they add up quickly.

You also have to consider interactions. Caffeine can amplify side effects like increased heart rate, anxiety, and blood pressure, especially when combined with stimulant medications like those commonly prescribed for ADHD, or other medications that already carry cautions around caffeine.

For adults, up to 400 mg per day is considered a general upper limit, not a goal.

For athletes and active individuals, caffeine may be used strategically, but that requires awareness of total intake, timing, and individual tolerance. It’s not something to use casually or stack without thinking.

If you’re unsure how caffeine fits into your health or medications, check with your primary care provider.

Total intake matters more than people think.

Astronauts made it all the way to the far side of the moon… and somehow it’s still quieter than the nutrition space down...
04/07/2026

Astronauts made it all the way to the far side of the moon… and somehow it’s still quieter than the nutrition space down here.

No podcasts about “toxins.”
No seed oil panic.
No alkaline water saving the day.
No biohacks promising to fix everything overnight.

Just silence.

Meanwhile on Earth, we’ve turned eating, fueling, and taking care of your body into a full-time conspiracy theory.

So here’s your reminder from the “dark side”:
Most of what actually improves your health and performance is still boring, consistent, and not very marketable.

Eat enough.
Prioritize carbs if you train.
Get your protein in.
Hydrate.
Sleep.

You don’t need a $80 supplement stack or a 3-hour podcast to do the basics well.

Sometimes the truth isn’t hidden… it’s just being drowned out.

D1 athletes by day…absolute chaos by choice 🤪
04/06/2026

D1 athletes by day…absolute chaos by choice 🤪

04/04/2026

When your biohack requires bail money, it might be time to revisit the research.

04/03/2026

IIFYM meets protein/fibermaxing

03/30/2026

March is when basketball ramps up
with heavy training and competition, which means the
details of your nutrition plan start to matter even more. This is when I encourage athletes to think about stacking supportive foods into their day.

Antioxidant options like POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice can be an easy addition during demanding training stretches, and pairing that with a whole food protein source like Wonderful Pistachios adds essential amino acids along with electrolytes.

High-level training and competition require an intentional approach to fueling. Stack the right habits and let your nutrition work just as hard as you do.

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jessica Isaacs, The Sports Dietitian posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Jessica Isaacs, The Sports Dietitian:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category