This is Optimal Health Daily, A Year Without Sweets, Part 1 by Eric Tepletz of Eric Tepletz.com, and I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neal.

Hey there, happy middle of the week Wednesday and welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily,

where I read some of the best blogs covering health and fitness, just like an audiobook, and always with a bit of

my commentary at the end. Now, today is Wednesday, and like I do every Wednesday, I like to share

a little bit of inspiration with you. So with that, here we go. Quote, it's not what happens to you.

It's what you do before it, during it, and after it. Alan Weiss.

Okay, now, today's post is a bit longer than what I typically narrate. So whenever that happens,

I'll read the first half today and then finish it up for you tomorrow. All right, so with that,

let's get right to part one as we optimize your life.

A Year Without Sweets, Part 1, by Eric Tepletz of ericteplets.com.

Back in August of 2013, I received a call from a transfusion medicine doctor at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center,

where I donate blood. She told me, you have really lipemic plasma. She explained that after they

receive a whole blood donation, they separate it into two distinct parts, red blood cells and plasma.

She said that my donations were very much appreciated and that my

red cells had been fine, but that they had only been able to use the plasma in my donations twice.

She went on to explain, normal plasma has the constitution of apple juice. Yours looks more like a

milkshake. She said that my fatty plasma could be an

indicator of high triglycerides, and she recommended I let my doctor know. I thanked her for the

information and for caring enough to bring it to my attention. I knew of which she was speaking.

My triglycerides have been notoriously high, like off the charts high, and

since at least as far back as my 20s.

And high triglycerides are a possible risk factor for arterioschlorosis or hardening of the

...