Ok, I admit it, I’ve been known to defy the speed limit. And I’ve paid a hefty price for it on occasion. But when there is no one on the 8-lane highway, it just feels so invigorating to zip through town all speedy in my red Farrari like I rule the road. Ok, fine, no red Farrari, but having the freedom to move about as fast as you like is blissful. Your blood thinks so too.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a large intake of fatty food in one sitting puts enough strain on the cardiovascular system to impair its function and can boost the risk of blood clots. For 4 hours after a high-fat meal (think of yesterday’s fast food from Wendy’s or McDonalds), the body’s arteries struggle to let blood flow through them in response to the stress of the fatty meal. After high-fat meals, fatty substances unleash free radicals and other oxidants which deactivate the chemicals that aid in dilation, thus hindering vessel expansion.

In other words, your blood is experiencing the frustration of driving on an extremely narrow 2 lane winding road instead of an open 8 lane freeway. After a low-fat meal, vessels dilate normally. Think: open 8-laner with high probability for speeding.

Moral of the story, (besides that I need to work on my analogies) give your friendly heart a generous McBreak by balancing your fat intake throughout the day.