You Asked It! is a monthly newsletter published each month by the K-State Research and Extension Rapid Response Center. News articles are based on questions received, current food safety issues, or information based on the time of year. Topics featured in the July newsletter include:
Interested in any of the following topics? Click on them to find out more or follow this link for the entire June 2017 You Asked It developed by Karen Blakeslee from the K-State Research and Extension Rapid Response Center.
The May issue of You Asked It! is now available here or by clicking any of the articles below. Karen Blakeslee from the Rapid Response Center develops You Asked It! each month to keep readers up to date on current food related topics.
Karen Blakeslee with Kansas State University Rapid Response
Center develops this monthly newsletter based on questions
received, current food safety issues, or information based on
the time of year. Check out the March You Asked It!! articles
which covers the following topics:
– Sugary Beverage Consumption
– National Nutrition Month®
– What Does “FDA Approved” Mean?
– Food Safety Communication Resources
– Changing Food Safety Behaviors
– Safe and Healthy Food Pantries
– Eat Out without Pigging Out!
– What is Corned Beef?
– Go Green!
– New Jars from Ball®
Ashley Svaty Nutrition, Food Safety and Health Agent
With reports of the flu already affecting people, it is time to do what you can to protect yourself from colds and flu. Here are some tips:
Get a flu shot. While no flu vaccine is 100% effective, it does reduce your risk flu-related hospitalization.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Five servings a day gives you many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system. Fresh, frozen or canned varieties are all beneficial.
Get up and walk! Even a brisk 20 minute walk in cold weather every day can reduce cold and flu symptoms.
Vitamin E builds the immune system. It can help the body’s response to the flu vaccine and risks of upper respiratory infections.
Consume foods rich in zinc which are found in meats and poultry, legumes, whole grains and nuts plus fortified cereals. Don’t overdo it as too much can be harmful.
Lose weight. A reduction in weight can improve the immune response. Always follow your doctor’s recommendations for best results.
Drink fluids. Water, or even green tea, is beneficial to reduce inflammation.
Wash your hands. This cannot be emphasized enough. Wash frequently and avoid rubbing your eyes and nose with dirty hands.
Sleep cures many things. Research has shown a link between a brain-specific protein and sleep that can fight flu symptoms.
Know your body. When you feel tired and run down, that stresses your immune system and increases your chance of illness.
What about vitamin C? While many think taking a lot of vitamin C can keep illness away, the science does not back this up. Vitamin C supplements will not prevent you from getting a cold, but might shorten the duration of illness.
People often think that they can save money by buying larger containers of canned food, transferring the contents (or leftovers from the first use) to smaller jars and re-processing it. Others wonder if this is a way to save leftovers from any size can for a longer time than they will keep in the refrigerator.
There are three main problems with doing this:
There are no safe tested process to do this. The way heat goes through a jar of already canned food is different than fresh food. The food will become very soft and compact more. This could lead to underprocessing and spoilage.
There is no cost savings in re-canning foods.
The food quality will be greatly reduced. Nutrients will be lost and more textural changes will occur.
