Kelly Jones Nutrition (2025)

29/05/2025

It’s mental health awareness month so I can’t let it pass by without acknowledgment. As long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in the power of nutrition, benefits of movement, and diving into ways to support the body and mind as naturally as possible. At the same time, I know I grew up in a time where medication was stigmatized and just as we’ve made a lot of progress with that in our society, we’re seeing that stigma loudly rear its head again.

I haven’t acknowledged my anxiety publicly in a bit because I’m privileged enough to have access to and time for what’s listed in this post, so my symptoms are minimal. And even with that, genetics, personal stressors, and certain times of the month build that anxiety up. Happiness for females and moms in particular is declining, too, and we can’t say that social media isn’t a part of it… which is why I feel compelled to remind everyone that the influencers you follow are mostly sharing a highlight reel. Everyone has their struggles.

And while there may be a few people in the FB mom groups yelling that ashwaghanda and magnesium are cure alls that make your life rainbows and butterflies, that’s not reality when you’re struggling. And your health and well being aren’t one size fits all. Supplements are regulated WAY less than medications. They don’t have to list tolerable upper intake levels, side effects, or even guarantee what they’re saying is in the product is actually in there (or all that’s in there). Be open about your mental health. I can’t stress enough the importance of support from others - both health professionals and friends/family. Chat with your doctor. If they aren’t listening well and throwing a one size fits all med your way, speak up and try to find a new one. Use insurance benefits to meet with a dietitian if you can’t afford one out of pocket for supplement recs tailored to your needs. And give yourself some grace.

17/05/2025

Big workout planned for the weekend? Don’t run on empty - or with the wrong nutrients! Pre-workout fueling requires adequate energy, a balance of nutrients when eating in advance, avoidance of excess fat, fiber and even protein, along with adequate hydration.

Need ideas for what to eat before a workout? Search “what to eat before” at KellyJonesNutrition.com for sports dietitian approved examples of what you can eat when!

01/05/2025

Welcome to the side of social media that likes carbs, cause science. They’re the *preferred* source of energy for the muscles and brain and the only macronutrient that has a storage form that isn’t fat.

If you currently head into training fasted, or try to “make it” through long moderate to intense workouts without carbs… why?? You’ll feel more physically and mentally energized and probably surprise yourself in terms of what you’re capable of if you make a switch! Glycogen depletion and dehydration are essentially THE limiting factors in endurance exercise.

Grab an easily digestible carb pre-workout and pair your protein with carbs post workout… and the rest of the day. If you’re moving >90 min carbs are a must during and can be helpful for shorter workouts for some people, too.

*Creatine offers energy for the highest intensity muscular movements, but only for about 15 seconds straight til carbs take over energy supply.

08/02/2025

Creatine is a compound that forms phosphocreatine (PCr, aka Creatine-Phosphate or Cr-P) in skeletal muscles and in small amounts in the brain. It replenishes energy for our muscle cells more quickly than any other compound - even glycogen and glucose. This makes it the optimal fuel for quick, high intensity bursts and strength movements in sports and training sessions (lasting ~5-18 seconds). While it is produced naturally in the body, many people also ingest it via meat and fish.

It is well accepted that creatine supplementation may benefit athletes in many sports as well as trained individuals, by increasing the free creatine and PCr available in the muscle. This can enhance exercise capacity and training adaptations. These adaptations can allow the athlete or active individual to do more work during a sprint or heavy lifting series, leading to gains in maximal strength, power, muscle mass and performance. This is the case for both trained and untrained individuals!

Most creatine supplements are vegan friendly, as creatine monohydrate (the most commonly found and most well-researched form) is chemically synthesized.

While creatine is most known for strength and performance gains, research has also shown benefits for sports and endurance activities. There’s also promise to treat traumatic brain injury as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. In general there is also a lot of promise when it comes to aging - especially to benefit cognition and treat sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass and function). More evidence is emerging on women’s health benefits across the life cycle and for mental health benefits, too.

PMIDs: 28615996, 26898548, 32549301

31/01/2025

Magnesium is having a moment - and for good reason! The groups of functions listed are not only important for general health, but also physical performance and mental health. And, no surprise here, eating more whole plant foods is a great way to up your intake!

The requirements listed are the *minimum* amount you should consume through the diet, but roughly half of Americans do not reach these amounts. On top of that, data suggests stress depletes magnesium and that low magnesium increases feelings of stress.

Studies have also shown supplementation may improve subjective anxiety in vulnerable groups (PMID: 28445426) as well as those with depression (PMID: 38213402). However, it is critical to discuss supplementation with your doc or dietitian to ensure appropriate form, dose, and ensure you aren’t at risk of any medication-nutrient interactions.

The forms of mag I’m most often recommending to athletes and active adults are bisglycinate and L-threonate. Both may be helpful if you have trouble falling or staying asleep while bisglycinate may aid muscle recovery and threonate may be better for focus.

Of note: this is an including, but not limited to, list of foods with magnesium. When you see something is a “good source of” a nutrient, as listed with foods here, it means a standard serving provides at least 10% of the recommended daily value of that nutrient.

21/11/2024

Whether you’re a pro or collegiate athlete or feeling the effects of aging as an active adult, you may have considered turmeric for its purported anti-inflammatory benefits to relieve joint pain. Truth is, while an anti-inflammatory eating pattern can help, simply sprinkling a tsp of turmeric into a recipe -or even a homemade juice shot- isn’t likely to make a big enough difference to relieve pain.

Studies show it takes 1000-1500mg of Curcumin to reduce joint pain and there’s only about 200 mg in a teaspoon of turmeric. If you’re enjoying adding it to recipes, smoothies and juice shots, keep it up! The antioxidants are contributing to an overall eating pattern where foods, herbs, and spices can collectively support healthy inflammatory responses. Just don’t think it’s a silver bullet to feel better and move more.

First, focus on that anti-inflammatory eating pattern. It’ll help way more than your joints with benefits for your heart, brain, gut, energy metabolism and more. That means:
•increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and other whole plant foods
•getting adequate omega-3 EPA and DHA as well as vitamin D
•supporting gut health with pre and probiotic foods
•drinking enough water
•using a *variety* of herbs and spices

If you’re there and still feeling the effects of a past joint injury or osteoarthritis, consider a Curcumin supplement (and chat with your healthcare team about it). Then, choose one that’s clinically studied like Meriva or Thorne’s Curcumin phytosome. Or an option that also contains piperine, like NOW’s Curcumin and bioperine.

21/10/2024

No one likes this answer, but as usual with nutrition: “it depends.” Your entire eating pattern contributes to your energy levels, performance, health, cravings and more, not just what you eat (or don’t eat) immediately before and during a workout.

At the same time, SO much of the work I’ve done as a performance dietitian involves helping people realize they’ll feel better - and have less cravings - if they eat more earlier in the day. Sometimes that means adding nutrition before a morning workout to get ahead of energy needs. Sometimes it means adding in a little nutrition during exercise. Sometimes they’re still fine getting up to workout “fasted” if it’s early and they can pull together an adequate performance meal postworkout and fuel well the rest of the day.

For some people, what works one day may not work another based on your workout schedule, work schedule, kid’s schedule and even menstrual cycle phase for some women. You may need to totally adjust your eating pattern in postpartum, while nursing, during perimenopause or during a season of life with additional stressors that impact your health.

Want to read more to help determine if you need to eat before a workout in the morning? Comment “MORNING” and I’ll DM you a link to my longer article on the topic!

*This graphic may not apply to you based on a need to take medications with or without food, manage blood sugars, other health conditions.

02/08/2024

In honor of my Olympic distance tri tomorrow, sharing triathlon nutrition for beginners or anyone who is seasoned and needs a reminder. Since KJN has several clients with tris well into September, we know this info can be valuable for so many people new to the sport!

Our consultant RD Kate, who was a collegiate triathlete, wrote an entire article on the topic (search “triathlon” at KellyJonesNutrition.com or comment TRIATHLON) so you know her recs are gold and will have you fueled up like all the amazing athletes in Paris🥇

I’m headed to pizza with the fam tonight to top off a short couple of higher carb, lighter activity days!

22/07/2024

As I continually advocate adults work on their protein intake, regardless of activity level, protein remains a more costly nutrient. Protein foods, especially those of animal origin, have always run more expensive than foods that contain more carbs and fat.

But never fear, there are plenty of protein options that are more economical and easy to use. Some can be the sole source of protein in your meal or snack, and if you shop at places like Trader Joe’s for tempeh it’s a steal! Still, some of those pictured are best paired together, like pair high protein ancient grains with legumes. Ex: 1 C spelt (10g) with 3/4 C cannellini beans (12g) + veggies and a topping like h**p hearts can get you over 25g. Or, add in an ounce of cheese for 7g+.

If you’re looking for more resources to support your performance on a budget, head to kellyjonesnutrition.com and type “budget” in the search bar. I have a FREE budget friendly athlete grocery guide and a post with over 30 budget friendly performance meals!

16/07/2024

Exercise is Medicine ( ) strives to make the promotion of physical activity a standard in clinical care and is implemented globally in over 40 countries. In this article, Kelly Jones, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, explores EIM, its implementation, and opportunities for RDs to incorporate these practices: tinyurl.com/ycxurm37 Kelly Jones Nutrition

Kelly Jones Nutrition

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