COVID cases are beginning to increase in parts of the country, but recent shutdowns of testing sites mean we may not have an accurate picture.

In FDA Advisory Committee met this week to chart the future of vaccine boosters.

The CDC announced plans for a review and reorganization of the agency to better meet the nation's public health needs.

This is America Dissecting. I'm your host, Dr. Abdul Al-Sahid.

This month is Ramadan. Ramadan can aim to all those who observe it. Ramadan is a month of fasting from food and, yes, water, from dawn to sunset.

But there's a lot more to it. It's a month of prayer and community and reflection. In fact, fasting is common among many faith traditions.

There's the Yom Kupur fast in Judaism, Lent in several Christian traditions, or fasting traditions in Hinduism and Buddhism.

I'll be honest, fasting is really tough for me. It's not the food or the water. It's the caffeine. It's also the sleep.

I drink a lot of coffee, like a lot, a lot. And during Ramadan, that becomes a problem.

Particularly when all of a sudden, I can't drink any during the day.

So instead, I take slow-release caffeine pills with my morning meal, traditionally called Sahur. And I drink my coffee at a thought after I break fast.

You could imagine that leaves me wired. And with break fast time at 8 o'clock and wake up time at 5.30, the whole thing takes a toll on one sleep.

But there are a few remarkable things that happen when you fast.

The first is this incredible awareness of what you put in your body in the first place.

When you can't eat or drink, you appreciate deeply the fact that unlike so many in this world, you don't suffer this fate every single day of your life for a want of food or drink.

Then nothing tastes like that first morsel of food you put in your mouth.

Traditionally, we break fast on dates. They're sweet, but also earthy.

And at that point, your mind is attuned to every single flavor note, that first sip of coffee, unreal.

The other side is also true. I find that eating processed sugars or salty snacks during an Ramadan isn't nearly as appealing. The flavors are just too intense.

Take those two things together. The whole experience forces you to really reflect on the nature of the food you eat and where it comes from.

And in America, that's a hard thing to have to reflect on.

See, our food system is dominated by a few huge corporations. Consider craft.

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