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Valentine's Day: Good for the Heart

Gifts from and for the Heart

Offering your sweetie love, red wine and chocolate for Valentine's Day may, indeed, help you score big in the heart department. But romantic and healthy gift giving need not be boring.

Below are some ideas from the health experts interviewed by WebMD to help get hearts pumping.
  • Give a fruit basket or sign up your loved one for a fruit-of-the-month club that delivers fresh produce to doorsteps. Red fruits such a strawberries, cherries and ruby red grapefruits are rich in antioxidants, says Sass.
  • Give your loved one a pedometer. It's a fun tool that can help your honey see his or her fitness progress. After all, exercise is good for the heart. Moores suggests setting up a date to walk together.
  • Take a field trip to do something with one another, rather than buying a material object. It's a chance to create a new experience or relive an old one together, says Ellison.
  • Give a funny book, as humor is good for the heart, says Sass.
If you're still at a loss at what to give for Valentine's Day, fret not (stress is bad for your heart health).

"Whether it's a small box of chocolates, red roses or it's time spent together, the point is to give a gift on Valentine's Day to somebody you care about," says Novak, reminding that the effort is what usually touches a person's heart.


As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.

SOURCES: Susan Moores, RD, spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association. Joe Vinson, professor of chemistry, University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Cynthia Sass, RD, spokeswoman, ADA. Holly Novak, MD, director, prevention and women's health, Prairie Cardiovascular, Springfield, Ill. Blair Justice, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology, University of Texas School of Public Health. Carol Rinkleib Ellison, PhD, author, Women's Sexualities; psychologist, private practice. American Heart Association. American College of Cardiology.

© 2004 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.