When you think of nutrients, do you think of vitamins and minerals?  These are essential components of a healthy diet — and best consumed in whole food form, rather than from supplements in most cases.  Something else we don’t always think of as a nutrient, but is just as critical to health, is dietary fiber.

One of the key markers of a highly-processed diet is trans-fatty acids, or trans fats.  These abnormal fats are a result of either deep frying or a process called hydrogenation, which is used to extend the shelf life of packaged foods.  Doughnuts, cookies, crackers, French fries, or almost any fried fast food are rich sources of this insidious killer.