With February being the national month we think about heart health let me present you with a complete heart healthy meal and why it benefits your heart.  Your heart is red and so are the foods it loves and will help it stay in optimal condition.  This February while enjoying your Valentine's chocolate, which by the way, dark chocolate in moderation is likely good for your heart, enjoy plenty of red foods, particularly fruits and vegetables.

I do like my meat, so let's prepare salmon topped with almonds and either grilled or sauteed in a heart healthy oil like flax, olive, or almond oil.  The pink color of salmon is from a red carotenoid called astaxanthin which is good for your internal organs.  What is even more important is that salmon is loaded with the good fat, Omega 3.  While these fats are noted for helping brain function, the American Heart Association has found that these fats seem to do quite a bit for your heart.  How often would you want to consume a food that potentially can lower risk of heart attack and stroke, inhibit plaque build-up in your arteries, reduce inflammation, decrease risk of arrhythmia which can cause sudden cardiac death, lower  blood pressure, and reduce inflammation?  Yeah, I'll eat salmon several times a month.  It is great topped with slivered almonds, a nut loaded with healthy fats and Vitamin E which can help keep cholesterol down.

Alright, since I'm a big fruit and vegetable guy let's do grilled vegetable kabobs with an assortment of red veggies and a drizzle of oil.  Our kabobs will feature cherry tomatoes, red onion chunks, and red bell pepper slices.  Almost everyone knows about the lycopene in tomatoes and how it may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but it also seems to be excellent for your circulatory system. Red onions and peppers also contain high levels of the antioxidants, carotenoids and Vitamin C.

Let's have a side of brown rice with some dried cranberries and diced apples mixed in.  Whole grains like brown rice have some good vitamins, minerals, and fiber that will make your heart smile.  It is particularly high in magnesium which could be helpful in alleviating blood clots, heart disease, and hypertension.  Cranberries contain a high level of polyphenol antioxidants under research for possible beneficial cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory effects.  Both apples and cranberries are high in quercetin which acts as an anti-inflammatory and may help prevent blood clots as well. 

Can't forget dessert - finish off your meal with a sweet treat of strawberries and raspberries in an angel food cake cup topped with some light whipped cream and cacao nibs.  Berries contain massive levels of various antioxidants including carotenoids and anthocyanins (see my web articles on these for more info.).  In fact most of them top the ORAC list, a list of the antioxidant power of foods.  They are linked to a decrease of inflammation and reduction in the risk of heart disease.       

Boy am I hungry now.  Time to head into the kitchen and make this feast before I start drooling everywhere.  Feel free to pour yourself a nice glass of red wine to go with this meal as it contains reseveratol and anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants that can be good, also.  (You can do dark grape juice instead, if you don't drink)  Cheers, and may the Lord bless you and yours with a wonderful, healthy, season of love.