Heather Linderfelt

Heather Linderfelt is a geologist, chef and freelance editor/writer. She has a degree in geology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a pastry certificate from Le Cordon Bleu in London.

Articles by Heather Linderfelt

• Adaptogens: Plants that combat stress

  Wednesday, January 23, 2019

  In an age where Western healthcare costs are rising — and drug resistance is a serious problem, more people turning to natural remedies to aid in their health. For thousands of years, people have used certain plants to combat illnesses and stress as a part of their traditional medicines. These include adaptogens, a class of plants that have amazing abilities to adapt to tough conditions and stresses in the environment; they can also help human bodies adapt to certain stressors in the body, leading to more robust health. Adaptogens support the entire endocrine system, especially the adrenal functions of the body.

• The keto diet: Almost 100 years of eating fat and how it changes lives

  Monday, May 21, 2018

  Writing about ketogenic eating and not sharing my story on the effects it had on my life seems like an impossible task. Some associate it with the paleo diet, but paleo is easier. Currently, the keto diet is the "it" girl in diets. Products are being labeled keto diet-approved. Some of the meal delivery services are now including keto diet options. However, the ketosis diet history dates back almost a century. It began as a way of eating to manage epilepsy.

• Should dentists continue to use fluoride?

  Friday, October 20, 2017

  In the 1930s, dental research showed that children who lived in areas with high concentrations of naturally occurring fluoride in the water had less tooth decay. This research led to the addition of fluoride to the municipal water supply in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945. Other municipalities followed, and the Community Water Fluoridation program began. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral. It is in our soils, water, and food in various amounts, depending on where you live, but our bodies don’t need it to survive.

• What to know about the SI joint

  Thursday, October 19, 2017

  The sacroiliac (SI) joint is a strong, powerful joint that connects the upper body to the lower half of the body via the sacrum, which is the bottom bone of the spine, and the ilium, which is part of the pelvis. The joint is not responsible for a great deal of movement, but its main job is to transfer the weight and movements of the upper body to the legs. Since these joints carry and transfer all the weight of the upper body, the cartilage that cushions the joint can wear away and cause SI joint problems.

• Target hits the spot with wage increase

  Monday, October 02, 2017

  The Target Corporation announced last week that the company would raise the hourly minimum wage to $11 for all Target team members. The corporation also said they would continue to raise the hourly wage to $15 by the end of 2020.

• How vitamins play a role in your mood

  Wednesday, August 16, 2017

  Most of us try to keep healthy, but even the healthiest of people develop circumstances that reduce their vitamin levels, which can lead to feeling blue. It is well known that deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals can affect your mental health. Three of the most important are vitamin D, vitamin B and vitamin C.

• City Museum transports guests to a world of wonder

  Tuesday, August 15, 2017

  ​Our mouths were agape at the view. The entrance sign led us down along a giant serpent fence. "You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way!"

• Summer road trip fun on a limited budget

  Tuesday, August 01, 2017

  Our summer trip had new limitations this year. I am finishing a divorce and on a restrained budget, but I wanted the trip to be fun and memorable — and not in a bad way. I offered my kids some choices, and they decided to drive to Indiana to see their grandfather, visit cousins in Illinois, and camp in Wisconsin. To save money, we chose to camp along the way instead of hotels.

• Is juicing actually bad for your health?

  Tuesday, June 06, 2017

  Fresh-made juices are the last health trend, and juice companies are popping up all throughout towns. Many juice fanatics praise the benefits of juicing — supposedly, juicing preserves the nutrients and beneficial enzymes contained in fruit and vegetables — but science does not agree.

• East meets West in dialectical behavior therapy

  Monday, May 08, 2017

  ​Back in the 1980s, psychologist Marsha M. Linehan struggled with her borderline personality disorder patients. They are some of the hardest clients to gain behavioral control and improve their quality of life. Traditional cognitive and behavioral therapies failed repeatedly, so Linehan decided to combine aspects of both, and she weaved in an Eastern mindfulness component to help bring resolution to the challenges that were being faced. With these new combined therapies, she created dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

• Chimayo: The village with healing powers

  Tuesday, April 18, 2017

  Nestled away among the badlands of New Mexico, 28 miles north of Santa Fe, sits the little village of Chimayo. This community of artists, chile farmers and deeply religious people live in an oasis of fertile soil surrounded by the dry high desert of Northern New Mexico.

• Monk fruit: The zero-calorie sweetener you’ve never heard of

  Tuesday, May 10, 2016

  If you are watching your weight, dealing with diabetes, battling candida or just wish to be healthier, how do you get sweet without spiking blood sugar levels or feeding into candida? You could turn to artificial sweeteners, but what if you don't want the poisons of artificial chemicals in your body?

• The Jetsons never had it this good — Welcome to the Ehang 184

  Wednesday, May 04, 2016

  A drone you can sit in. The passenger selects a destination from a 12-inch device (a tablet or an iPad), and the drone flies itself there. I imagine something from The Jetsons — the tune is even playing in my head. But I wonder, are we ready for unmanned passenger flights?

• The amazing health benefits of goat milk

  Friday, April 29, 2016

  ​Facing the dairy section at the local store, dairy products made from cow milk far outweigh goat options. Among the sea of different milks now available — including almond, soy and coconut — is usually only one brand of goat milk.

• Crumbling barriers: Kathryn Smith is part of a growing trend

  Friday, January 22, 2016

  Susan B. Anthony's birthday is next month, Feb. 15, 1820. She played a crucial role in women's suffrage and women's rights in general. Fast forward to Jan. 20, 2016 — almost 200 years — and a woman has made history again in gender equality.

• The body loves fat — When did it become the enemy?

  Thursday, December 10, 2015

  More grains, less fat — we've all heard it said for years. Yet as fat consumption has dropped 10 percent in the last 40 years, the rates of heart disease and diabetes have doubled. When did fat become the number one enemy?

• New hive design revolutionizes honey harvesting

  Tuesday, December 08, 2015

  Honey harvesting is a messy and sometimes painful job. Traditional Langstroth hives consist of a wooden floor, stacked boxes or supers of varying depths, an inner cover and a roof. Bees build their comb on wooden frames within each box.

• Chile or bust: Time to get your pepper fix in New Mexico

  Thursday, October 22, 2015

  ​Autumn is here, and the harvest is coming in. Now is the perfect time to visit New Mexico. Apples and pears are the fruits most expected this time of year. Is there anything more delicious than a farm-stand apple or pear? Yes, yes there is — the chile.

• Raise a glass of bone broth — to your health

  Tuesday, September 29, 2015

  My dietitian told me to drink bone broth, and drink it every day. It will do wonders for you, she said. Mmm, warm broth sounded nice. I wanted to get it in me even before I had a chance to make my own homemade version. I went to the store and purchased it in a package. Oh, gag! It was not the manna from the gods I expected. It was broth, plain, simple and bland.

• Millet: The ancient and controversial grain

  Monday, September 14, 2015

  For those in search of more variety in their grains and/or a gluten-free diet, millet is an ancient grain making a comeback in the U.S. diet. Millet comes from the small-seeded grasses of the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa. We know it as a chief component in birdseed and in some cereals, but one-third of the world's population eats millet as a staple in their diet.