BY CHRIS ROSENBLOOM, PHD, RD, CSSD

Winter brings more than its share of cold and flu viruses. The average young person gets anywhere from 6 to 10 colds a year, and the dry heat of winter air and close proximity to others means it is easier to spread those nasty germs. Instead of heading to the medicine cabinet, try the kitchen cabinet to find foods rich in the nutrients that keep your immune system strong all winter long.

1. Probiotic foods (those foods that contain good bacteria for a healthy gut) can enhance immunity. Your guts contain 2 to 3 pounds of bacteria and emerging research shows that the type of bacteria that live in your gastro-intestinal tract can prevent disease by acting as a natural antibiotic. Registered dietitian JoAnn Hattner, author of Gut Insight (www.gutinsight.com) points out that 70% of our immune function takes place in the gut so eating foods rich in probiotics is a good idea to stay healthy. Yogurt is the most obvious probiotic food and other foods that contain helpful bacteria are kefir, miso (fermented paste of soybeans used to make miso soup), tempeh (another fermented soybean product) and sauerkraut.
2. Citrus foods are rich in vitamin C, a nutrient that is often tied to preventing the common cold. Many people load up on vitamin C when they feel a cold coming on but research does not support that supplements can prevent a cold. But, eating vitamin C rich citrus foods contain plant compounds called citrus flavones that also have anti-inflammatory properties. Now is the peak season for oranges and grapefruit and for my favorite, Clementine tangerines. I like their size, ease of peeling and free of pips…the proper term for citrus seeds.
3. Nuts and seeds are good sources of the fat-soluble vitamin E. In addition to being a potent antioxidant, this nutrient is also important in immune function. Sunflower seeds and almonds have the highest vitamin E content of any seed or nut and they both make great snacks. Make your own immune-boosting trail mix with unsalted mini-almonds, sunflower seeds and dried fruit.
4. Meat and shellfish are not only good sources of protein but also contain the mineral zinc, important for wound healing and a strong immune system. Choose lean beef or pork and shellfish like lobster and crab to get a good source of zinc. And don’t be afraid of the dark; chicken thigh and drumsticks are higher in zinc than white meat chicken breast.
5. Carbohydrate-rich foods are not only good for muscle fuel but some researchers think that carbohydrate ingested during exercise can counter the rise in stress hormones that are a natural part of exercise. During hard training, plan to consume carbohydrate-rich snacks like sports drinks, fruit or vegetable juices, fresh or dried fruit and whole grain crackers to help keep you stay strong all winter long. 

Chris Rosenbloom is the sports dietitian for Georgia State University Athletic Department and is the editor of the American Dietetic Association’s Sports Nutrition Manual, 5th edition, scheduled for publication in 2012. 

Did you know?

Individuals follow a predictable pattern of physical growth but the rate at which children and youth go through this growth varies by individual.

Consider…

• During the childhood phase, children grow about 2.5 in/yr and gain about 5 lb/yr
• Peak velocity of growth (aka growth spurt) occurs during puberty/adolescence.
• Athletes of the same chronological age can vary by as much as 5 biological years. Therefore, with two 11-year-old swimmers, one may be 10 and the other 15, biologically. 

Recommendation:

Educate athletes regarding growth cycles so they understand what is happening to their bodies.

Did you know?

Performance can be influenced by rate of maturity, which is out of the athlete's control. Some young athletes, therefore, have a performance advantage over others.

Consider…

• Initially, early maturers have a physical size advantage and often perform better than late maturers. These individuals experience more early success due to a physical growth advantage and not necessarily enhanced skills or abilities.
• Conversely, late maturers experience failure and frustration because they are physically "behind" their same-age (chronological) peers.
• Late maturers often catch up to or exceed the performance of early maturers by the mid-teen years, but only if they have stayed with the sport. Some drop out because of a lack of early performance success or, worse, are cut from the team.
• Tracking of "outstanding" kids in elementary school found that only 25% were still outstanding in later years, suggesting that early success does not predict later success.

Recommendation:

Help early maturers keep success in perspective as late maturers will often catch up with them. Encourage both the early and late maturer to develop good technique and take on new challenges. Take active steps to keep late maturers involved as they often leave sport because of low perceptions of competence due to little early success. Encourage and recognize individual improvement and avoid comparing athletic performances.

Did you know? 

Gender differences in physical growth and in the timing of the growth spurt contribute to the overall difference in the height and body shapes of females and males.

 

Consider…

• Girls reach peak growth spurts around age 12 and boys around age 14.
• Hormonal differences in males and females cause body composition changes in adolescence, changes which are out of the athlete's control but which may impact performance (positively and negatively).

Recommendation:

Understand gender differences and make sure your child understands the basics of the developmental process. Allow time for young athletes to get comfortable (physically and emotionally) with their changed bodies.  Adaptation to the growth changes lags behind so expect it to take some time for the athlete to be able to take advantage of changes.

Original Link:  http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1729&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=9576&ItemId=5178

BY Mike Gustafson//Correspondent

Imagine Doc Brown from Back to the Future came up to you and said, "Today you're going to set a world record. The only thing you have to do is race."
You'd swim that day, right? You'd be the first person in the pool, warming-up, excited and ready to swim?
World records aren't broken every day. The opportunity is rare. You'd take advantage of it.
Unfortunately, time travel and Doc Brown do not (yet) exist. Swimmers don't know what the future holds. Sometimes, we don't feel like swimming. Instead of swimming that looming, ominous 1500m this afternoon, we'd rather go to the beach. Or go shopping. Or take a nap. There will be another day, another race, right? But you never know. Sometimes the difference between breaking a world record or not is simply showing up to swim.
Take Kate Ziegler. At the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Ziegler told me that on the day she broke Janet Evans' hallowed 1500m world record, she didn't want to swim that evening. She wanted to go to the beach. She wasn’t really feeling it. Fortunately, her coach convinced her to swim that afternoon. The rest, as they say, is history. But what if she had gone to the beach? What if she never swam that day? For whatever reason, the nuts and bolts were zooming in perfect harmony that day. Would they realign? Could she repeat that same performance the next day? Next week? What if she didn't swim that day?
I was once told from the creator of "Friends" that the hardest thing to do in the entertainment industry isn't getting your foot in the door; it's being prepared when you're already in. People always get their foot in the door, but they rarely take advantage of it. It’s that old “elevator pitch” theory. You should always be prepared when you live in Hollywood, because you never know who could be stuck in an elevator with. Some of my friends went from assistants to executive producers in 24 hours because they were stuck in an elevator with someone like Rosie O’Donnell, pitched her an idea they had rehearsed, and made the most of their opportunity. No joke.
Swimming is similar. Any given lane at any given time is an opportunity. "Give me a lane, anywhere, anytime," one famous swimmer used to say, "and I'll aim for perfection." Sometimes, swimming is viewed in a linear path. You’d think, “Times will get faster. Races will get easier. I’ll eventually get here, do this, swim that, and by this year I’ll be where I want to be.” Swimmers sometimes circle on the calendar, "This is when I'll swim my fastest. This is the plan." But swimming is rarely predictable. It’s not this linear, easily-planned calendar of time progression. It's more a chaotic fun house. It’s opposite than what you’d expect. You swim fast when you expect to swim slow. You swim slow when you expect to swim fast. One day, you could be planning a trip to the beach, while your body secretly knows, “I could be breaking a world record right now, this very second.”
You never know when the swim of your life will happen.
You can’t plot out the future. And unless Doc Brown swings by your house and points out the highs and lows of your future swimming career, it’s best to say to yourself,

“Give me a lane, anywhere, anytime – and it could be magic.”