This afternoon I listened to a radio host interview a doctor about … what else … H1N1.

The slant to his interview was “Are children at risk of contracting H1N1 when they go trick or treating?”

The host asked the doctor questions like: “Can H1N1 be transmitted through candy.” “Are children at risk by touching a door knob that a bunch of other kids have touched?”

And my personal favourite question: “Could a ‘bad guy’ use Halloween candy to deliberately spread H1N1?”

I think the doctor was as frustrated as I was with the way the interview was going and he gave a calm and courteous, but firm “No” answer to all these questions.

I wish the media would stop.

If the media really wanted to do service to the public they would talk about how eating a whole bunch of sugar laced with food colouring, preservatives, and artificial stuff wreaks havoc on a child’s immune system.

And not only does all that crap food almost instantly deflate immune function, but researchers now say that repeated high spikes in blood sugar greatly contributes to one’s risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Oh ya … don’t forget the damage that sugar can do to your child’s beautiful second set of newly forming teeth!

If you really want to protect your children this Halloween, limit the amount of candy they eat to one treat per day for a just a day or two, then quietly throw the rest in the garbage.

Want to know more? See “What’s so bad about junk food.”

If you have a few random vegetables in the fridge and whole grain or lentils in the pantry … then you’ve got soup.

Home made soup is wonderful low crap food. The possibilities are endless and its quicker than you think.

No crappy tin cans are involved.

If you have a slow cooker, you can assemble your soup in a hurry and have it cooking while you go about your day.

It is a perfect way to get low cost real food nourishment into growing bodies.

Throw in a few cloves of garlic and you have a flu-defying remedy in a bowl.

I like to serve my home made soup over a handful of fresh spinach leaves to get an extra serving of greens into my day.

I don’t have specific recipes that I use. It all depends on what I have on hand. Here’s some general instructions to get you started. Remember, like smoothies, you really can’t go wrong. As long as you like all the ingredients that you put into your soup, it should turn out just fine.

Ingredients for approximately 1 liter of soup
1 liter of water
½ – 1 cup of uncooked brown rice, wild rice, lentils, quinoa (or a combination)
2 – 6 cups chopped vegetables (Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Green Beans, Leeks, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Squash, Tomato, Yams, Zucchini, etc)
Seasoning (Herbs, Pepper, Salt, Spices, Curry, etc)

Directions
1. Wash and chop veggies into bite size pieces.
2. For extra flavour, sauté the stronger flavoured vegetables in a little butter or olive oil until tender and slightly browned (celery, garlic, leeks, onions).
3. Place all ingredients into pot or slow cooker.
4. Add ½ to 1 tsp sea salt, and other spices and herbs. Taste the broth at this point, but know that the flavour will change as everything gets cooked up together.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer until the grains/legumes are cooked and the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 – 60 minutes. If using a slow cooker, set on low over night or while you are away at work.
6. Just before serving adjust the seasoning.

These days a lot of people ask me what I think about the much talked about coming flu season that is predicted to disrupt society.

Almost daily I’m asked if I am going to be vaccinated against H1N1 or the seasonal flu.

More than daily I receive emails warning about some grand conspiracy purporting to use the flu vaccine to spread disease, not prevent it.

Let me start by telling you what I think about all the hype around H1N1. Its a flu. Some type of flu virus moves throughout communities every year … always has … probably always will. Some years are worse than others. These days our community is global, so there are a lot more people who could potentially be carriers of the virus.

Am I going to be vaccinated against H1N1 and/or the seasonal flu? No. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. I believe vaccinations are a personal decision based on personal circumstances and beliefs.

There are risks with any decision. Do your own research. Check in with your own inner knowing. And don’t let anyone bully you to get, or not get, any vaccine.

And please do me a favour. Once you have made your decision, don’t go around bullying other people to make the same decision you’ve made.

What about all those conspiracy theories that are floating around? In my opinion they are about as amusing as all the mainstream media hype. I don’t forward those emails.

Only time will tell if my beliefs, my immune system, my lifestyle choices and my efforts to reduce stress in my life, will protect me from this winter’s flu.

Whatever happens, I am fully committed to continuing my exploration of a low crap lifestyle, and will dedicate the next few weeks to talking about how a low crap diet can shore up your immune system and increase your chances of enjoying a comfortable, flu-free winter.

To get started check out these past posts:
Ten ways to clean up your diet 
Eating clean
What’s so bad about junk food?
Carrot Ginger Garlic Soup
7+ servings of fresh produce … no fork required
Fresh Ginger Root Tea

My kitchen is never without fresh ginger root … especially at this time of year when the seasons are changing and I know a long, cold winter is not far away.

You may know ginger for its endearing ability to quell queasiness and aid digestion. You may even know about ginger’s ability to warm the body from the inside out and ease the pain of arthritis.

What you might not know about ginger is that when its boiled up, then combined with honey and lemon, it can quite literally stop a cold or flu before it starts and allow you to get on with your life, instead of having to succumb to three days of feeling miserable.

For me, Ginger Tea is one of those “wrap my hands around the mug and close my eyes” kind of tea.

I love to drink it on days when morning has come way too soon and I find myself stumbling around in the kitchen wrapped in a blanket, unwilling to let go of my bed.

Or those nights when a chill in my bones and scratch in my throat threatens to spoil weekend plans.

I especially welcome Ginger Tea at that beginning stage of a cold or flu … when I can’t warm up and my ears are popping and my throat hurts and I just feel darn miserable.

Fresh Ginger Root Tea is easy to make at home. You simply boil sliced ginger root in a pot of water and serve with lemon and honey.

Fresh Ginger Root Tea is
- dairy free
- gluten free
- vegan

Ingredients
4 – 10 slices fresh, organic Ginger Root (You will need to experiment with how much ginger you use. Some people like a strong Ginger Tea with a sharp bite; other prefer a more subtle ginger taste.)
2 – 4 cups filtered water
Fresh Lemon wedges, one per cup
Honey to taste

Directions
1. Place sliced ginger root and water in pot with lid.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover pot and reduce heat.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Pour into a mug. Add lemon wedge and honey to taste.

You may have noticed I’ve taken a few weeks off. In those few weeks I visited various parts of this great country, spending time with friends and family. And in amongst my travels I made a quick change of residence.

It was my move that got me thinking again about how much stuff we collectively have, and just how necessary it all really is … or isn’t. Anyone who has moved in a hurry has probably cursed at how much ‘stuff’ they have … I know I did.

And that got me thinking about a nifty little presentation that Annie Leonard has put together called “The Story of Stuff”.

So since its Friday, I’ll leave you to watch The Story of Stuff and maybe it will inspire you to take a walk this weekend instead of going shopping.

Happy Friday!

If you are viewing this in email, click here to go to the online version and see the show.

Click here to watch the rest of the chapters on YouTube.

Click here to watch the show on The Story of Stuff webpage.