Let’s dedicate this Valentine’s Day to our hearts!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but don’t forget–February is American Heart Month! Here are some fun ideas for keeping the holiday heart-healthy!

• Take your sweetheart to a park or beach for a romantic stroll.
• Rather than going out, cook a healthy meal at home. If you already have reservations, why not pick an entrée to share? Grilled or blackened fish is an excellent choice for heart health!
• Fruit-kabobs are a sweet way to celebrate, and they’re fun to make! If you want to get really creative, you can use cookie-cutters to make cute shapes, and put together a fruit bouquet.
• Skip the champagne and have a glass of red wine.
• Chocoholics, you don’t have to skip chocolate all together! Just substitute it with dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa is suggested). Studies show, flavanols in dark chocolate lower heart disease. Read more about the benefits of dark chocolate and flavonoids here.

Shelley Swenson is your local Extension Agent III UF/IFAS Wakulla, Family & Consumer Sciences Agent

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