When to use this
The first week after a stress-fracture diagnosis, when the food plan for the whole healing block gets set.
- An athlete in a boot who has started eating less because they train less.
- A second bone-stress injury in the same athlete or the same season.
- Parents asking how to feed a runner who cannot run for six to eight weeks.
Advanced lab
Healing-phase food targets
The sheet names the priorities. The food-based ranges behind them are here, because healing quietly stalls when intake drops along with training volume.
These are food-based ranges, not a treatment plan. Vitamin D testing and any supplement decisions belong to the treating physician, and the fueling plan should be individualized with a sports dietitian — especially if under-fueling, missed periods, or repeat bone stress are part of the picture.
Evidence sources
These references support the handout’s general education. Individual medical, supplement, laboratory, or injury questions should be handled by the appropriate qualified clinician.
- Nattiv A, Loucks AB, Manore MM, et al. Female Athlete Triad Coalition consensus statement. Br J Sports Med. 2014.
- Mountjoy M, Sundgot-Borgen J, Burke L, et al. IOC consensus statement on RED-S: 2023 update. Br J Sports Med. 2023.
Where to go next
