Love Your Heart, Valentine's Day, #heart tips

Happy Valentine's Day and National Heart Health Month Everyone. I've been reflecting on Valentine's Day and Heart Health and realize it would be fun to list an assortment of plant-based foods and lifestyle choices that are good for heart health.

1. Remember to eat plenty of non-gmo organic fruits and vegetables in a wide range of colors-greens, red, orange, yellow, and purple in their natural state. Purchase produce from a farmer's market, grow it in your own home garden, or shop at a market that supports Free Trade Products. Serve veggies raw or steamed. Flavor with herbs and spices instead of sauces and gravies.
2. Use legumes like organic lentils, beans, and whole unprocessed grains including barley, quinoa, spelt, oats, flax, millet, corn, brown rice, and organic whole grain wheat in stews, soups, roasts, and sautes.
3. Serve unprocessed protein sources like organic tempeh, organic tofu, leafy green vegetables, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, peanut butter, broccoli, collard greens, kale, as well as other nuts and seeds.
4. Add little or no sugar. It is likely to be genetically modified and turns to fat, which is a no-no for heart health.
5. Cook without salt, especially if you have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to hypertension, a leading cause of heart attacks.
6. Serve fresh salads at least once or twice a day. Use a light dressing like lemon juice and a tablespoon of organic olive oil herbal blend instead of high caloric bottled dressings. Another option is to puree olives, an avocado, or raw cashews to top salads.

A healthy lifestyle includes exercise and sports, relaxation techniques and stress management, maintaining a network of love and support, and a plan to take special care of yourself.  

The choices you make (like to stop smoking), the food you eat, and love in your life enhances heart health. Love yourself and your heart. Eat well, be well, love well.

Here is a link to important information from WebMDHeart Attack Symptoms

The quotation for today is: "Love Makes the World Go Round."
Listen to the Theme from Carnival sung by Johnny MathisLove Makes the World Go Round

   Join in with the bloggers at Real Food Fridays and learn new ideas, discover recipes, and meet new friends who value real food.

I Love Tea. What's Your Favorite Tea?

Early this morning, I began to imagine drinking a cup of tea, and chatting with with my sister-in-law Naomi. We are long distance communicators, because

Naomi lives on one side of the country and I live on the other. I'm grateful whenever we two are speaking on the phone and drinking a cup of tea together, it feels like we are sitting across from each other at the kitchen table.

My particular favorite teas are Yogi Green Tea Pure Green Decaf, homemade ginger tea (peel a piece of organic ginger, drop it into a cup of boiling water, and let seep for 10-15 minutes), Traditional Medicinals Organic Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat, and Yogi Berry DeTox. And here's a link to a blog I posted about green tea.

What flavor of tea do you enjoy? Please let me know at the email address here-obloggernewbie@gmail.com.

The quotation for today is: Make tea, not war. ~Monty Python

Have a delicious cup of tea and think of me.