Pamper Your Heart with a Valentine Treat

On this Valentine's Day, it’s appropriate to keep in mind the importance of heart-healthy eating. Our program advocates the need for healthy brains and healthy bodies working in conjunction with one another to optimize learning. As a treat for your heart health, may we suggest a delicious, nutritious Valentine’s dinner?

• Start with an appetizer of edamame, yummy beans fresh out of their shells and full of tasty soy protein.
• Accompanying the entrée, a leafy green salad with shredded carrots and topped with black beans and walnuts offers a flavorful blend of antioxidants, folates, magnesium, and fiber.
• Grilled seafood such as salmon, tilapia, or mahi-mahi topped with fresh herbs supplies omega-3 fatty acids found to lower risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses in delectable fashion.
• If you’re in the mood for a side dish, sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon and lime juice are rich in flavor, fiber, vitamin A, and lycopene.
• Accompany your meal with a refreshing glass of water.

If your mouth isn’t already watering, how about a chocolate-covered cherry for dessert? Cherries are a tangy source of anthocyanin, which may help to protect blood vessels, and dark chocolate (with 60% to 70% cocoa) is rich in flavonoids, metabolites with cardioprotective properties.

The key to the health benefits of many of these ingredients is moderation: If you consume more than 1 ounce of dark chocolate two or three times a week, for example, that good thing becomes more problematic.

Click the link for six additional tips for maintaining a healthy heart.