Amy Stephens Nutrition

Amy Stephens Nutrition Amy Stephens, RD is a dietitian specializing in sports nutrition. Amy Stephens is a licensed Diabetes Nutritionist with a Masters in Nutrition from NYU.

She is a lecturer for physicians at NYU/Bellevue with over 15 years of experience with both in-and out-patient services. She currently acts as a diabetes educator to the endocrinology physicians and works closely with her patients to create healthy lifestyle choices.

Why carbs matter for recovery 🍞Rest alone doesn’t fully restore your body after training. ⭐️Reference: PMID 40836481- Mu...
02/15/2026

Why carbs matter for recovery 🍞
Rest alone doesn’t fully restore your body after training. ⭐️

Reference: PMID 40836481

- Muscle glycogen (your primary fuel for training and competition) can take 12–36 hours to fully replenish. That matters, especially if you have back-to-back workouts, doubles, or competitions.

👉 Carbohydrates are non-negotiable for recovery.

Because glycogen restoration takes time, recovery doesn’t end when the workout ends. You need to keep consuming carbohydrates after training to support muscle repair, performance, and readiness for the next session.

Best practice for optimal recovery:
• Start fueling early
• Continue fueling during longer workouts (>70 min)
• Eat carbs frequently post-workout
• Aim for ~1.2 g carbohydrate per kg per hour for the first 3 hours after training

Your body can’t adapt to work it isn’t fueled for. ✨

💥 Fuel Before & After Exercise, ItMatters More Than You Think! A recent study of NCAA Division I cross country runners s...
01/08/2026

💥 Fuel Before & After Exercise, ItMatters More Than You Think!

A recent study of NCAA Division I cross country runners shows that even highly trained athletes often don’t meet carbohydrate or energy needs, especially around workouts.

Why it matters:
✅ Proper pre-run fueling = better performance
✅ Post-run recovery = faster muscle repair & glycogen replenishment
✅ Carbs = energy

What you eat before and after your practice impacts your training, recovery, and results. 🥗🍌💪

📖 PMID: 39610765

As you start the year, here’s your reminder that sports performance is about many factors, not just body weight.There ar...
01/02/2026

As you start the year, here’s your reminder that sports performance is about many factors, not just body weight.

There are many factors that matter, and these are a few that have the biggest impact 👇

⚡ Fuel timing & adequacy
Eating enough before, during, and after training supports energy, power, and recovery

🍞 Carbohydrate availability
Meeting carb requirements = better endurance, speed, and decision-making

💧 Hydration & electrolytes
Even mild dehydration can reduce strength, coordination, mental focus, and reaction time

😴 Sleep quality & consistency
Improves reaction time, mood, recovery, and injury resilience

🏋️ Strength & power development
Relative strength, rate of force development, and neuromuscular efficiency matter

🎯 Training quality & specificity
Smart programming > just doing more

🔁 Recovery practices
Rest days, deloads, mobility, and proper refueling drive adaptation

🧠 Mental strength
Confidence, focus, emotional regulation, and stress management impact performance

🧬 Hormonal health
Adequate energy supports hormones tied to strength, bone health, and recovery

🩸 Iron & micronutrient status
Key for oxygen delivery, fatigue management, overall health, and endurance

🩹 Injury prevention & availability
Refuel and fill in energy gaps with nutritious foods. Fuel to upcoming workouts rather than chasing hunger will keep bones and tissues healthy

🤝 Team environment & coaching
Psychological safety and trust improve effort and performance

➡️ Performance is multifactorial. Weight is only one small piece of the puzzle.

Reactive hypoglycemia symptoms can affect up to ~30% of people, but diagnosable reactive hypoglycemia (blood glucose
12/15/2025

Reactive hypoglycemia symptoms can affect up to ~30% of people, but diagnosable reactive hypoglycemia (blood glucose

🎉Holiday routine* Expect your schedule to shift. Be flexible. Do your best to get back to your normal routine as soon as...
11/23/2025

🎉Holiday routine
* Expect your schedule to shift. Be flexible. Do your best to get back to your normal routine as soon as you can.
* Keep a schedule. Aim to eat every 3–4 hours, even on rest days.
* Breakfast (within two hours of waking)
* Mid-morning snack
Lunch
* Afternoon snack
* Dinner
* Optional evening snack
* Fuel well on rest days: your body still needs three meals and a couple of snacks.
* Aim for balanced plates with carbohydrates, protein, and colorful fruits or vegetables.

🎉Sleep
* Maintain a consistent sleep routine. Try to go to bed at the same time each night.
* If falling asleep is tough: limit caffeine, charge your phone outside the bedroom, and decompress with something calming before bed.

🎉Stress & triggers
* Check in with your stress levels. Holidays can increase or decrease your appetite.
* Have a plan if being home is stressful:
* Stick to regular meal and snack times
* Keep snacks nearby so you don’t get overly hungry
* Take short breaks (walk, stretch, breathe) if things feel overwhelming

🎉Hydration
* Stay hydrated, especially when traveling or when routines change.
* Aim for 2–3 liters of fluids per day.
* Add electrolytes on training days or when flying.

✨ These small habits can make a big difference in keeping you fueled, grounded, and maintain training throughout the holiday season.

As a sports dietitian and runner, it’s hard to be sidelined by injury. Last year I developed a stress fracture while run...
11/08/2025

As a sports dietitian and runner, it’s hard to be sidelined by injury. Last year I developed a stress fracture while running a marathon (no, I didn’t finish the race).

Here are the strategies I focused on to help my body heal fast. ⬇️
✨ Focused on consistent fueling by eating before and after cross training and strength sessions.
✨Added more calcium + vitamin D–rich foods like yogurt, eggs, and cottage cheese.
✨Prioritized high quality protein at every meal for repair and expanded my food choices to include chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, and tofu.
✨Ate plenty of fruits + veggies for antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E.
✨Rested when I needed it (even when it was hard!). That includes plenty of sleep. 💤
✨Worked closely with my physical therapist and coach Brendan (.run.academy )to return to running very slowly.

🍎I focused on being patient, consistent with fueling and trust the process.

As a sports dietitian and runner, it’s hard to be sidelined by injury. Last year I developed a stress fracture while run...
11/08/2025

As a sports dietitian and runner, it’s hard to be sidelined by injury. Last year I developed a stress fracture while running a marathon (no, I didn’t finish the race).

Here are the strategies I focused on to help my body heal fast. ⬇️
✨ Focused on consistent fueling by eating before and after cross training and strength sessions.
✨Added more calcium + vitamin D–rich foods like yogurt, eggs, and cottage cheese.
✨Prioritized high quality protein at every meal for repair and expanded my food choices to include chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, and tofu.
✨Ate plenty of fruits + veggies for antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E.
✨Rested when I needed it (even when it was hard!). That includes plenty of sleep. 💤
✨Worked closely with my physical therapist and coach (Brendan .run.academy ) to return to running very slowly.

🍎I focused on being patient, consistent with fueling and trust the process.

Caffeine is an important concept to understand, especially in terms of athletic performance!Beaumont R, Cordery P, Funne...
10/24/2025

Caffeine is an important concept to understand, especially in terms of athletic performance!

Beaumont R, Cordery P, Funnell M, Mears S, James L, Watson P. Chronic ingestion of a low dose of caffeine induces tolerance to the performance benefits of caffeine. J Sports Sci. 2017 Oct;35(19):1920-1927. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1241421. Epub 2016 Oct 20. 

Clarke ND, Richardson DL, Thie J, Taylor R. Coffee Ingestion Enhances 1-Mile Running Race Performance. International Journal Sports Physiology and Performance. 2018;13(6):789-794.

Davis JK, Green JM. Caffeine and anaerobic performance: ergogenic value and mechanisms of action. Sports Med. 2009;39:813–832. 

Laurent D, Schneider KE, Prusaczyk WK, et al. Effects of caffeine on muscle glycogen utilization and the neuroendocrine axis during exercise. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000;85:2170–2175. 

McLellan TM, Bell DG. The impact of prior coffee consumption on the subsequent ergogenic effect of anhydrous caffeine. Int J Sports Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004;14:698–708. 

Spriet LL. Exercise and sport performance with low doses of caffeine. Sports Med. 2014;44:175–184. 

Talanian JL, Spriet LL. Low and moderate doses of caffeine late in exercise improve performance in trained cyclists. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Aug;41(8):850-5. 

Wiles JD, Bird SR, Hopkins J, Riley M. Effect of caffeinated coffee on running speed, respiratory factors, blood lactate and perceived exertion during 1500-m treadmill running. Br J Sports Med. 1992; 26:116–120.

Beard J, Tobin B.  2000. Iron status and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 72 (2):594S-597S.Coates A, Mountjoy M, Burr J. Incide...
10/20/2025

Beard J, Tobin B.  2000. Iron status and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 72 (2):594S-597S.

Coates A, Mountjoy M, Burr J. Incidence of iron deficiency and iron deficient anemia in elite runners and triathletes. Clin J Sport Med. 2016.

Koehler K, Braun H, Achtzehn S, Hildebrand U, Predel H-G, Mester J, Schänzer W (2012) Iron status in elite young athletes: gender- dependent influences of diet and exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 112(2):513–523

McKay, AKA, Peeling P, et al.  (2019a) Chronic adherence to a ketogenic diet modifies iron metabolism in elite athletes.  Med Science Sports Exercise.  51(3):548-555.

McKay et al. Iron metabolism: interactions with energy and carbohydrate availability. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 30.12(12); 3692

Ostojic SM & Ahmetovic Z. Weekly training volume and hematological status in female top-level athletes. Ahmetovic Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness; Sep 2008; 48, 3; ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source pg. 398

Peeling P, Blee T, Goodman C, Dawson B, Claydon G, Beilby J, Prins A (2007) Effect of iron injections on aerobic-exercise perfor- mance of iron-depleted female athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 17(3):221–231

Sim et al. Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 July; 119(7):1463-78

Tan D, Dawson B, Peeling P (2012) Hemolytic effects of a football-specific training session in elite female players. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 7(3):271–276
USDA database for iron rich foods

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Specializing in Sports Nutrition Diabetes

Amy Stephens is a licensed Diabetes Nutritionist with a Masters in Nutrition from NYU. She is a lecturer for physicians at NYU/Bellevue with over 15 years of experience with both in-and out-patient services. She currently acts as a diabetes educator to the endocrinology physicians and works closely with her patients to create healthy lifestyle choices. More recently, Amy has been working with athletes to improve performance with the right diet. Amy is team nutritionist for Elite running team HOKA ONE/ONE Track club in New York.