February is the month that reminds us just how important our heart is. It is the month that we celebrate “American Heart Month”. It is the month that honor love with Valentine’s Day which would not be possible without our hearts. Why was the heart chosen to express love – why not for example the liver. If you think about it the heart is the logically answer. Everyone feels pangs in our hearts when we are sad and we can feel our heart skip when we're excited, it must be the organ of love. Let’s make some time this month to honor our heart. So...put a little love into caring for your heart and it will be there for you.

We have found wonderful resources that do the heart justice.

Here’s to the healthy heart

Get the trans fat out of your diet, read labels and simply do not buy foods that incorporate this in their products. At Food411 we have tried very hard to ensure that the products we list are exclusive of trans fat. Artificial, processed and refined foods must go! We believe in eating “real” foods – that is why our mission is to highlight artisanal producers. Here are a few resources that will benefit your heart:

Have fruits & veggies delivered regularly Diamond Organics offers monthly samplers. If you have the good stuff readily available, you will eat it! Eat as many different colored fruits as possible. They are chock full of antioxidants which protect your heart. Since this is the only time of the year that they are available, give honeybells a try – Sun Harvest

Beans & Grains - Order heirloom beans, grains and rice, and chiles all direct from Rancho Gordo

Whole grain Breads & cereals, the latest studies says whole grains can help cut heart disease by nearly 1/3. A wonderful bread source is Bernhard’s Bread Bakery or just browse our bread section on Food411

Fish: Fatty fish like salmon and tuna are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Americans are very deficient in these vital fats. Catch wild Alaskan salmon by clicking on The Alaskan Wild Salmon Company. This family catches your wild salmon by hand with hook and line and ships it direct to your door. For exceptionally fresh tuna (sushi quality available) try Catalina Offshore Seafood they are a seafood wholesaler (recently began selling to the public) specializing high quality fresh & frozen seafood from the West Coast – this is really a wonderful resource.They also sell sushi grade fish and shellfish.

Grab a handful of nuts a day...especially walnuts. Check out Local Harvest where you can order all types of nuts and other fresh farm foods
Nuts offer fiber, good fat & vitamin E.
Talking about nuts always leads to Peanutbutter,
To quote our November email that saluted Peanut Butter - “Researchers in a Penn State University study found that moderate-fat diets with peanut butter cut the risk of heart disease by 21% compared with a 12% reduction in cardiovascular disease in low-fat diets. They also found a diet that includes peanut butter was more effective than a low-fat diet in maintaining levels of good HDL-cholesterol and lowering triglyceride levels.” Again we recommend stocking up on PB – check out PB Loco. We honesty are addicted to this stuff – the texture & flavors are amazing.

Garlic: This is a real heart helper! It helps lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Add this in to your diet on a regular basis. Two creative resources have taken garlic and created very useful garlic condiments. The first we discovered at Pike’s Place Market in Seattle – Garlic Garden’s Lebanese Breeze (whipped garlic. Homemade, all natural, no preservatives added. Use on meats as a rub or as a condiment after cooking. Add to sauces, use in mashed potatoes or on your favorite bread. Mix in melted butter for a great seafood dip! Rinaldo’s Organic Garlic Gold is another garlic experience. Garlic Gold their original product blends organic toasted garlic & organic extra-virgin olive oil.100% organic, 100% hand made. Perfect for cooking or as a condiment, drizzle, shake or spoon them!.

Turmeric: It's a powerful anti-inflammatory agent & anti-cancer agent. Turmeric comes from the root of Curcuma longa, a plant in the ginger family. It is a necessary ingredient of curry powder & is used extensively in Indian dishes, including lentil and meat dishes, and in Southeast Asian cooking. Turmeric is routinely added to mustard blends (it gives the yellow color to ballpark mustard and relishes. It is mildly aromatic & has scents of orange/ginger. Use Turmeric to add mystery to new favorites as well as in traditional curries, rice & chicken dishes, & condiments. Turmeric is a classic addition to chutneys, pickles, & relishes. Add a pinch of Turmeric to fish soups, blend with melted butter & drizzle over cooked vegetables, pasta, or potatoes. On Food411 we offer numerous wonderful spice resources - try Whole Spices they offer organic, ground & sliced root or any of Food411 Spice Resources

 

For the romantic heart – Fill you heart with Love at First Bite!

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"

Dark Chocolate is very romantic & bonus - a small quantity of high-quality dark chocolate helps lower cholesterol. It also offers the same antioxidant as red wine & green tea. Try to get 70% cocoa, which means it has a very small amount of sugar in it. It contains both a sedative which relaxes/lowers inhibitions & a stimulant to increase activity & desire for physical contact.

Poco Dolce chocolates are bittersweet chocolate tiles topped with gray sea salt, so they satisfy both your sweet & salty cravings. They are nicely accented with bits of almonds, crystallized ginger, burnt caramel toffee, and Aztec chile. They are sophisticated and very delicious....

Christopher Norman’s Candies Peels – Feed each other these Sweet & tangy, dark chocolate peels. They use only the ripest peels from the best oranges and lemons. They get hand-dipped under a swirling waterfall of dark chocolate. Elegantly presented & very romantic.

Christopher Norman's Personalized Chocolate heart filled with 9 truffles - Give them the name of your valentine - yes ,you can even send embarrassing pet names (i.e. "shmoopsie"). They customize your heart, and you'll have a unique gift. The chocolate heart box is entirely edible, and there are 9 truffles inside - Cinnamon Cardamom, Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, and more.

Recchiuti’s mixes two ingredients that will truly put the love in your heart...Champagne and chocolate in their Recchiuti’s Champagne Truffles

Richard Donnelly’s all natural & edible chocolate massage oil is made with the finest cold pressed grape seed oil, almond oil, extra virgin olive oil & fine dark chocolate!

Hauser’s 9 pc. Pomegranate Truffles - A fruity dark chocolate ganache infused with the sweet & sour juice of the ancient pomegranate, rich in antioxidants. The pomegranate ganache is covered in rich dark chocolate topped with dried pomegranate seeds, setting a slightly sour counterpoint to the sweetness of the chocolate in a beautiful red box $12.75

On the subject of Chocolate, we could go on forever – so just visit our chocolate page & you’ll get the entire bar

Oysters – Many oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female & back, this led to the claim that the oyster let’s one experience the the masculine & feminine sides of love.

FARM 2 MARKET - Sells 8 different varieties of cultured oysters, all produced in the cool, clean waters at Penn Cove Shellfish Farms of Coupeville, Washington. They are harvested daily, carefully packed, and shipped overnight to you.

Taylor Shellfish Farms - They have been farming Washington’s Puget sound oysters for over 100 years.

Lobster – OK, this is not one of the items usually named as an aphrodisiac but what is more romantic than feeding your loved one lobster. Lobster screams “this is a special day”. Get it direct at Maine Lobster Direct a family-owned business located on historic Union Wharf in the heart of Portland Maine's working waterfront. They have built enduring relationships with the local fishing community ensuring access to the freshest Maine lobster.