Listen To Your Heart!

February is all about the Hearts. Chocolate hearts, candy hearts, boxes shaped like hearts, teddy bears holding hearts, oh and your own heart. Yes, February is the month of love but it is also National Heart Month. So, while you are spending time loving those near and dear to you, lets take some time to think about how we are treating our own hearts.

While you indulge on the chocolates from your sweetie on Feb 14th, take a moment to stop and think about the health benefits of that chocolate. Wait, what? Chocolate has health benefits? The idea that dark chocolate is good for you came from the flavonoids or antioxidants that are present in Cocoa. These are the same flavonoids that are found in fruits and veggies. The truth is the research is thin. Research suggest the dose of flavonoids found in commercially processed dark chocolate isn’t high enough to have a positive effect on heart health. Good news though, dark chocolate tends to contain half the sugar as milk or white chocolate. If you don’t like dark chocolate that is ok too. Please continue to enjoy the foods you love, dark, milk or white chocolate, just make sure to do so in moderation.

The reality is to improve our heart health we probably shouldn’t be turning to chocolate. Let’s take a look at our plate. Fat often gets a bad rap, but it is essential to our diet. It is important to choose foods that are high in unsaturated fats. Eat fish twice a week, fish like; tuna, salmon, and lake trout all have beneficial omega 3’s. Great examples of unsaturated fats include unsalted almonds, walnuts, seeds, avocados, olive and canola oil. One way you can know the types of fats you are choosing are unsaturated, is they will be liquid at room temperature. All fats even the healthy ones are high in calories. So, don’t overdue a good thing.

The more fruit and veg you can eat the better. Fruits and veggies are naturally fat free and filled with heart healthy antioxidants. The more color the more benefits. Make sure each of your meals is filled with a rainbow of colors and you won’t miss out on the good stuff.

If you are looking to switch up your Valentines treats this year from the traditional heart shaped chocolates and teddy bears and want them to be heart healthy as well try out some of these ideas.

· Send a message on fruit, “Hi, Cutie” or “I’m bananas for you”

· Strawberries on Cloud Nine (served on yogurt)

· Create your own fruit and veggie snack plate with blood oranges, red peppers, red salsa and fruit dip.

· Make Pink Milk by blending strawberries with low fat milk

· XOXO trail mix using O shaped cereals and X shaped pretzel sticks with dried cranberries or strawberries.

Bottomline, for heart health eat a well-balanced diet with half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Include physical activity at least 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week, to boost your HDL cholesterol, the good kind, starting with at least 10-minute bouts. Finally enjoy the foods you love. If it’s chocolate or red wine, remember to enjoy in moderation.

Monica Nagele is the County Extension Director and educator of health and human science for the Montgomery County Purdue Extension.