A Heart Healthy Valentine’s Day Snack

February 14th, Valentines Day. And while today is the day of love, the month of February is also American Heart Month. Making February the month of heart health and love.

In honor of Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite snacks.

Fruit Salad.

Ok, you may be thinking that is not a very exciting snack, but it can be!

It’s all about the love you put into it.

This fruit salad has some of the best fruits for heart health too.
And to make it extra fun, I use a mini heart shaped cookie cutter to make the fruit slices little hearts!

Ingredients (and their heart health benefits!)

1/2 Watermelon: Watermelon is rich in an amino acid called citrulline that may help move blood through your body and can lower your blood pressure. Your heart also enjoys the perks of all the lycopene watermelon contains
1 cup Blueberries: These tiny but mighty berries are jam-packed with nutrition, including heart-healthy properties. Daily blueberry consumption has been associated with improved cellular function of blood vessels to help control blood pressure and prevent blood clotting
12 Strawberries: Researchers have found that strawberries may promote heart health in a number of ways. Along with helping improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin, they may lower fats in your blood called triglycerides and lower total and LDL cholesterol.
1 cup Raspberries: These beloved berries are fun to snack on (you may as well consider them nature’s candy) and fantastic for cardiovascular well-being. For example, eating berries (like raspberries) has been associated with several cardiometabolic benefits, including reduced LDL cholesterol, improved blood pressure, healthy weight management and lower inflammation.
1 cup Blackberries: Blackberries are a delicious fruit packed with nutrients critical to heart health. One such nutrient is anthocyanins—a group of deep red, blue and purple plant pigments. Anthocyanins are rich in powerful antioxidants that support cardiovascular health
1 cup Red Grapes: The high polyphenol content of red grapes makes them another fantastic fruit for protecting heart health. The polyphenols found in grapes have been shown to benefit human health in treating cardiovascular diseases and diabetes by reducing oxidative stress, lowering blood pressure and decreasing inflammation