The plant-powered food that fuels a dance cardio instructor every day

For Ostwald’s daily routine, energy is a must. On an average day, she’ll have three classes on her schedule to teach. “DanceBody is the only workout I do,” Ostwald says. “It’s everything: a mental release, amazing cardio, full body toning, bomb music…” Growing up as a dancer, she was always in shape, but DanceBody has made her feel more than that; both athletic and strong. “The combination of pushing myself physically and mentally is the ultimate endorphin high,” she says. “I leave class feeling like I can take on anything!”

To fuel this routine, Otswald swears by a plant-based diet. “After reading Chew on This in middle school, I decided I couldn’t eat meat anymore,” she says, name-checking the popular fast food exposé. “In college, I started to realize the enormous impact the industry has on the environment and went full vegan.” For her, a vegan diet makes her feel her best physically, and she sees it as her own small way of making a sustainable difference.

Here, Ostwald details what an average day of vegan eating looks like for her, breakfast through dessert. Keep reading to see how she fuels her body enough to keep her energy up for her high-powered classes.

Keep reading to see what DanceBody instructor Sam Ostwald eats on an average day.

Workout schedule: 7:30 a.m. private session with a client; 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.: teaching back-to-back cardio+sculpt group classes.

Breakfast

I always have hot water with lemon and turmeric first thing in the morning. Then I make a double cappuccino with oat milk and cinnamon to help wake me up. I prefer to work out on an empty stomach, but I always drop a Nuun hydration tablet in my water before class for extra energy.

After class, I head over to Bonberi on Bleecker for my favorite smoothie, which is made with coconut water, spinach, mango, mint, celery, and lemon. I also get a cold brew with almond milk to go.

Lunch

Meal prepping can be a challenge for me, but I try to pack lunch at least three days a week to bring to DanceBody HQ. Usually lunch will be a salad made with quinoa, arugula, roasted chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, half an avocado, and Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing. It’s basic, but delicious.

After lunch, I have my last coffee of the day (I swear!): cold brew with macadamia milk from Cha Cha Matcha.

Snack

At some point between lunch and dinner, I like to have a little snack. My go-to is hummus and Mary’s Gone Crackers organic crackers. That hit of protein is typically enough to tide me over until dinnertime.

Dinner

I like to enjoy a glass of wine—or two—every night while I cook dinner. A hearty dinner is a must for me. On this day, I made Banza chickpea pasta with roasted broccoli and homemade pesto. All I use to make the pesto is a handful of basil, pine nuts, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. That’s it! I topped off my pasta with nutritional yeast and red chili flakes for flavor.

Dessert

I always love to end my day with something a little sweet. My go-to dessert right now is Trader Joe’s crunch almond butter, which I eat right out of the jar with a spoon. I have it every night!

Dance cardio isn’t just good for you physically, it gives your brain a boost, too. And here’s what it’s like to do three dance cardio classes in a row (gulp).