A teenager ballerina documented over the course of a day in a bid to show others how she fuels her rigorous training.
Luna Hoetzel, 17, is based in Los Angeles, where she regularly dances for five hours a day in addition to her studies. The dancer, who also vlogs about her life on her YouTube channel, recently shared two ‘What I eat in a day’ videos detailing her daily diet.
After posting the clips, Luna received comments from viewers who said she wasn’t eating enough, claiming her meals were better suited for a young child than for an active teenager. Luna thus shared a new video documenting her eating habits in more detail, insisting she doesn’t restrict her eating and listens to her body.
Dancer’s diet: Ballerina Luna Hoetzel, 17, recently documented her meals over the course of an entire day to show what she eats to fuel her rigorous training
Brew: The teen started her day with an almond milk latte that she made at home, which she said contained 80 calories
Menu: She followed her coffee with a breakfast of avocado toast with two scrambled eggs, which she estimated at 332 calories, reaching a total of 412 calories for breakfast
The teenager, who recorded her clip from New York City, where she traveled for a five-week travel intensive, counted the calories included in each of her meals for the purpose of her video, but said she doesn’t do so on a regular basis.
‘I do not personally count calories and believe nobody should, but after comments on my last video about the calorie count, I thought it would be informative to put in,’ she wrote underneath the clip.
On the day she recorded her new video, Luna ate approximately 2,255 calories allocated among her breakfast, lunch, dinner, and several snacks.
Active teenage girls in Luna’s age group should consume 2,000 calories a day according to the National Institutes of Health, while very active teenage girls in the same age group should aim for 2,400 calories a day.
Luna started her day with an almond milk latte that she made at home, followed by a breakfast of avocado toast with two scrambled eggs.
She estimated that her almond latte contained 80 calories, while her breakfast came to 332 calories — reaching a total of 412 calories between food and drink.
Numbers: The teenager counted the calories included in each of her meals for the purpose of her video, but said she doesn’t do so on a regular basis
Meal: Luna had her first dance class of the day, which she followed by a salad made with salad greens, cucumber, half an avocado and chicken sausage, paired with grain crackers
Cheers! Later in the day, the teenager had another coffee — an iced almond milk latte that she logged as 70 calories
Video courtesy of Luna Hoetzel
The teenager then had her first dance class of the day, which she followed by a salad made with salad greens, cucumber, half an avocado and chicken sausage, paired with grain crackers.
According to Luna, the salad contained 330 calories, with an addition of 100 calories accounting for the side of crackers.
Later in the day, the teenager had another coffee — an iced almond milk latte that she logged as 70 calories.
In the afternoon, she had three snacks: a 63-calorie nectarine, a 260-calorie protein bar, and 250 calories of grilled chicken with ketchup between her second dance class and a two-hour rehearsal session.
After rehearsal, Luna stopped by a frozen yogurt shop for a 250-calorie pre-dinner dessert.
Munching: In the afternoon, she had three snacks, including a 63-calorie nectarine
Fuel: Luna also tucked into a 260-calorie protein bar over the course of the afternoon
More protein: She then had grilled chicken with ketchup between her second dance class and a rehearsal session, which she logged as 250 calories
She later had a mix of grilled chicken, kale, sweet potatoes and cheddar cheese, along with sides of rice and edamame, all of which she logged as approximately 450 calories.
A little later, the teenager snacked on some green apple and crackers, adding another 60 calories to her day.
While Luna said she didn’t want to discuss her eating habits in this specific video, she referenced remarks she made in a previous clip, in which she answered some of the comments she has received about her diet.
Those comments came after Luna posted two different food diaries, which some viewer felt didn’t include enough food.
Sweet: After rehearsal, Luna stopped by a frozen yogurt shop, where she bought a 250-calorie pre-dinner dessert
Enjoy! She later had a mix of grilled chicken, kale, sweet potatoes and cheddar cheese, along with sides of rice and edamame, all of which she logged as approximately 450 calories
Light bites: A little later, the teenager snacked on some green apple and crackers, adding another 60 calories to her day
Others took issue with the fact that Luna eats animal products.
‘I got a lot of comments on my food video saying I don’t eat enough, or that they’re offended because they’re vegan — just comments about the way I eat and what I ate that day,’ the ballerina said.
‘I’m not offended. I don’t take it personally at all because I know for myself that I am healthy.
‘Obviously I don’t eat like I ate that day every day. Last night, I went to my friend’s house and I had all the baked goods she had and I ate so much of it. I eat differently every single day. That was a really healthy day for me.
‘You guys said I wasn’t eating enough calories, that was enough for a four-year-old… That’s what my body wanted and needed that day, and I can’t argue that. I’m not going to over-eat. I’m not going to under-eat.’
She added: ‘What everyone needs to understand is that we’re all different. All of our bodies need different things. Our metabolisms are different. Our genetics are all different. There is no one way to eat and that’s my message.’