Picky Eater or Small Appetite? Smart Strategies to Fuel Your Gymnast

If you’re the parent of a gymnast, you know the drill by now: long days at school and then the gym, hours of strength and dedication, and… a child who seems to live on air. You pack a hefty lunch bag, only to have most of it come back home. You serve a balanced and nutrient-dense dinner, and they’re full after a few bites (or just request snacks). You worry: Are they getting enough to power through practice, grow, and stay healthy?

And honestly, as a registered dietitian specializing in fueling gymnasts, this is one of the most common challenges gymnast families face. The combination of high energy demands, a small appetite, and some very strong food preferences or selective eating habits can feel like an impossible puzzle. 

But here’s the most important thing to know: Fueling your gymnast isn’t about willpower or being difficult. 

It’s about strategy.

This blog post will guide you through understanding the difference between a small appetite and picky eating, and provide smart, practical strategies to incorporate nutrient-dense foods that support your gymnast’s energy, growth, and performance, without pressure or stress.

Small Appetite vs. Picky Eating: Understanding the Difference

First, let’s clarify the source of the challenge, as how we tackle this can differ…

The Small Appetite: 

While some gymnasts seem to have a stomach like a black hole, many have stomachs that seem to fill up quickly. They prefer snacks to meals, grazing often, and may feel full fast and genuinely cannot eat large volumes. For these gymnasts, the goal is maximizing the nutrient-density of every single bite and sip.

The Selective Eater (aka Picky Eater): 

Picky eating is extremely common in young athletes and actually developmentally appropriate for many young, pre-teen, and teenage gymnasts. Additionally, many gymnasts with sensory challenges (like ADHD) also have challenges with food. A gymnast who is a selective eater has a limited list of accepted foods, often due to taste, texture, or smell preferences. The goal here is meeting their needs where they are at, while moving towards gentle exposure and finding nutrient-dense versions of the foods they already like.

Many gymnasts are a combination of both! Understanding this helps you move from frustration to a problem-solving mindset and helping your gymnast grow with all the right nutrients they need!

The Goal: Nutrient Density Over Volume

For a gymnast with a small appetite, we need to shift from thinking about how much they eat to what’s in what they eat. 

Energy density means packing in more energy (aka calories) into a smaller volume of food.

For example:

• Low-Energy-Dense Food: A large bag of plain lettuce, raw vegetables, or rice cakes. It fills the stomach but provides very little energy for a workout.

• High-Energy-Dense Food: Think peanut butter, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or granola. These foods pack a lot of energy into a small volume or portion.

Nutrient density means packing more vitamins, minerals, fats, and protein into a smaller volume of food.

Think of it this way:

• Low-Nutrient-Dense Food: Think chips, desserts, candy. A gymnast might fill up on these foods, but beyond providing energy, they don't offer many other nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins, or minreals.

• High-Nutrient-Dense Food: A small cup of trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It takes up little space but provides sustained energy, healthy fats, and protein.

Our mission is to help gymnasts become familiar with these energy and nutrient dense foods.

Smart Strategies for the Small Appetite Gymnast

1. The "Add-On" Method (Don't Replace, Enhance!)

Instead of trying to force entirely new foods, focus on boosting the nutritional profile of foods they already enjoy and accept.

• Oatmeal or Yogurt? Stir in a scoop of nut butter, a handful of seeds (chia, flax, hemp), or sprinkle of granola

• Pasta with Sauce? Use a protein+ or bean-based pasta for extra protein, stir in a tablespoon of olive oil or pesto into the sauce, and top with grated Parmesan cheese and some leftover dinner meat

• Toast? Swap for a whole-grain version and top with avocado or nut butter instead of just butter

2. Embrace Liquid Calories (They Count!)

Liquid nutrition is often easier to consume and digest, especially when an appetite is low.

• Smoothies are Your Best Friend: Blend milk or greek yogurt (or a fortified alternative), a banana + other fruit, a big scoop of nut butter, and a handful of spinach (you won’t taste it!).

• Milk Matters: Regular, whole milk or fortified soy milk provides protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and Vitamin D (it’s a nutritional powerhouse in a glass).

  
  

3. Master the Mini-Meal & Snack Schedule

Forget the pressure of three big meals. A small stomach does better with more frequent, smaller opportunities to eat.

• Aim for 3 small meals and 2-3 substantial snacks throughout the day. This prevents them from getting overly hungry (which can further suppress appetite) or too full trying to eat enough.

• Always have a pre-practice snack (carbs for energy) and a post-practice snack (carbs + protein for recovery). These are non-negotiable for performance and health

Strategies for the Picky Eaters

1. The Division of Responsibility

This is a golden rule for reducing mealtime stress. As the parent, you are responsible for the what, when, and where of food. Your child is responsible for the how much and whether they eat.

• You provide: A balanced plate with at least one "safe" food you know they’ll eat.

• They choose: What and how much of it they eat from what’s provided.

This takes the pressure off both of you and helps build a positive relationship with food.

2. Make Food Fun and Familiar

• Involve Them: Get their input on meal ideas for the week. Take them grocery shopping and let them pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try. Have them help with meal prep (e.g., washing veggies, stirring) as schedules allow.

• Pair New with Known: Serve a new food alongside a familiar, well-loved food. No pressure to eat it, just exposure is a win.

• Think About Presentation: Sometimes, a food cut into fun shapes or served with a favorite dip can make all the difference.

Nutrient-Dense Food Ideas for Every Category

If They Like...	Try This Nutrient-Dense Boost...
White Pasta/Bread	Protein+ pasta, chickpea pasta, lentil pasta, or simply adding a protein-heavy sauce (like Bolognese). You can also cook grains like orzo, rice, couscous etc. in bone broth instead of water to add more protein and nutrients
Plain Yogurt	Full-fat Greek yogurt; add honey, berries, and granola
Chicken Nuggets	Homemade versions using ground chicken or turkey, baked with whole-wheat breadcrumbs.
Applesauce	Look for varieties with no added sugar, or stir in chia seeds or a scoop of unflavored collagen or protein powder
Grilled Cheese	Use whole-grain bread, add a slice of ham or turkey, and cook with butter or mayo for extra calories.
Pancakes/Waffles	Use a mix that incorporates whole grains or protein; top with Greek yogurt and fruit instead of syrup alone

Fueling a gymnast with a small appetite or selective palate is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be good days and challenging days. The goal is not a "perfect" diet but consistent, steady progress.

Celebrate the small wins: when they try a new food, when they finish their post-workout snack, when a meal is enjoyed without stress. Your role is to provide the opportunities and create a positive environment. By focusing on nutrient density, leveraging smart strategies, and releasing the pressure, you can confidently support your gymnast’s health and help them feel strong, energized, and ready to shine.

Remember, you're not alone in this. This is a common journey, and with patience and these strategies, you can absolutely help your gymnast thrive.

As parents, the number one goal is to keep our children safe, including ensuring they are getting enough energy and nutrients into their bodies to keep up with the demands of the sport. While picky eating can feel like the ultimate struggle around your dinner table, please know that when educated and empowered, most children can grow out of it. Sometimes, they just need the support and guidance of a third party. If you're looking for more support fueling your picky gymnast, as a registered dietitian, I am here to help.

When a gymnast skips meals and snacks, avoid foods, and don't make performance fueling and recovery a priority, they can't expect make the most progress in the gym this fall (and beyond). It's not just about giving 100% when you're in the gym, but also making what you do outside of the gym a priority. It's not too late to get your nutrition sorted out and see major improvements this fall!

The Fueled Gymnast Academy is the is the simplest way for busy gymnast (and those who feed them) to learn the ins and outs of fueling their body as a high level gymnast so they can

• have more energy, reduce the risk of injury, and perform their best

AND

• feel confident and empowered to make their own food choices (and not just have someone tell them what they have to eat).

Start Learning Today

Fueling your body doesn't have to be a guessing game. And you don't have to figure it out on your own.