Dr. Ritamarie's Fresh'n Fun Living Blog

3 Keys to a Vibrantly Healthy Valentine’s Day

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on February 14, 2010 – -

Valentines Day is the LOVE holiday…the day when we express our love to the special people in our lives.

The tradition of Valentine’s Day is believed to have originated from the pagan customs of the Third or Fourth Century B.C., when the Festivals of Purification were celebrated in Ancient Rome.   With the advent of Christianity, priests attempted to replace all ancient heathen practices, and in the fifth century A.D., they created its own holiday around the same date,  and selected a saint who to honor for his devotion to love.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is a day when health takes a  backseat as most people embellish their loved ones with chocolates, little candy hearts with sayings on them and all sorts of sweet, heart shaped treats and lavishly rich dinners.

What would it be like to enjoy the magic of your  Valentine’s Day love connections without compromising your health and your waistline?

Here are 3 key strategies that you can use to create new and memorable health promoting Valentine’s Day rituals.

1- Celebrate and thank the one person you can count on to be there every moment in your life, through thick and thin, good times and challenging ones and until you take your last breath…YOU. Do something special for yourself. Self love and care is health care. One of the best ways to improve the quality of your health and increase your energy and longevity is to consistently make time to reward and acknowledge yourself.

Take a minute right now to stroke and massage your shoulders, arms and hands. Doesn’t that feel great? Plan a time for a candle-lit hot bath, or an evening in bed to read, write or meditate. What’s your favorite pass time? What do you love to do? Reward yourself by scheduling time to do it. Schedule it right NOW.

Jot me a note in the comments box and let me know how you plan to show self love.

2- Create special treats for your loved ones using whole, fresh, organic and living foods.

As a special Valentine’s Day gift from me to you, I created a recipe sampler you can use and enjoy.

http://www.drritamarie.com/candy.htm

3- Make aphrodisiac foods a part of the celebration, to spark some passion into your love life.  These  traditionally include:

• Almond – aroma is supposed to induce passion in a female.
• Arugula – has been documented as an aphrodisiac since the first century A.D.
• Avocado – The Aztecs called the tree the “testicle tree”.
• Basil – Is supposed to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility.
• Chocolate – contains PEA, a neurotransmitter that stimulates a feeling of love and connection.
• Fennel – a source of natural plant estrogen, fennel was used in the early Egyptian times as “libido enhancement”.
• Figs – An open fig is said to resemble the female sex organs and traditionally thought of as sexual stimulant.
• Garlic – is said to stir sexual desires.
• Mustard – is believed to stimulate the sex glands and increase desire.
• Pine Nuts – have been used to stimulate the libido as far back as Medieval times.
• Raspberries and Strawberries – are described in erotic literature as fruit nipples
• Vanilla – The scent and flavor is believed to increase lust.

Do you have any favorite aphrodisiac foods?  Submit your recipes and a description of the aphrodisiac properties of the food here:

http://www.drritamarie.com/newsletter/contributions/

I’ll be choosing one to publish in this month’s newsletter, which will be sent on Thursday February 18.

Please comment below… what are your valentines day plans?

Happy Valentines Day!

Remember to download your Valentines Day Recipe Sampler HERE and have fun!

With Love, Roses and Raw Chocolate Kisses,

Dr. Ritamarie

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Tags: Add new tag, aphrodisiac, chocolate, gluten free holiday, Holiday Recipes, Living Foods, livingfoods, raw and living foods holiday recipes, Raw Foods, Valentines day, whole foods
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