Jill Castle, MS, RDN, LDN, known as “America’s Childhood Nutrition Expert,” is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School. Castle offers recommendations for winter rowers eating right in her article “Ten Foods to Keep Rowers Healthy During Winter” published in USRowing News.
She writes, “While research tells us that the temperature outside has little to do with catching a cold, we know that certain lifestyle choices like going to bed too late, high levels of stress, and a poor diet may contribute to a crippled immune system.” To boost the immune system, Castle recommends vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, B vitamins, selenium, zinc, probiotics, flavenoids, certain amino acids, and fiber. She also recommends eating more of the following to help stay healthy during flu season:
- Yogurt
- Dark-colored berries
- Almonds
- Cabbage
- Oats or Barley
- Garlic
- Fish
- Beef
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
In her article, Castle details the benefits of each item on the list. She concludes, “Although food alone isn’t likely to determine whether or not a rower gets sick over the winter, these nutrients, coupled with adequate sleep, minimal stress, and regular exercise will increase the odds against it.” Keep those winter rowers eating right.