February is the Month of Hearts
Audrey
J Pellegrino, Med, MHN
The
Practical Nutritionist, LLC
177
Littlefield Road,
Danbury,
NH 03230
603-768-3214
I am a Kindergarten teacher, as well as a nutritionist and I adore Valentine’s Day. It is exciting to share the story of St. Valentine with my students and then watch them write secret notes to their friends. It is one of the first days when they realize that their writing can send a secret message to another to read. I also like all of the kindness that is shared with me on Valentine’s Day. I get lots of hugs and kisses, homemade cards, chocolate hearts, cookie hearts, candy hearts, cake hearts…You name it, if it is shaped like a heart, sometime during the past eighteen years, as a teacher, I have received it and probably ate it.
Now, while the excitement of all the children is good for my aging heart to watch, eating all of those hearts is not. February is not only Valentine’s Day but is also National Heart Month. After I teach my students about Valentine’s Day I also teach them about the four chambers of the human heart and how it works. It is an amazing organ and one that is directly influenced by what we do and do not eat.
It is important to realize that heart disease is not only a man’s problem but is also the number one killer of women. Over and over again we are told to watch our cholesterol numbers, exercise more, keep our blood pressure in check and to eat right. What exactly does eat right mean? It does not mean eat everything on the grocery shelves that says it is good for your heart. If a product has a little whole grain or flaxseed thrown in with white flour, high fructose corn syrup, white sugar and preservatives it may still be an unhealthy product. The ratio of one to the other does make a difference, and most processed foods have the ratio reversed for a healthy heart diet.
Take steps to make your diet simple. A Mediterranean diet is considered the most heart friendly diet of any civilized nation. They use three to four ingredients in their foods and then add fresh herbs to enhance the flavors. They keep their food simple and fresh, eating fruits and nuts, whole grain breads, fish, legumes, lean meats and a lot of vegetables. The oil is virgin pressed olive oil and their sugar intake is very, very limited. The biggest difference between the Mediterranean diet and the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is processed foods and quick, unnatural snacks from the convience store or snack machine. A heart healthy Mediterranean diet does not include those things and the S.A.D. does.
So during the month of love and hearts plan to be around longer for your loved ones. Take steps to simplify your diet. Remember that a healthy heart is not chocolate and sugar coated but is coated with fresh fruits, nuts and whole grains. Have a Happy, Heart-Healthy Valentine’s Day!