Valentine's Day is just around the corner and many people are planning something special for their sweetheart; flowers, chocolate, candlelight dinner, shiny little love trinkets, sparkling baubles, and other fun surprises.

Beyond the usual Valentine's Day gifts, one of the best things you can give your lover and yourself, EVERYDAY, is proper nourishment to keep the cardiovascular system running smoothly. And, as an added bonus... if the heart, blood and blood vessels are healthy and flowing properly the sex organs benefit, too! Oooh la la.

Our blood carries life-giving oxygen throughout the entire body. If the arteries carrying our blood gets clogged, the heart does not receive oxygen and this can result in a heart attack. No blood flow equals no life. It's pretty simple.

The FDA suggests taking one aspirin per day to help thin the blood. However, aspirin can cause internal bleeding and stomach ulcers - 1. Egads! Below I will teach you better and more delicious ways to create smoother blood flow.

It's a wise idea to avoid excess saturated fat, highly refined carbohydrates (white flour, pasta, white bread, pastries, sugar), hydrogenated oils (margarine, junk food), iodized table salt, stimulants like coffee and tobacco, alcohol, deep fried foods, and soda. Soda has excess phosphorous that binds up magnesium (magnesium prevents calcification of the soft tissue, protecting the arteries). It's also best to avoid calcium supplements. Yes, that's right... calcium supplements contribute to hardening of the arteries - 2. Lastly, and most importantly, it's imperative to reduce or eliminate stress. Hopefully, this list of things to avoid hasn't stressed you out.

A heart healthy diet could include high fiber whole foods like brown rice, oats, barley, beans and legumes. Be sure to eat a rainbow of vitamin and mineral rich vegetables; onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, broccoli, ginger, and dark leafy greens like bok choy, kale, collard greens and arugula. You could aslo add in some sea vegetables, shitake mushrooms, naturally cultured foods (sauerkraut, miso, shoyu), olive oil, and cayenne pepper. All of these foods can benefit the heart and create healthy blood flow.

The heart is a muscle and requires good quality protein. Be sure to purchase grass-fed and pastured animal meats and other products that are naturally raised, lower in saturated fat and higher in essential fatty acids.

To make this information practical and easy for you to use, check out this heart healthy version of traditional fried rice. I used brown rice instead of white rice, good quality vegetable oils, lots of nutritious vegetables and organic pastured eggs (rich in lecithin).

http://www.peoplejam.com/node/2496

Be sure to cook up a delicious and nutritious meal for your sweetheart and let the love flow on Valentine's Day and everyday!

1 - http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=103025&catId=100409&tid=100008&p=4&title=Painkillers+(archived)

2 - http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Coronary-Artery-Calcium-May-...