This Is What a Professional Dancer Eats For Breakfast

We don’t need to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In this series, we’re asking top doctors, fitness pros, and dietitians for a sneak peek into their kitchens, so we can see what’s on their breakfast tables.

Image provided.

Jessica Burrows

Claim to fame: 

After completing her dance training from Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto and becoming an apprentice with the National Ballet of Canada in 2009, Jessica Burrows joined Hong Kong Ballet in 2016. During that time, she toured abroad for seven years before deciding to return to North America and join the Boston Ballet.

Currently, she is in the second week of a five-week performance season with the Boston Ballet at the Boston Opera House, performing The Sleeping Beauty, Classic Balanchine, and La Sylphide. A typical day-in-the-life for Burrows includes five hours of dancing before lunch. Needless to say—carbs are a must.

What She Ate: 

Burrows’ favorite breakfast go-to has always been oatmeal with maple syrup because her dad used to make it for her when she was a kid. She adds that strong coffee has become a necessity in her adult life.

Why She Chose It: 

Day to day rehearsal and performance demands change a little every day, Burrows explains, but typically her day starts with a 30-minute warmup that includes stretching, strengthening, and Pilates exercises. After that, she has a ballet class followed by a few hours of rehearsal and then a performance. Add to that, about two and a half hours of cardio per week. “If I don’t have breakfast I start to lose focus and physically start to shake from muscle fatigue,” she says. “The importance of nutrition in my lifestyle is very simple—if I don’t eat well, I don’t feel well. I need to be able to recover after a long day of dancing so I don’t get injured.”