- Jamie Anderson will be looking to win her third gold medal in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
- As an Olympic snowboarder, her diet is full of hot foods, especially chicken broth with veggies.
- Anderson said the broth is a good food to stay fit, but also helps her stave off incoming sickness.
Jamie Anderson became the first woman snowboarder in history to win two gold medals, and now she's got her eyes set on number three.
The 31-year-old American's training for the Beijing Winter Olympics includes following the healthiest lifestyle possible to maximize performance and reduce injury risk comes the time of the games.
As a snowboarder, Anderson often has to train and compete in cold conditions, which leaves her body at risk of colds and other infections. It also increases her risk of injury such as muscles strains and tears, according to sports medicine specialist Mufaddal Gombera, MD.
To stave off sickness, Anderson's diet is made up of warm, hardy foods, including Fresh n' Lean oatmeal (which sponsors Anderson) for breakfast and roast chicken with roast vegetables for dinner, then light snacks in between.
But if she were to recommend one recipe to stay healthy and fit, Anderson told Insider, it would be chicken broth soup with vegetables, seeds, and spices.
"I think it's a really good superfood to have in your diet. When I'm starting to feel a little sick or depleted or maybe sore, I feel like it's a great thing to add in," Anderson told Insider, adding that bone broths are "so filled with nutrients, easy-to-eat, good for your gut, and good for your body."
Anderson's bone broth recipe is filled with turmeric and ginger
Hot, low-sodium broth with vegetables and herbs can keep muscles warm and reduce inflammation, according to registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, founder of betterthandieting.com.
That's what you're getting from Anderson's recipe, which doesn't include any meat (besides the broth), dairy, or processed carbohydrates. Instead, it is a medley of natural plant-based ingredients:
- Chicken broth
- Sunflower seeds
- Turmeric
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Carrots
- Celery
- Parsley
- Cilantro
"The turmeric and ginger are really good for your immunity, it's really good for inflammation of the body, and it's really good for digestion," Anderson said. "With all the nerves and stress of this lifestyle, I like to have some nourishing food that helps to calm your emotions."
Anderson's key ingredients of turmeric and ginger have been known to help combat pain and sickness, as they each have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidizing properties, and support immune function according to Healthline.
Bone broth is healthy in general, but nutritional value can differ accross brands
Registered dietitian Alix Turof told Insider that bone broth is generally a healthy food, especially when it's mixed with vegetables, herbs, and spices like in Anderson's recipe.
"Broth, in general, has always been associated with having healing properties," Turoff told Insider. "It's definitely not unhealthy so if you enjoy it, it's a good way to get nutrients in. It can also be a good way to rehydrate and replace electrolytes, specifically sodium."
Still, there bone broth nutritional value can vary depending on brand, according to Turof and Taub-Dix.
If you're going the store-bought route, Turof and Taub-Dix advise:
- Read the labels on the box.
- Avoid brands that contain ream, butter or oil, which could boost their caloric value without boosting nutritional value.