Many people I know who have never had the flu shot are wondering if they should get it this year, given reports that the 2017-2018 flu season could be severe, and that this year, more than ever, it’s important to get vaccinated asap. While I’ve never had a flu shot, everyone’s situation is different, and it’s a personal decision.  In this month’s tip, I thought it would be interesting to share a few flu-related news headlines I have seen lately and see if we can make some sense of them all.

Headline #1: Scientists have predicted a nasty flu season is headed for N. America (Global News)

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that something nasty is coming to town. Some time ago, I read an article that listed the top 10 public health scares. I recall that it listed the Swine flu (H1N1) and the Bird Flu (H5N1).  Neither of these turned into the next Spanish Influenza as the media predicted. While the Swine flu claimed approximately 14,000 lives worldwide, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as an ordinary flu season which can claim approximately 250,000 – 500,000 lives every year. It is also important to note that many of these deaths occur among individuals who have other health issues and less-than-average living conditions.  So … stay calm and keep reading!

Headline #2: Flu vaccine is 48% effective this season [2016-2017], CDC says (CNN)

CDC stands for Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – an organization that “works 24/7 keeping America safe from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and domestic”.

Does that headline sound good to you? Not sure? Well, consider that those exact same results can be stated this way: “Flu vaccine is 52% ineffective this season”. This is slightly worse than your odds of calling a coin toss and winning. Just saying. 48% effective doesn’t sound so good now; however, it’s better than the 19% effectiveness of the flu vaccine a few years ago! The CDC states that the effectiveness for flu shots have ranged from 10% to 60%. It’s a bit of crap shoot. Does that mean the flu vaccine is useless? Keep reading!

Headline #3:  Vitamin D works better than flu vaccine if your levels are low (Time Magazine)

The theory behind vaccines is that they are sort of like a training course for the immune system – preparing the body to fight a particular disease that it might encounter without actually exposing the body to the full-blown symptoms of the disease. With a flu vaccine, this is done by injecting dead or weakened flu viruses into the body. If all goes well, our immune system will rise to the challenge and make antibodies against the virus ‘samples’ received via the vaccine, so that should we be exposed to those same viruses again, our immune system will be primed to deal with them quickly. For this response to happen, we need to have an immune system that can rise to the challenge – something that may not happen. A supplement that research has repeatedly shown to boost immune function/response is vitamin D, aka ‘the sunshine vitamin’. In fact, recently, a scientific review of 25 randomized controlled trials (the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to scientific research designs), confirmed that vitamin D supplementation boosts immunity and cuts rates of cold and flu. The Time Magazine article reported that:

The researchers found that people who took daily or weekly vitamin D supplements were less likely to report acute respiratory infections, like influenza or the common cold, than those who did not. Those who had low vitamin D levels before they started supplementation got the biggest benefit: For people with the most significant vitamin D deficiencies (blood levels below 10 mg/dl), taking a supplement cut their risk of respiratory infection in half. People with higher vitamin D levels also saw a small reduction in risk: about 10%, which is about equal to the protective effect of the injectable flu vaccine, the researchers say. [I bolded that last line … interesting, isn’t it?]

Headline #4:  Statscan finds widespread vitamin D deficiency in Canadians (Globe and Mail)

This article stated that:

The most comprehensive survey ever undertaken on vitamin D in Canadians has found widespread deficiencies of the sunshine vitamin, which is being promoted for everything from the prevention of cancer to reducing heart attack risk.  The survey, conducted by Statistics Canada, found that two-thirds of the population has vitamin D levels below the amounts research is associating with reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cancer.

Chances are, you’re among that two-thirds of the population … unless you’ve read my other posts about vitamin D and taken action!

Headline #5:  Vitamin D pill could stop colds or flu (BBC News)

This headline was based on a research study published in the British Medical Journal – one of the most respected peer reviewed research journals in the world. The article stated that:

Trials on using supplements to prevent infections have given mixed results, so the researchers pooled data on 11,321 people from 25 separate trials to try to get a definitive answer. The team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) looked at respiratory tract infections – which covers a wide range of illnesses from a sniffle to flu to pneumonia. Overall, the study said one person would be spared infection for every 33 taking vitamin D supplements. That is more effective than flu vaccination, which needs to treat 40 to prevent one case …

Have you pieced it all together yet?

The bottom line is that whether or not you decide to get the flu shot, taking vitamin D during flu season (October to March inclusive) is a proven, effective action you can take to increase your odds of staving off the flu at any age. To learn about the most effective vitamin D supplement that I know of and how you can get some, click here.

This flu season, take control of what you can.

References:

http://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/16/515428944/a-bit-more-vitamin-d-might-reduce-winter-colds-and-flu

http://time.com/4672626/vitamin-d-cold-flu/

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/statscan-finds-widespread-vitamin-d-deficiency-in-canadians/article596998/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38988982

With fresh peaches arriving daily at markets and grocery stores at this time of year, I decided I would can some so that I can enjoy the gorgeous taste of local peaches from time to time even when they are no longer in season.

Peaches are loaded with health-boosting nutrients that are in their highest concentration when peaches are purchased locally/in season, so canning is a great way to ‘preserve’ the nutrients beyond peach season. The nutrients in peaches have been associated with neutralizing various carcinogens (cancer-causing agents), reducing the risk of heart disease, supporting gut health, and supporting eye health.

In this blog, I thought I’d share how to can a very small batch of peaches; that is, starting with one basket of peaches (about 14 medium-sized peaches) and ending up with 2 standard-sized (32 oz) mason jars of canned sliced peaches as the finished product.

I suggest starting with a small batch – especially if you’ve never done any canning before. Even if you have, there are a few advantages associated with starting small:

1. You won’t get overwhelmed with the amount of work involved in the prepping, canning, and cleaning up processes
2. If the peaches aren’t great for some reason, you don’t end up with a big batch of mediocre canned peaches
3. Just in case something goes ‘wrong’ with the process, you don’t loose an entire bushel of peaches

So, if you have a couple of hours to spare and you want to try canning one basket of peaches to get your canning wings, here are the instructions!

You Will Need

• 14 peaches – look for ‘freestone’ peaches as it’s easier to remove the pit compared to clingstone peaches
• 1 large lemon
• 2 TBSP of honey (raw and local is best)
• 2 standard (32 oz) sized mason jars with lids
• a pot that is taller then the mason jars (e.g. you can put the mason jars in it and the pot lid will still fit properly)

Step 1: Sterilize Jars and Lids

I washed the jars with hot soapy water, rinsed them, then filled them with boiling water and let them sit for a few minutes before emptying them and setting them aside to dry. I also boiled the lids in a small pot of water for 5 minutes. My mom used to sterilize her jars in the dishwasher (most have a setting for ‘sterilizing’) … however, she used to do dozens of jars of peaches, tomatoes, pears … you name it .. so it was a full load!

Step 2: Wash the Peaches

Wash the peaches to remove any dirt.

Step 3: Prepare the Canning Liquid

In a pot, add 1 litre/4 cups of water and 2 TBSP of honey. Bring it to a gentle boil and then keep it on the lowest simmer possible until you need it (after a few more steps!) Adding honey helps to stabilize flavour, colour, and texture of the fruit. Note that most standard canning ‘recipes’ use A LOT of sugar. I didn’t want to do that!

Step 4: Peeling

You can peel peaches with a good peeler or a sharp knife; or you can try this ‘trick’ instead. Note that the ripeness of the peach has to be more-or-less ‘just right’ for best results when using this ‘trick’. Here’s the trick:

Get a pot of boiling water going on the stove and get a large bowl of water with ice in it ready in the sink. Put the peaches in the boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds or so.

Take them out with a slotted spoon and put them in the ice water. Let them sit in the cold water for a few minutes.

If all goes well, you should be able to pretty much ‘pull’ or ‘slide’ the peel off – like this…

I use a pairing knife for this process. It hasn’t always worked for me, so when it doesn’t, I resort to a sharp peeler or small knife to remove the peel. Hope the Gods of Peach Peeling are on your side!

Step 5: Slicing

Cut the peaches in half, and twist the halves to separate. The peach pit will likely still be in one half, so gently pry it out with a small knife, or cut the peach half in quarters and use your fingers to remove the pit. Put the peach slices in a bowl, squeeze fresh lemon juice on them, and toss them around in the juice. This will prevent the peach slices from going brown. I do this lemon juice step with each peach that I slice and add to the bowl.

Step 6: Fill the Jars

Once all the peaches are sliced and they have been well coated/tossed with fresh squeezed lemon juice, put them into the mason jars (that you sterilized and dried out earlier). Gently shake/tap the jars to make sure that the peaches are well packed. The basket of peaches I used had 14 medium-sized peaches and all the slices fit perfectly into 2 mason jars.

Once the jars are filled with the peach slices, take the canning liquid that has been simmering since Step 3, and pour half of it into each jar. You want the liquid to fill the jars, leaving about a 1/2 to 1 inch of space from the top of the jar. If you need a bit more liquid, boil some water in a kettle and add it to the jars. Run a dull knife or a small rubber spatula down the sides of the jar to release any trapped air. Once the jars are filled properly, cap them tightly with the sterilized mason jar lids.

Step 7: Water Bath

For this step, you’ll need a pot that is tall enough so that the pot lid will still fit on the pot when the jars of peaches are in it. Put the jars of peaches in the pot and fill it with water until the jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water. I boiled the water in the kettle first, then added it. Saves a bit of time. Bring the water to a boil and let it boil for 20 minutes (adjust the heat if necessary so that the water stays boiling but isn’t splattering everywhere or knocking the jars all over the place!). After 2o minutes of boiling, turn off the heat, remove the pot from the burner, then VERY CAREFULLY remove the jars from the pot (use jar lifting tongs if you have them) and set them somewhere to cool where they won’t be bumping against each other.

Step 8: Cooling, Checking, and Storing

Once the jars are completely cooled, make sure they are sealed properly. The first sign they are sealed properly is that the lid should be sucked down a bit.  The next sign is if you press down gently on the centre of the lid with your finger, the lid should not pop up and down. If the lid doesn’t pop, you are ready to store your canned peaches in a cool pantry (I have a small cold cellar in my basement). If the lid does pop up and down, you can try replacing the lid and doing the water bath again … or put the jar of peaches in the fridge and enjoy it over the next few days!

Many sources say that canned goods can last forever. I just want my canned peaches to last until next peach season! Here are some practical guidelines regarding how long canned foods last and how to tell if they have spoiled/are still safe to eat.

Hope you’ll try it and have success!

Enjoy!