Fighting the Common Cold

With the change of the seasons comes a challenge that most dancers aren’t quite ready to face: the common cold. Not only are you likely to be navigating an over-booked schedule as you move into winter performances and the holiday season, but colder temperatures may promote the transmission of viruses and indirectly increase your risk of getting sick.

Vitamin C is a nutrient often touted for its benefits in immune support. However, it must be supplied through our diet since the human body is not able to create nor store this vitamin on its own. The benefits of vitamin C go beyond reducing your sniffles. Vitamin C strengthens collagen, which is a major component of skin health and tissue healing. For dancers specifically, vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, preventing cellular stress and damage; especially important for dancers, as muscles are constantly engaged and strained.

With so much to give, vitamin C is commonly a supplement of choice for many dancers. However, when taken throughout the cold season, vitamin C supplements may only modestly reduce symptoms of colds. There is no solid evidence supporting the use of Vitamin C supplements to prevent colds. Vitamin C is found in many fresh fruits and veggies. Foods high in vitamin C include most fresh fruits and veggies, especially citrus fruits, berries, and tomatoes. Increasing your intake of foods high in Vitamin C can help support your immune system. Here are two suggestions:

Foods high in vitamin C include most fresh fruits and veggies, especially citrus fruits. Luckily, citrus is in season during the winter months making grapefruit, clementines, lemons, and limes easily accessible, affordable, and delicious. Keep a bowl of these on your kitchen counter to snack on or to utilize when cooking. Kiwifruit, mangos, and plums are a few other Vitamin C containing-fruits to add to your meals.

TTPTip: Mix in a splash of lemon with tahini or olive oil and top roasted vegetables or salad to add extra flavor and vitamin C.

Vitamin C is both water-soluble and sensitive to heat. Boiling veggies can cause as much as a 50% reduction in a food’s vitamin C content. If choosing to cook your veggies, then choose dry-heat cooking methods such as baking and roasting. Also, the vitamin C content in many fruits and vegetables begins to decrease with long storage times. Aim to enjoy your product within 3 to 4 days of purchasing to maximize your intake.

TTPTip: Kiwi, berries, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, spinach, and broccoli are wonderful sources of Vitamin C that can be eaten fresh or prepared in salads.

Emergent research associates our gut bacteria with countless benefits, including their role in immunity. Food sources of probiotics include yogurt, kombucha, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Here’s the catch: you’ll want to supply probiotics with their own food source in order to promote their growth

If you find yourself becoming bored with vegetables, then add fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut into your meals. These two products are made from cabbage, a naturally rich source of vitamin C and fiber! An added bonus? Fermented foods will boost your intake of naturally-occurring probiotics. Probiotics are healthy organisms (think of them as friendly bacteria) living along our digestive tract. Emergent research associates our gut bacteria with their role in immunity.

Prebiotics are fibers from all plant-based foods that supply energy for probiotics. Some specific foods containing prebiotics include apples, barley, flaxseeds, onions, garlic, oats, bananas, grains (like bulgur and wheat berries), leeks, and leafy greens.

Before reaching for supplements, consider the role that a varied diet plays in building immunity. Eating a variety of foods, especially plant-based foods, provides us with powerful nutrients to help battle the cold. This is the best way to arm your immunity, especially during these next few (shivery!) months.

Zinc is found naturally in foods such as shellfish, meat, chicken, beef, and fortified breakfast cereals.

References:

Vitamin C — Fact sheet for health professionals. Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/. Accessed Dec. 13, 2019.

How Vitamin C Supports a Healthy Immune System. (March 22, 2019). ​Marisa Moore. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatright.org/food/vitamins-and-supplements/types-of-vitamins-and-nutrients/how-vitamin-c-supports-a-healthy-immune-system​. Accessed Dec. 13, 2019.

Taghiyar, M., Ghiasvand, R., Askari, G., Feizi, A., Hariri, M., Mashhadi, N. S., & Darvishi, L. (2013). The effect of vitamins C and E supplementation on muscle damage, performance, and body composition in athlete women: a clinical trial. International journal of preventive medicine, 4(Suppl 1), S24–S30. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665021/. Accessed Dec. 123, 2019.

Rachel Fine is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition, and Certified Counselor of Intuitive Eating. Rachel works with dancers and fitness enthusiasts to optimize performance and rebuild their relationships with food and body.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I could receive a small commission if you purchase the product through this link.

Known for the Kindle, Firestick, and a multitude of other electronics – Amazon is surely the world’s largest online marketplace for books, clothing, and well, food! Since partnering with Whole Foods, Amazon Pantry sells a multitude of options and today, I’m sharing my top 10 favorites. The best part? Each is shelf-stable, making it a convenient option when on-the-go or between rehearsals. Stay fueled and stock your dance bag with these must-haves:

But what is edamame?.. They are soybeans! A fiber-filled vegan protein source which makes these roasted edamame packs the perfect snack to keep a busy dancer feeling full throughout long rehearsal days. Soybeans are packed with iron and calcium, two essential minerals that females are commonly deficient in but are beneficial for our bone and blood health. Keep a single serving size pack in your dance bag to snack on plain or mix in with trail mix for an added crunch.

The Noosh Almond Butter packets are a convenient addition to any meal or snack such as pretzels, fruit, or a piece of toast. Each packet is high in heart-healthy fats since Vitamin E and DHA omega-3 fatty acids are added. Try their chocolate and cupcakes flavors to switch up your snack game.

Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal Cups are the ultimate on the go breakfast made with old fashioned oats, flax and chia seeds providing 8 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein to keep you energized throughout the day. Plus these oats are easy to prepare – simply add hot water and take it to go. Want to spice it up? Check out the apple and cinnamon, blueberry and hazelnut, brown sugar and maple flavors or enjoy the original cup with your favorite fruit on top.

The Stretch Island brand of fruit leathers are composed of ¼ cup of fruit puree per serving and is free of added sugars. To satisfy a sweet tooth, pair these fruit leathers with nuts containing omega-3 fatty acids to help you feel full and satisfied.

Nature Bakery fig bars use whole wheat and figs as the base ingredients for these fiber-filled soft-baked snacks. Gluten-free? The company also produces a wheat-free version that is also made from wholesome plant-based ingredients. Make these bars even better by spreading on nut butter or crumbling on top of a yogurt parfait.

The packaging of GoGo Squeeze applesauce makes snacking between rehearsals a breeze – you don’t even need a spoon! The company sells original applesauce along with other fruit purees such as apple berry and apple peach. Applesauce makes a great side addition for meals on the go plus this product is a classic recipe containing only apples, apple puree concentrate, and lemon juice.

Pitted and dried dates are a shelf-stable fruit that can be mixed into a trail mix or blended with oats, nut butter, flax seeds, and shredded coconut to make a delicious and nutritious bite-sized treat. Soft, chewy, and caramel tasting, dates will add a hint of sweetness to smoothies, baked goods, and other recipes. Medjool dates are a rich source of antioxidants, in fact studies have linked the high falvoidnoid content with lower inflammation and increased brain function (1).

The American Heart Association recommends to eat 2 servings of fish each week. And catch this, albacore tuna is one type of fatty fish that is suitable for weekly consumption because of the abundent omega-3 fatty acids and lower Mercury amount. These Wild Planet Albacore Tuna packets can be eaten straight from the pouch with whole-grain crackers and carrot sticks to boost omega-3 levels which provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Inflammation is a necessary process in the body to prevent injury and infection; however, eating anti-inflammatory foods help to keep the process functioning properly which enables recovery.

Check out this “Mega Omega” nut blend made up of walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried mango, and cranberries. Trail mix is perfect for mid-day snacking or topping on yogurt, fruit, salads, and oatmeal. This fruit and nut mix also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts, antioxidants and fiber from the dried fruit, and Vitamin B from the pumpkin seeds.

Turkey snack sticks are a shelf-stable option to incorporate into a meal when refrigeration isn’t available to store deli-style turkey. The Chomps brand is an alternative to beef jerky that is naturally smoked and filled with 10 grams of protein without the fillers and preservatives typically found in dried meat products. Each turkey stick is individually wrapped to ensure ample freshness.