On my first day of medical school I could not have told you exactly what a heart attack was. I knew it was related to some kind of blockage, but I didn’t know exactly how, where, or why. And though I’m not sure whether anyone yet can explain exactly why, the research continues to bring us closer to answers. At a certain point though, I did begin to understand what heart attacks are, and that is what I’d like to discuss today. Continue reading
Category Archives: Vitamin deficiencies
A Primer on Dietary Fat
A great many parts of our bodies rely on fat to perform their essential functions, and I’d like to review some of them here. The better you understand fats, their functions, and their structures, the less susceptible you will be to the advertising that influences consumers to purchase products made with industrially-modified fats. Today we’re talking about fat. For purposes of this essay, consider the terms “fat” and “oil” to be interchangeable. Continue reading
Stripped Carbohydrates: A Primer
Generally speaking, and with the exception of milk and honey, the carbohydrate in nature virtually always comes with fiber attached. Whether from orchards, meadows, gardens, or forests, and whether as roots, leaves, stems, or fruits, intact—or whole—carbohydrates belong to four major categories (fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains), all of which are rich in fiber as well as phytonutrients, the source of their often vibrant colors. Continue reading