Now is the time to start preparing your remedies for cold and flu season. Remember sugar is what causes immune system to drop dangerously enough for you to get a cold or the flu.

Remember sugar is what causes immune system to drop dangerously enough for you to get a cold or the flu. Halloween junk candy season for those who still celebrate eating those nasty sugary filled candies that you know well you should not eat or feed your children ever. They are putting chemicals, food coloring, metal chips to enhance flavor and children are fed candy ??? Why are children so sick junk foods, processed foods easy to fix just open a bag or jar or can or package to make it easy when it is harming our children drastically. Stop the sugar, stop the carbs, eat fresh greens, lettuce, spinach, raw peppers make a great finger size snack for children, fresh fruits, chicken, fish, meats that are not from regular grocery stores but a meat market if not a farmer. Our children are precious and our job to be sure they grow up healthy. For us adults too, we need to eat this way.

Now is the time to start preparing your remedies so they’ll be ready for cold and flu season! Fire cider is a powerful immune-boosting, digestive-supporting, energy-giving, circulation-stimulating, respiratory-clearing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant tonic.

Here's my recipe for fire cider using a half-gallon mason jar: Ingredients: - 1 red onion  - 1 large orange  - 1 lemon  - 1 head of garlic  - 2 ½ jalapeños  - ½ tsp cayenne pepper  - 1 tsp peppercorns - 10 cloves - 1 bunch of rosemary  - 1 bunch of thyme  - 1 handful of ginger  - ½ tsp turmeric - 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks - Organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (ACV).

If you can’t find this, use any apple cider vinegar you have access to. Instructions: 1. Chop your produce and add it to your mason jar as you go.  2. Add the rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, dried cayenne peppers, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. 3. Fill your jar to the top with ACV.  4. Place a sheet of parchment paper between the jar and the lid to prevent the ACV from corroding the metal lid. If using a plastic lid, you can skip this step. 5. Let your fire cider sit on the counter or in the pantry for 4-6 weeks, gently shaking it daily.  6. Open the lid every couple of days to check the level of your ACV. If it’s not filled to the top, add more ACV. 7. After 4-6 weeks, strain the mixture and squeeze all the cider from the produce. 8. Optionally, add honey , maple syrup , agave, or your preferred sweetener. You can take a tablespoon each morning  or use it when you’re feeling under the weather, taking it 2-3 times a day.

Another suggestion is to take a jalapeño pepper using plastic/latex/rubber gloves (and not touching eyes, nose, mouth or face) and slice a pepper open exposing the seeds. Remove the seeds into a strainer and rinse off gently to save the seeds. Then dry the seeds on a paper towel. Once dried you can put them in a glass container. Take 3-6 seeds each morning and 3-6 seeds each evening and swallow. Can put them in a little cube of bread - do not chew just swallow. This kills bad bacteria, keeps the gut healthy and happy, and viruses or bacteria cannot live in that environment. Great for your heart also from emergency room physicians will attest that extremely seldom do they ever have people of Latino or Asian descent present to the ER for symptoms of cancer or heart disease because of they have in to diet extreme high heat of peppers of all sorts. The hotter the better. Spice up your foods starting slowly with Cayenne Pepper in most of the foods at every meal and graduate to stronger peppers. If too strong milk, ice cream, yogurt will cut the bite of the heat - never drink water that only spreads the heat further down the esophagus

Dixie Nielsen
Health & Wellness Leader