Feeling Sick?

"I feel awful"; "The kids are sick again"; "I can't shake this cough/cold/sinus infection, etc"
Any of that sound familiar? Said it yourself?

While I am not a doctor in any way shape or form, nor am I an authority of any kind in regard to health care, I can say this - I have not been sick at all in over a year and my 13 year old son has not missed one day of school this year due to illness. "lucky" you say? Well, I have to believe its more than luck. I travel a lot for work, my son is exposed to the same colds and flus that other kids are, and we have experienced the same horrific weather as the rest of the midwest. So, what is the reason we have remained healthy while all others around us have fallen victim to one illness after another?
I believe it is due to our vegetarian diet, diligent attention to disinfecting hard surfaces, hand washing, vitamins, and a good amount of exercise. While Jared does not adhere to a strictly vegetarian diet, I do cook some meat for him and he eats it at his dad's, he probably does eat more vegetables in a week than most other kids his age. Jared  gets a multi vitamin every day. We also try to get outside several times a day to walk the dog at the very least. I personally feel that running throughout the winter has helped me ward off any illness to which I may have been exposed. Shortly after the start of the year I shared a hotel room for a week in Vegas and LA. A day or two after our trip, my room mate had a severe case of the flu - I never even had a sniffle. I simply offer this for your consideration. I have had a couple of instances when I got that feeling that something might be coming - in those cases I intensified my ingestion of vitamin c (natural food sources) and drank lots of green tea. Quite frankly, I think I have to give some credit to Sobe Water. I started drinking it last year and now have stopped drinking any soda and just drink Sobe, tea, or coffee (or plain water). I drink at least two bottles a day, and I really think the extra vitamins have helped. I especially like it after a run. I really feel refreshed.
 Jared did have a couple of days when he was fighting something off, but it never got bad enough for him to miss school. He did require anti-biotics for an ear infection, which for the first time in a long time did not respond to a homeopathic remedy. He has a history of ear infections when getting teeth and his wisdom teeth are starting their push. So, I am not saying we are some super-humans resistant to anything that might come our way, but I think we have a pretty good run going here, and I intend to remain diligent in my approach to our health. Maybe trying it out will help keep your family healthier too!
Dinner time does not need to be complicated. Tonight we had:
 grilled eggplant topped with roasted baby portabello mushrooms (slice eggplant in circular pieces, drizzle with olive oil, season with paprika, garlic, black pepper, and top with mushrooms, then sprinkle with Italian blend cheese - bake at 350 for about 20 min or until tender and cheese is golden)
green peas
mashed potatoes (leave the skins on and add a small skinned sweet potato - boil til tender, hand mash with a little olive oil margarine and non fat plain yogurt. stir in paprika, garlic salt, black pepper)
Very satisfying and quick!
Christine