Fueling Through Injury: Nutrition, Body Image, and Getting Back on the Bike with Shira Evans

What do you actually eat when your body is healing — and you're not allowed to move? That's the question Shira Evans, RD, CSSD, found herself living through after a significant cycling accident left her with a concussion, road rash, and a scapula broken in two places. As a sports dietitian who specializes in REDs and disordered eating in athletes, she knew exactly what to do nutritionally — but navigating the mental health piece, the unsolicited body comments, and the slow, humbling process of returning to sport? That was a whole other conversation. Shira is a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics based in Oregon. She's a lifelong athlete, Boston Marathon qualifier, and cross-country cyclist who works virtually with athletes and active individuals throughout the US. She specializes in sports performance nutrition, REDs, and disordered eating and eating disorders in athletes — including gender-affirming nutrition support for non-binary and trans athletes. She is also a Lane 9 Directory dietitian. Chapters [00:04:00] How Shira got into sports nutrition — and why she created her own path [00:06:00] Her sports nutrition philosophy: finding the gray space when everything feels black and white [00:09:00] Cycling across the country — twice — and why the bike unlocked a different kind of adventure [00:11:00] The accident: concussion, broken scapula, and road rash — what happened and what came next [00:12:00] Unsolicited body comments: navigating them in real time and the parallel to athletes with REDs [00:18:00] Why injury increases energy needs — and why that's hard to honor when you're not moving [00:21:00] What eating actually looked like: 3 meals, 4–5 snacks, and the pre-breakfast snack strategy [00:25:00] Starting sports psych and ERP to get comfortable being near her bike again [00:29:00] Supplements that helped: Juven, HMB, calcium, vitamin D, and higher-dose fish oil for concussion [00:34:00] Return to run: getting cleared doesn't mean it's going to feel good — and that's okay Resources mentioned: Juven — amino acid supplement for wound healing; contains collagen, vitamin C, and protein HMB (beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate) — leucine derivative shown to help maintain muscle mass during limb immobilization Fairlife milk — lactose-reduced option Shira used in calorie-dense smoothies during recovery Find Shira Evans, RD, CSSD at https://shiraevansrd.com/ or in the Lane 9 Directory: lane9project.org/directory Are you an athlete? Find a sports dietitian, DPT, therapist, or coach who understands athletes at lane9project.org/directory.