Derek Hough’s High-Protein Oatmeal Hack Is Genius

Dancing with the Stars judge and four-time Emmy award-winning choreographer Derek Hough knows that staying energized is key. This is especially important as a new dad, and also as he prepares for his national tour this summer. So he teamed up with Barilla Protein+ for a fitting collab to help get more protein into his routine—and to share the easy exercises he does while cooking their brand-new Protein Stars shape. 

In this exclusive interview, Hough shares the go-to protein-packed meals he loves, and we dive deeper into his favorite fruits and vegetables, how his eating habits shift when he’s on tour and his New Year’s resolutions. Read on for all of the details.

Why partner with Barilla Protein+?

I love the taste, and it gives me the energy that I want. No pun intended, but I have a lot on my plate, so it’s really important for me to utilize my time as best as I possibly can. Pasta is always a great form of energy for me, for dancing and performing, so with Barilla Protein+ I’ve filmed these four micro-workouts you can do while you cook the pasta. During those minutes when it’s cooking on the stove, we can do a little workout, get that fitness in and then you enjoy your meal afterwards. It’s the perfect partnership of eating healthy, having fun and staying fit.

How does your eating pattern differ from a slower day vs. a day on tour or filming Dancing with the Stars? 

I’m about to go on tour this summer, and it’s vigorous. The repair, the preparation, all of that is so, so important. So a typical day on tour—because like you said, it does vary depending on what I’m doing—I wake up in the morning, I have some eggs, some oatmeal or a protein shake. Sometimes I get my oatmeal and I pour the protein shake in the oatmeal and stir it around, so it’s like this chocolatey oatmeal delight. For lunch before a show, I’ll have a chicken breast and some protein pasta with a red sauce. I’ll have snacks leading up to it too, and I have my green drink all the time, every single morning, every day. And then after, I usually do a pasta. 

To be completely honest with you, I’m very regimented when I’m on tour. When we’re on vacation, when we’re chilling out or when we’re at home, it can vary. I had salmon the other night, Arctic char, skirt steak. I like to try to mix it up, but make sure that the ingredients are fresh, are cooked well and are seasoned. I’m kind of all over the place in some cases, and then I’m very regimented when I’m on tour.

Do you have any go-to simple dinners to get your protein in?

I love [Barilla Protein+] pasta with a red sauce, like a bolognese sauce. It just hits home for me, it reminds me of being in the home I grew up in. It’s nostalgic, but also it’s good because it’s got protein, flavor and it’s filling. And definitely adding vegetables, it’s all about the greens. Anything that’s deep green, adding that in with the pasta or on the side, for me, you can’t go wrong with that. It’s a winning formula.

Favorite fruit and/or vegetable?

Growing up, I loved celery with peanut butter. That was my favorite snack. I just like a good apple, honestly. Just a crunchy, crisp apple is such a good snack, it gives you like the right amount of sugar as well. I love oranges and clementines, too. During the day, just to get something I can hold in my hand is always the easiest. And I love vegetables. From carrots to broccoli to asparagus, and spinach, all of it. 

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

For me, this is a deeper way of going about this question, but my hope for this year and how I want to improve is obviously to be a bit more in the moment, to be more present. I think there’s so many things that I’m going to be creating this year with tours and shows and all these things. But now being a new dad, I think it’s about being present in the moment, and it’s going to be really important for me to focus on that. 

Also, this is very important too: to stay healthy, to stay strong, to eat right, to be physical. The truth is, if we have other priorities above our health, then everything else will suffer. Our health, our vitality should be number one, because if we have a lot of energy, if we feel good, then we’ll be better for others, we’ll be better for ourselves, we’ll be better at our job, we’ll be better at everything else.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.