Sport RD Rachel, Scottsdale, AZ (2026)

05/01/2026

Brief nutrition education interruption to share some news! The boy mom era continues this fall… pushing us to make some adjustments from man-to-man to zone defense. We can’t wait to welcome another baby boy into our family!!!

04/13/2026

Save this post for your next long run🏃🏽‍♀️As April events and spring races ramp up, here’s your reminder to carb load with tips to execute well!

You’ve put in the work. Now comes the time to trust training and enjoy the run. Running times are getting faster - likely due to a mix of training AND nutrition protocols athletes are implementing to avoid hitting “the wall” in the days leading up to a race and mid-race. How we fuel (or don’t fuel) can make or break you in an event like the marathon.

Carbohydrate loading is so important for competitions like triathlons, marathons, ultras and any full-day competitions. The combination of tapering (aka not dipping into muscle glycogen as deeply as during regular training) and maximizing carbohydrate intake is the carb load.

Ideally over the course of training, a runner is adjusting their carbohydrate intake relative to their training load (meaning they increase carbohydrate intake as the distance run and intensity of training increases). Carbohydrate intake should increase leading into a difficult workout/long run and might increase the day of and even day after a harder workout (nutrition is so individualized, it all depends😅).

The goal is to increase carbohydrate intake and fill glycogen stores. General recommendations go by grams of carbohydrates per pound or kilogram of body weight. For those of us that don’t know our exact weight - that’s okay! Use your best guess to estimate needs or follow the pattern of filling over half your plate with low-fiber carb sources. Focus on carb-rich snacks and plan ahead so you are fueling every 2-3 hours during the carb load (maybe even more often if you fall in the higher ranges).

With all of these carbs, hydration continues to be another priority to go into the run feeling strong. An easy and free way to monitor hydration is to look at the color of your urine - ideally it is almost clear/light yellow rather than clear (over hydration) or apple juice (dehydrated).

If you are looking to run a fall half or full marathon, this is also for you! Your stomach is a muscle, and just like your legs, you’ve got to practice how you play when it comes to an endurance event.

03/13/2026

Track athletes and parents of busy high school track athletes, this one is for you. Track season is upon us, and if you haven’t had your first meet, it is likely just around the corner!

Track is a fun sport to work with because of the “mini teams” within the team. For younger athletes, track is also not their primary sport– and they are going from one practice/conditioning/skill session to another.

High school athletes are busier than ever. Fueling this activity needs to be a priority to compete at the highest level AND give growing bodies energy needed to thrive. Fueling for a track meet starts days before the meet. Implementing daily habits will improve health and performance long term.

A common issue I see with high school athletes is unintentional under-fueling. One of the biggest things I work with parents and athletes on is planning ahead to set yourself up for success with easy, realistic options to fit a busy lifestyle and meet increased energy needs:
🍌Work through grocery lists and meal plans for the week; if it is a busy week, we talk through performance-focused convenience options to prioritize rather than last minute drive-thrus or skipping meals altogether. I also encourage adding weekly bananas/apples/oranges/fruit that is on sale & within budget to throw in lunches or grab at breakfast.
🥨Plan ahead & pack extra snacks in your backpack/lunchbox/gym bag to fuel throughout the day. Easy nutrient & calorie-dense options: trail mixes, beef jerky, protein/granola bars, salty snacks like pretzels, goldfish, etc.
🔋High school athletes, regardless of sport– get in the habit of topping off energy stores before practice! Most kids go from lunch at noon to dinner at 6pm with a long practice in-between. I encourage athletes to pack foods like fruit snacks, apple sauce, banana, etc. in they can have at the end of the school day before practice.

There are more factors to consider and examples in the post. This is not one-size-fits-all; this post is meant to be educational and does not constitute medical advice. If you would like individualized help in meeting your performance goals for yourself or your athlete this season, don’t hesitate to reach out.

03/11/2026

Happy National Registered Dietitian Day! 🍎🥑🍓🍞🥞🍳🥩🍕🌮🍔🫘🥄🥗🥪🍜🍦🍪🏈🥎🏃🏽‍♀️🚴🏽‍♀️🏋🏽🤍

Everyone claims to be a nutrition expert these days, and it is making nutrition more confusing than ever. Misinformation from large platforms and uneducated influencers is rampant. Make sure you trust the credentials of anyone giving you nutrition advice - look for the RD or RDN credentials!

I am so fortunate for all of the amazing dietitians, mentors and students I have had the honor of meeting, learning from and working with. I am so proud to have a career that not only allows me to encourage people to live a healthier life through nutrition and lifestyle habits but also enables me to have a positive impact in athletes’ lives. I feel so grateful to be able to work with and mentor future dietitians who were in my shoes a few short years ago. It certainly is no walk in the park, but the hard work and long hours studying ochem, medical nutrition therapy, anatomy/physiology, food service management, food and ingredient interactions biochemistry, etc. is worth it!

To the athletes I have had the pleasure of working with: thank you for entrusting me to walk alongside you and help reach nutrition-related goals to improve performance and achieve your goals. Everyone from masters ironmen to college athletes to high schoolers work so incredibly hard in the weight room, on the trails, in the classroom and on the field. As dietitians, we are here 100% for our clients whether they are patients at a hospital, athletes or just normal people, it is our natural instinct to care like crazy!

I hope you all hug or send virtual hugs to your dietitians today, thanking them for the work they do and the BS they debunk.

Reach out if you’d like to learn more about nutrition and taking your performance to the next level💪🏽I am licensed and can virtually work with individuals in NE, IA, SD, MN, NH, ME, GA, VT, KS, TX, AZ, CO and CA!

03/04/2026

It’s March!!!! Happy National Nutrition Month!

This is a trend I had to get in on. I hope the little girl in the photos is proud of all we have accomplished together. It is an honor and a privilege to get to work with so many amazing athletes in the pursuit of their goals big and small! You all inspire me every day. Now go and get yourself some protein, fiber and carbs and don’t forget to hydrate!

01/12/2026

Happy New Year!!!

As many people may already be aware, with the new year, came the updated 2026-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). Even if it’s old news now, I’ve gotten questions on my thoughts, and now that I have had time to digest it, I’m ready to share.

This 5-year installation is definitely simplified from the last DGA. Overall message is to “eat real food.”

TLDR: I don’t totally love this update, but I don’t hate it either. As a dietitian, I’ve been encouraging people to eat real food my whole career, but the key is to make it work with an individual’s goals, their budget, access to food and resources to prepare said food as well as their needs (which change across the lifespan and even season to season).

While overarching themes to eat more protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, full-fat dairy, healthy fats and support gut health are a step in the right direction, I feel the major missed opportunities are to promote fiber and carbohydrates as a whole (especially for athletes and active individuals).

A lot of the official document feels like an unfinished school nutrition project to me, maybe because it lacks a lot of the detail and context included in past DGAs.

I get we need simplification. Nutrition is simple, but it’s not. Most people have a good idea of what they should be doing from these guidelines, but it doesn’t mean they have the knowledge, resources or skill set to do so. The challenge with these vague guidelines will be turning it into something that works in our schedules, budgets, environments, genetics, lives, etc.

Also not addressed in this is the fact than many people have a terrible relationship with their food and body, but that’s another conversation for a different day.

Working with a dietitian to sort through all this noise around food and these guidelines with YOUR dietary preferences and YOUR goals in mind is a great place to start if you have any questions about what you are currently doing and where you want to go.

Questions, comments, anything to add? I’d love to hear!

09/16/2025

7 years as a registered dietitian🥳

🏈5 years in D1 college football (4 years as a Director of Football Nutrition)
🍽️Going on 2 years in the world of Allergen Education and food service management within college athletics
🏃🏽‍♀️Almost 1 year consulting with all different kinds of athletes from high school to masters endurance athletes w/

One of my main focuses when working with athletes and really any client is what can we ADD to support overall health and performance when it comes to nutrition? Sharing 7 (and a couple extras) of my favorite ways athletes can add to their routines to support performance with nutrition.

Our society and social media in general is so good at making us feel like we aren’t enough and focusing on what we should take away or do differently from a place of shame rather than constructive feedback. More often than not, we just need to hear that we are doing a great job. It is not my goal to take away food/food groups that brings an athlete joy.

Giving all of the hard working athletes out there a big pat on the back and looking forward to the opportunities to come in the wild field of sport nutrition!

07/19/2025

Newsflash - We are over halfway through July!

Fall sports for high school and college athletes are about to ramp up in the next couple of weeks. If you’re running a fall marathon, half marathon or other race, your weekly countdown has begun. If you’re someone who has serious goals this year, it’s time to lock in.

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the early part of summer, go on vacation or get a little break from sport, classes or just busyness of life in general. But there is no better time than the present to start working on fueling habits that will support training and performance. Challenge yourself to pick one thing to incorporate this week.

A couple examples I’ve seen with athletes this summer:
For a high school distance runner skipping breakfast before summer workouts, feeling tired midway though - goal to go to bed at a reasonable time to ensure 8-9 hours of sleep; spend 10 extra minutes in the morning to eat something before training, starting small with carbohydrates to help train their stomach.

Busy, working triathlete wanting to finish a half Ironman strong in age group - dial into pre- and post-fuel based on time of day training occurs, eating regular meals and snacks to meet needs with increased training and trialing different intra-bike and run options that work best. Practice how you play!

More examples of small habits to work on above ranging from addressing caffeine intake, prioritizing hydration, resting, building meals based off performance plates, etc.

What are you going to do to level up your game this summer?

06/04/2025

Happy Global Running Day!

Cheers to the activity that many people abhor and others cannot live without! Today (and every day honestly) is a celebration of running, movement, an active lifestyle and working towards big goals one day/run at a time.

Whether you can barely run a block or are an ultra runner, this is a sport that welcomes people with open arms. There is something magical about a finish line that should be experienced at least once, as that itself is a celebration of the process of training for something and pushing yourself.

Here’s to hoping runners use this summer to dial into their nutrition if they want to take their running to the next level. I love seeing a little trend of higher carb fueling happening right now, the positive impact eating has on performance is the vibes we need in this sport that most people often come to with the goal of losing weight. While that can be a benefit, it might not always be an outcome. But you can gain so much more through getting stronger, building endurance and changing body composition through increased movement. Lighter ≠ faster!!!

As the temps heat up and days get longer, here are my top tips for runners doing a summer or fall event:
💦hydrate! It doesn’t matter how long you plan to go, bring a water bottle with you if you can to stay on top of fluids. Aim for 16-20oz before running and a few sips every 15-20min or so. Do a sweat rate test if you can for individualized fluid needs. For longer runs, plan routes that have water fountains or places you can stop inside for drink if possible.
🧇🍌train your stomach! Have a carb rich meal prior to starting (ideally 1-2 hours before, but carb rich snack with 45-min of start)
🍬fuel mid run! Try different intra run carb options to see what work best with your body
📈If your event provides fuel, get your hands on some and “practice how you will play”
🏃🏽‍♀️Invest in good running shorts/sport bra/belt pack so you have pockets for any fueling needs!
Stay safe and aware of your surroundings at all times. If you have summer fueling questions for running or any sport, leave a comment or drop a DM 🤗
Happy running!!

05/23/2025

Every year I’m joyfully reminded how much I love the end of spring semester/start of summer.

I got to attend one of my favorite conferences in AZ last week. Work slows down in anticipation for fueling athletes as they work towards summer performance goals. Spring sport athletes are full swing in post-season competition and fall/winter sport athletes get a little well-deserved break before this next training block. I’ve found that I have been enjoying eating salads again (!) - maybe because it’s been fun to experiment with different combinations, maybe it’s some of the fun new dressings we’ve been getting, maybe it’s how good local, seasonal produce is rn (shoutout to the farmers markets!), maybe it’s because I’m finally far enough postpartum that my body has decided it likes vegetables again😅who knows! Salads don’t have to suck! They are a great way to add some variety to a performance plate by loading up a couple of different veggie/fruit options, adding a carbohydrate like rice/quinoa/chickpeas/beans, etc. and adding a protein (salmon, chicken, tofu, hard-boiled eggs, etc.).

This week has been the week I needed to slow down, reset, do some fun workouts and check some things off the to do list. I think we all need to remember to take breaks like this more often!!

I hope everyone has a safe and well-fueled Memorial Day weekend! Can’t wait to see everyone crush their summer nutrition and performance goals!!!💪🏽🏃🏽‍♀️🍽️🥳

05/18/2025

ASPDA 2025 did not disappoint! This event is always something I look forward to and it keeps getting better every year.

Grateful for a week of getting to reconnect with friends and colleagues, meeting new ones, catching up with former students who are now killing it as dietitians (/future RDs), sharing great food and coffee over insightful conversations, hiking, thanking sponsors and learning from some of the best in the sport nutrition space.

I am honored to be a part of such an impressive organization who continues to raise the bar for its members. The future excites me as a sport dietitian with all of the impact we can make for our athletes, soldiers, patients, clients, etc.

Sport RD Rachel

05/01/2026

04/13/2026

03/13/2026

03/11/2026

03/04/2026

01/12/2026

09/16/2025

07/19/2025

06/04/2025

05/23/2025

05/18/2025

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