Am I required to like pink? Although I am a breast cancer survivor, working at a cancer-related blog that will admittedly feature a whole lot of pink this month, personally I am not fond of the color pink. Much to the chagrin of family and friends, I am fond of black and white -- and of course the classic color of denim. It suits my personality.

I began wearing black when my children were toddlers. Toddlers tend to hang on at knee and thigh level and toddlers are known for a tactile kinesthetic state of being that makes hands sticky with such things as peanut butter and jelly or finger paint. Black is very forgiving a color in that way. It's practical in sorting piles of clothing on laundry day. Black makes deciding what to wear in the morning a no-brainer. Function became my personal fashion as I stayed with black, and as trends come and go, some years I am in and some years I am out.

I am drawn to, and will support, companies that operate from a social responsibility of giving back to the community. However, I take a rather jaded view of the true intention of some companies bandwagon approach to the pink breast cancer awareness theme. Advertising Age has an interesting article titled Breast Cancer Awareness Strategy Doubles Sales of Campbell's Soup that highlights the company's projected profits by introducing the classic red and white can of condensed tomato and chicken noodle soup in a pink ribbon version. In a normal month, Campbell's sells the Kroger chain of grocery stores 3.5 million cans of these two soups. With the pink ribbon cans, the company has sold 7 million cans to the grocery chain and has been given special placement displays outside the soup aisle at Kroger.

Campbell's spokesman John Faulkner is quoted as saying, "We certainly think there is the possibility of greater sales since our typical soup consumers are women and breast cancer is a cause they're concerned about." Campbell's will donate 3.5 cents for every pink can of soup it sells, or $250,000 dollars to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. How much is 7 million cans of soup times 50 cents a can anyway?

I am merely using Campbell's soup as an example of the mind-dizzying number of companies who have gone pink in October. I like Campbell's soup, it reminds me of childhood and simpler times. I will continue to feature companies promoting pink products this month. Part of the sales goes to breast cancer organizations. But I am more impressed with some than others. Before you purchase a product that is promoting itself pink as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ask how much of the purchase price is going directly to breast cancer charity.

When we get to a time when companies who promote a breast cancer awareness pink product donate ALL the profits from that product to breast cancer prevention research and a cure, I will go pink. Ms. Black-and-White will buy pink, wear pink and own pink.

For many of us, food is so much more than a matter of eating to satisfy physical hunger. We comfort ourselves with food, we celebrate special events with food, we bond with others while sharing a meal, we create memories with food, and we communicate how much we care about others with food. The American Institute for Cancer Research, AICR, defines comfort food as feel-good food that is both nourishing and nurturing. Food appeals to all our senses -- the smell of warm baked cookies; the taste of sweet, salty, or tart; the sight of vibrant colors that decorate the plate; and the textures of creamy and crunchy. Food is a means of time travel because food can evoke memories of a simpler time that made more sense. Food can be a comfort. However, most comfort foods are also fattening foods. 

The AICR offers fat substitutions, so that we can have our cake and eat it too. Following are some suggestions for substituting fats that make us fat, with fats that are not as fat-threatening -- and nutritionally -- more cancer prevention-friendly.

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I was part of a household staff that worked in the mansion of a magistrate. Despite his considerable wealth, and the fact that he paid others to take care of almost all the daily tasks of running a large home, I found him each morning in the kitchen making soup for the day.

When you are young, you take some of the oddest jobs, that in retrospect, do not seem to have any bearing on your eventual professional successes. But I digress. Back to the story. One morning, he gave me quite a long lecture on the health benefits of homemade soup. I admit I have been fascinated and a fan of soups ever since.

Soups are relatively inexpensive to make, and can be packed with nutrients. You throw all the ingredients into a large pot and leave it to simmer on the back burner of the stove, or in a slow cooker, until hours later, with a crust of bread and side salad, you have a satisfying meal. At the end of the day, in the small amusements of a stay-at-home mother, I can almost imagine someone else has made dinner -- because in many ways -- soup makes itself.

To celebrate spring, the American Institute for Cancer Research is offering delicious soup recipes loaded with cancer-fighting nutrients and phytochemicals such as Black Bean Soup with Avocado and Watercress; Fresh Spinach Soup; Spring Vegetable Soup; Chilled Strawberry Soup with Mint; and Asparagus and Scallion Soup with Almonds.