After we make our New Year’s resolutions and are just starting the new habits of better nutritional and physical activity, Valentine’s Day is lurking around the corner. If you ask children what they love about Valentine’s Day, the most common answer is “candy”. If you ask adults you will often receive the same answer! Indulge yourself, your sweetheart, or family with a heart-healthy alternative. How can you have a happier, healthier Valentine’s Day? Here are a few ideas to be a healthy Valentine:
- Show your love by making a healthier dinner at home-containing a heart-healthy protein (such as salmon), whole-grains, and fruits and vegetables.
- Keep desserts fruit- based with little to no added sugar. Try using an indoor grill to grill bananas, pineapple, peaches or plums.
- Make heart shaped pancakes or waffles in the morning, top with fresh fruit and whipped cream and eat breakfast by candlelight
- Make (or order) a heart-shaped pizza for dinner. Don’t forget to add the veggies!
- Cut sandwiches or fruit into heart shapes with a cookie cutter for a lunch time surprise.
- Instead of purchasing candy or flowers as a gift, purchase a fruit basket or fruit arrangement.
- Consider a gift that has more permanence: a plant, some seed packets (think spring!), a poem, or even a little box filled with slips of paper letting your Valentine know all the reasons you love them.
- Consider an evening in planning a vacation, playing a game, or watching home movies or reminiscing about previous vacations or holidays.
- If your children have a Valentine’s Day celebration at school, instead of sending candy consider mini bags of pretzels or crackers, pencils, or stickers as tokens of affection. No worries about food allergies!
- If you do receive chocolates or candy, remember it is ok to eat them in moderation. Keep your servings small or within the recommended serving size. Consider freezing some to enjoy the holiday even longer.
- If you go to a restaurant to celebrate, check out the menu ahead of time to make the healthiest choice. Sharing is caring, share an entrée.
- Plan an event that encourages physical activity such as: ice skating, sled riding, or taking a walk in the park on a snowy trail. Don’t forget to show your canine family members some love also, take them with you!
- If you smoke, quit smoking. It’s the perfect gift for yourself and others.
February is Heart Health Month so Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to show some love for yourself and the ones that are near and dear to your heart. Proper diet and activity is the key to a healthy heart!
Written by: Melissa Welker, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fulton County, Maumee Valley EERA, welker.87@osu.edu
Reviewed by: Patrice Powers-Barker, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator, Lucas County, Maumee Valley EERA, powers-barker.1@osu.edu
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