Heathy Valentine's Day!

Happy Heart Day!

By SA Tripi

Valentine’s Day was great fun when I was a kid. We’d send little cards to one another at school. And we’d get candy, which was always the best part. And it was milk chocolate. Whoever heard of dark chocolate? There were different types of candy, but most of them weren’t very good. A big, thick chocolate heart was the best. Had my mother known about dark chocolate, the fun would have gone out of Valentine’s Day just like it did for Halloween when we came home with a ton of candy, and it seemed to disappear overnight. To this day, I never knew where it went.

Valentine’s Day originated as a Christian Feast Day (I don’t think that the feast was candy). It began as the Feast of Saint Valentine, honoring a martyr named Valentine. It wound its way through a lot of traditions — religious, cultural and commercial, of course.

It is that day when we celebrate love and affection. Supermarkets drown strawberries in chocolate; florists raise the prices of roses, and restaurants do a boffo business. And it is a lovely way to look at the person that you love and tell them how you feel. And food and drink are involved, of course.

As I read about Valentine’s Day, there were a couple of other events that I found intriguing. Someone ordered the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, where thugs dressed as police, lined up seven men, and gunned them down. It was Chicago, and it couldn’t have been anyone other than Capone. I guess St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was a snappier name than the day after Valentine’s Day Massacre, but what a day to choose!

And on the other side of the massacre, we have the brilliant Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, which has been performed on V Day — February 14th. I thought it was going to be a horror when I first watched it. But people of all ages, men and women, were so touched by her words that I found myself reading the full play in absolute wonderment, and I mean wonderment in the true sense of the word. The stories Ms. Ensler heard, the people she met, the conveyance of what these people went through, and the way the stories came to us were spectacular. I still read the book from time to time, and I always learn something new. And I am always moved to tears.

Valentine’s Day is fun and even better when you share it with someone you love. And in moments like those, I’m the last to want to throw cold water on a romantic evening, but we need to remember that affairs of the heart are just that. It is very important to realize that to keep enjoying those affairs, we need to take care of the most important muscle in our body. The heart.

Healthy foods for a healthy heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Since the 1950s, science has shown that cholesterol is a large predictor of heart disease. But a new test has come along that measures your C-Reactive protein, and it is a better predictor of heart disease than the standard cholesterol test. It is done in much the same way. It is a standard blood test that can be administered in your doctor’s office. Hopefully, most insurance companies will cover the cost, which shouldn’t be any different than the regular cholesterol test.

And along with this new test, we find the same dietary guidelines that have existed for a long time. Take care of your heart. Watch the food that you eat: dietary fiber from foods like beans, vegetables, nuts and seeds, berries, olive oil, green tea, and chia and flaxseeds. Add in weight loss and exercise, and your heart will be given a chance for many more lovely Valentine’s Days with the person you love.

Hearty soup

This minestrone soup “recipe” is so good and satisfying, yet very light and fresh. Use any amounts of these vegetables, but onion, carrot and celery create a great aromatic base for the soup (known as a soffritto). You can sauté them with or without olive oil before adding the other ingredients:

• Parmesan cheese – for a salty, umami garnish takes the soup over the top.cipe” is so good and satisfying, yet very light and fresh. Use any amounts of these vegetables, but onion, carrot and celery create a great aromatic base for the soup (known as a soffritto). You can sauté them with or without olive oil before adding the other ingredients:

• Garlic – adds additional depth of flavor to the soup. You’ll stir it in after cooking the onions, carrots, and celery so that it doesn’t burn.

• Diced tomatoes – add sweet tanginess.

• Green beans – add vibrant color and crisp-tender texture to the soup.

• White or kidney beans – navy, cannellini, and red kidney beans all work great!

• Vegetable broth – store-bought, or make your own.

• Bay leaves, oregano, and thyme – easy version of a homemade Italian seasoning

• Small pasta – elbows, little shells, ditalini, orecchiette, or, cooked right in the soup.

• Fresh parsley – or fresh basil for garnish • Red pepper flakes – optional for heat.

• Parmesan cheese – for a salty, umami garnish takes the soup over the top.

Sources: The Cleveland Clinic and “Reversing Heart Disease” by Dean Ornish, M.D.

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