Top 10 Gymnastics Nutrition Myths (and the Truth)

True or false: gymnastics nutrition myths don’t exist.

I hate to break it to you, but this is most certainly FALSE. High-level gymnasts, parents and coaches are flooded with information about what to eat, and most of it is just plain wrong. These myths get repeated over and over until everyone accepts them as fact.

It’s no wonder we see gymnasts with injuries that won’t heal, utter exhaustion, severe underfueling, and ultimately quitting the sport they once loved. That was my personal experience, and the experience of way too many high-level gymnasts. But it doesn’t have to be that way for your gymnast.

By Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSP, CSSD · Updated October 2026

The top 10 gymnastics nutrition myths (quick list)

1. Carbs are “fattening”
2. Fat in food causes body fat
3. Gymnasts should eat protein for energy during practice
4. Gymnasts should drink water only, not sports drinks
5. Eating late at night causes weight gain
6. You have to eat clean to get lean
7. It’s OK if a gymnast doesn’t get her period until she’s older
8. Lighter gymnasts “fly higher”
9. Any salt will cause bloating
10. Fasted workouts burn more fat

Here’s the thing: many of these come straight from diet culture. But they’re even MORE dangerous for a high-level gymnast, because they keep her from getting the nutrition she needs.

We could write an entire article on each of these. As a former gymnast turned pediatric and adolescent sports dietitian, it took me years to let go of some of these myths that I believed when I was a gymnast. So if some of these are hard to read, you’re not alone. I encourage you to keep an open mind for the sake of your gymnast.

Myth 1: “Carbs are fattening”

Say it with me: “Carbohydrates FUEL the gymnast.” Louder for those in the back.

Carbohydrate is to performance nutrition what the handstand is to gymnastics. You need it. Period.

Gymnastics is an anaerobic, high-intensity sport, which means training is fueled mostly by carbohydrate. A big part of a gymnast’s meals and snacks should be carbs. But thanks to diet culture and myths that carbs are “fattening” or “inflammatory,” a lot of gymnasts under-eat this food group, and it hurts their performance. (More in Are Carbs Bad for Gymnasts?)

Sugar is not the enemy

Sugar gets an even worse rap than carbs in general. But ALL carbohydrates break down into sugars (glucose, fructose or galactose), and EVERY cell in the body uses glucose for energy. Does sugar cause more weight gain than any other food? Nope! No one food is magically stored as fat. It’s all about context and energy needs.

Sugar has 4 calories per gram. Do you know what else has 4 calories per gram? Protein. So yes, sugar can cause weight gain if eaten in large excess over time, but so can protein, fat or anything else. Most people who “struggle with sugar” have erratic meal patterns or are bingeing after restriction, and those episodes push them into a surplus. It’s not solely sugar’s fault. (More in Help! My Gymnast Won’t Stop Eating Sugar.)

Myth 2: “Fat in food causes body fat”

This myth should have died in the ’90s. But gymnasts are still told to eat low-fat foods and that high-fat foods will “turn to fat” on their bodies. That’s just not true.

No one food causes weight gain (or weight loss) on its own. Calories do matter, but it’s a lot more complex than “calories in, calories out.” Fat is an important source of energy and the building blocks for hormones.

Myth 3: “Gymnasts should eat protein for energy during practice”

This has to be true, right? Just look at the grocery store shelves. Most workout bars are protein-based, and maybe that’s what the coach tells your gymnast to bring to practice. After all, if diet culture says “carbs make you fat” and “fat makes you fat,” that only leaves protein.

Remember what I said about carbs? Gymnastics is an anaerobic sport, and protein is NOT the body’s preferred fuel. Protein breaks down too slowly to give her energy for big skills during a 4-5 hour practice. Protein IS an important part of a gymnast’s diet, just not as her fuel during workouts. (More in How Much Protein Does a Gymnast Need?)

Myth 4: “Gymnasts should drink water only, not sports drinks”

Oh boy, is this one controversial. During long practices, high-level gymnasts often need more than just water. The main electrolytes lost in sweat are sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium. Sports drinks like Gatorade replace sodium and other electrolytes, and the sugar helps her absorb fluid AND fuels her training. (More in Gymnast Hydration and Do Gymnasts Need Sports Drink?)

To break it down:

• Water only: practices under about 3.5 hours, as long as she’s eating enough carbs and salt from food before and after.
• Sports drink: for practices 3.5 hours or longer, start about 2 hours in. Practices of 4+ hours always need carbs during practice. 12-20 oz of a sports drink works well (12 oz of Gatorade has about 20 g of carbs). Use it during practice, not just sipping all day for fun.
• Food vs. sports drink: food has more vitamins, minerals and fiber. But some gymnasts don’t like feeling full during practice, and many high-level gymnasts (Levels 8-10 and elite) aren’t given time to eat, so a liquid carb is the best option.

(More in Top 3 Mistakes With Intra-Workout Nutrition.)

Myth 5: “Eating late at night causes weight gain”

I have to wonder who decided that at 7 PM, 500 calories equals 500 calories, but at 8 PM, 500 calories equals 1,838,573 calories? Seems crazy, right? But this myth gained traction and ended up terrifying people about eating late.

So what happens when your gymnast has practice from 5 to 9 PM? Do you skip dinner because the calories “double” after hours? Send her to bed with a salad and a protein bar?

I think this myth comes from advice meant for busy, sedentary adults with erratic meal patterns who tend to overeat at night. It does NOT apply to a gymnast. That said, a lot of gymnasts DO underfuel during the day and come home ravenous. It’s much better for performance and body composition to spread food through the day and fuel before, during and after practice. (More in Gymnast Recovery Nutrition.)

Myth 6: “You have to eat clean to get lean”

Clean eating gets a lot of press. It sure sounds good. Eating clean must be healthy, and being healthy makes you a better gymnast, right?

But “clean eating” is arbitrary. What does it even mean? No sugar? No salt? Nothing processed? You can “eat clean” and still under-eat, overeat or miss the carbs and protein she needs for high-level training. And for many gymnasts, clean eating leads to overeating, sneaking food or bingeing, the exact opposite of what parents want.

All foods can fit in a high-level gymnast’s diet. If you think of foods on a range from less nutritious to more nutritious, you can drop the “good” and “bad” labels that give food a mystical superpower. Language matters. Calling foods “junk” can make her feel guilt or shame, which can lead to bingeing and sneaking. Call foods what they are: chips, cookies, etc.

Instead of making these foods off-limits, make them more neutral by having them regularly. They add satisfaction to meals and snacks. Then focus on ADDING more nutritious foods. Restriction always backfires. (More in Does a Gymnast Have to Eat Clean? and Can Gymnasts Eat Junk Food?)

Myth 7: “It’s OK if a gymnast doesn’t get her period until she’s older”

This myth has taken root in gymnastics culture to the point where many gymnasts who DO get their period think something is wrong with them. Coaches, parents, friends and family just expect these hard-working athletes to start late, at 16-17+ or even after they retire.

But please hear this: missing periods (amenorrhea) has serious, long-lasting effects, especially when it’s caused by not eating enough. No period by age 15 needs to be evaluated by a physician.

The biggest concern is bone. Without enough estrogen, the body can’t keep bone building and breakdown in balance, which weakens bones and raises the risk of fractures. Hard-to-heal stress fractures in the back, hips, pelvis and feet are often the result, and it can even lead to osteopenia or osteoporosis. All the calcium and vitamin D in the world won’t fix this. The body needs enough calories, protein, carbs and fat to heal.

Even more important, girls build most of their peak bone mass by age 18, and bones reach their maximum strength in the early to mid-twenties. How she fuels during her teen years can impact the rest of her life. (More in Do Gymnasts Get Periods? and REDs.)

Myth 8: “Lighter gymnasts fly higher”

This saying keeps circulating in gymnastics culture. The tiny gymnasts, the ones who look prepubescent, become the standard every other gymnast is held to. Not only is this unhealthy and dangerous, it isn’t even scientifically accurate.

If you follow Dave Tilley’s work (and if you don’t, you should), you’ll see how power is generated. And yes, you need power to “fly higher.” When a gymnast actually fuels well, she can train hard, which improves her power-to-body ratio. Her joints are better protected too, because more force is absorbed by muscle instead of passive joints and ligaments. That’s what makes a gymnast fly higher.

Body diversity is important to recognize and normalize. Your gymnast doesn’t get to choose her body type. Some gymnasts are longer and leaner, others are shorter and more compact, and anything in between is just fine. And successful gymnasts, especially college gymnasts, are not little girls. Most have gone through puberty and have breasts and hips, which is completely normal at 16-18 and older. (More in 8 Truths About the Gymnast Body.)

Myth 9: “Any salt will cause bloating”

Let’s break down what “bloating” is. It can be normal belly fullness after eating and drinking. Or it can be fullness and discomfort from slow digestion, which is common with REDs.

Athletes need MORE salt (sodium) than non-athletes. Salt and carbs do attract water, but when she eats them consistently, the effect is tiny. It’s the big swings in eating (like “cheat days” or bingeing after restriction) that cause big shifts in water. Consistent, sustainable fueling means fewer swings. (More in Food Rules for Gymnasts.)

Myth 10: “Fasted workouts burn more fat”

You’ve probably heard this one from social media fitness “gurus.” But here’s the thing: fasted workouts may use more fat as fuel during the workout, and that is NOT the same as losing body fat.

What does a fasted workout really lead to? Worse performance, which means she does less and burns less. A high-level gymnast training 4-5+ hours a day, 5 days a week, doesn’t need to focus on burning calories. She’s there to train SKILLS and the ENDURANCE she needs for routines. She needs as much fuel as possible for the energy, strength and power those skills take. (More in Why Is Your Gymnast Not Eating Before Practice?)

True or false: these myths are hurting her performance

If your gymnast is following any of these myths, the answer may be TRUE. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

There’s a lot of nutrition “noise” out there. Google makes information easy to find, but it also makes it murky to figure out what applies to YOUR gymnast. Research is often cherry-picked by “gurus” with an angle. Or maybe a diet works for you, so it seems logical to apply it to your gymnast. But just because it works for you doesn’t make it right for a high-level gymnast.

I go even deeper on these myths on The Balanced Gymnast® Podcast. Listen to Top 10 Gymnast Nutrition Myths here, and for growth myths, listen to Debunking the Top 5 Myths About Gymnastics Growth.

Frequently asked questions

Get help sorting out gymnastics nutrition myths

If you need help sorting fact from fiction for your gymnast, start with our free masterclass or take the free Gymnast Fueling Quiz. And if you want more than a generic meal plan, The Balanced Gymnast® Program is our 1:1 program, built by a former gymnast, nationally rated NCAA/USAG judge and pediatric sports dietitian who lives and breathes this sport. We build her plan around HER, not diet culture, so she can close the recovery gap each and every day.