A Romantic, Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day Meal

My husband and I used to celebrate Valentine's Day with gifts and a special meal out, but these days the holiday has taken on more of a family feel. The kids get the gifts now, and instead of heading out for a fancy dinner this February 14, we'll tuck them in and then I'll make us a "date night" dinner at home. It will be both sexy and great for our tickers. Another benefit to cooking your own Valentine's dinner? You'll save mega bucks, and that's always good for a healthy bottom line.

Start With a Sexy Salad

A salad with sex appeal? Yes, it can be done! My husband isn't a huge fan of leafy greens, but if I mix them up with other goodies, I can get him to dig in. This year I'll toss some baby spinach with sliced strawberries and diced avocado. The spinach is a rich source of folate, which plays a role in heart health by breaking down homocysteine. Too much of this amino acid can lead to atherosclerosis. Sweet, juicy strawberries are loaded with the antioxidant vitamin C (one cup has 89 milligrams), and they also add a vibrant shot of red. Creamy avocado packs heart-loving monounsaturated fats, plus potassium, which is essential for healthy blood pressure. I'll dress it all with a light mix of extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, orange zest, and a touch of agave nectar.

The Main Event

Nothing kills a romantic mood faster than a heavy dinner, so I like to keep things light, and that usually means serving seafood. While oysters are the king of zinc—the mineral that's touted for boosting libido—they are not necessarily the easiest things to serve at home. Instead, I like sautéing scallops or large peeled shrimp (just two to three minutes per side) in a hot, oiled pan. Season them with salt and pepper, sauté, and then serve over fresh pappardelle with a bit of lemon juice and freshly chopped parsley, and you have a satisfying meal that still leaves plenty of room for dessert.

Getting Warmer

Now we're getting to the really good stuff. You know what I'm talking about—chocolate! Rich in heart-protective flavonols, dark chocolate has been shown to help lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease. While chocolate does contain some saturated fat, it's comprised mostly of stearic acid, and unlike most saturated fats, it doesn't increase your cholesterol levels. And perhaps even more importantly on Valentine's Day, chocolate boosts your level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps boost mood and increases sexual desire. How's that for getting your sexy back?

This year, go beyond a box of chocolates and heat things up with chocolate fondue. You and your sweetie will have fun dipping fresh mango (a good source of fiber), sliced banana (lots of potassium), marshmallows (look for the handcrafted variety), and, if you really want to be decadent, shortbread, into rich, molten chocolate.

Start with a bar or chunks of chocolate that have at least 62 percent cacao (check the package). Then warm it in the top of a double boiler until it's melted. If you don't have a double boiler, place a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and place the chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally until it's smooth. Stand the mango on a cutting board with the stem end down, then slice it with your knife about ¼-inch from the center, down both sides of the pit that runs through the center. This will give you two mango "cheeks," which you can then make parallel slices in (be careful not to cut through the skin) before scooping them out with a spoon. The banana can simply be peeled and sliced into rounds.

If you don't have a fondue set (we don't), you can pour the liquid chocolate into two small bowls and serve the fruit and other goodies in another bowl. Then use wooden skewers, like the kind used for grilling, to dip your fruit into the chocolate. A-ma-zing!

And of course, a romantic dinner wouldn't be complete without some bubbly. I love the sparkling wine from California's Schramsberg winery, but a nice bottle of cava or prosecco is generally cheaper and just as celebratory.

Whether you're toasting to a love that's new or tried and true, or just kicking it with some friends, I hope you have a delicious Valentine's Day.

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, is a best-selling author and nationally recognized health expert, and the former Food and Nutrition Director at Health magazine for nearly eight years. Prior to that, she was part of the editorial team at the Discovery Health Channel and was managing editor at FoodFit.com. Frances is the author of Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide and co-author of the best-selling The CarbLovers Diet and The CarbLovers Diet Cookbook. Frances earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and completed her dietetic internship at Columbia University in New York.

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When Science Met The Biggest Loser

It's NBC's Monday night television juggernaut and the guilty pleasure of over 7 million viewers. Now in its 14th season, The Biggest Loser is a an industry unto itself, with a 2009 estimate by the New York Times pegging its worth at $100 million in annual revenue.

Viewers tuning in week after week can watch as Americans with severe obesity are routinely yelled at, exercised until they vomit, injured, weighed nearly naked on a giant scale, and seemingly taught that the numbers on that scale measure not only their weight, but also their self-worth and represent the only true value of their health and success.

[See Are You Exercising for the Right Reasons?]

Consequent perhaps to the show's immense popularity and polarizing approach, The Biggest Loser has led to the publication of a number of peer-reviewed medical studies that look at its impact on both the participants and the viewers. Their results are anything but pretty.

Two studies have been conducted that examine how watching The Biggest Loser affects viewers' attitudes towards those with obesity. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the apparent tenor of the show—that obesity is a consequence of personal laziness and gluttony—the first study, published in the journal Obesity, showed that watching even a single episode of The Biggest Loser led viewers to dramatically increase their own hateful and negative biases towards those with obesity.

[See How to Spot and Stop Bullying]

This result may be explicable on the basis of the second study, published in the journal Health Communication, which found that watching The Biggest Loser led viewers to be much more likely to believe that weight is well within an individual's locus of personal control. And, of course, that message echoes the show's­—that if you just want it badly enough, you can make it happen.The corollary is that if you don't make it happen, you must simply be lazy, which in turn may explain the increase seen in viewers' weight biases.

[See We're Not Fat Because We're Lazy]

Interestingly, those same viewers who, consequent to the show, might attribute being overweight to laziness, were reported to be less inclined (go figure) to want to exercise or expect it to be enjoyable after watching a 7.5 minute workout on the show, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Health Behavior. "People are screaming and crying and throwing up, and if you’re not a regular exerciser you might think this is what exercise is—that it’s this horrible experience where you have to push yourself to the extremes and the limits, which is completely wrong," said the study's lead author Tanya Berry of the University of Alberta.

And what of the participants? Will being on The Biggest Loser change their lives forever? According to a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the answer is yes, but perhaps for the worse. The researchers, including the show's own Robert Huizenga, looked at the metabolisms of participants following the completion of their first seven months with The Biggest Loser. As expected, due to weight loss and an effect broadly referred to as "metabolic adaptation," the participants' burned fewer calories at rest following their massive weight losses.

What wasn't expected was the the magnitude of that decrease; researchers found that participants metabolisms slowed by an average of 504 more calories than would have been expected simply as a consequence of losing weight. In other words, participants' metabolisms slowed down to a much greater degree than was predicted. In turn, this suggests that the show's approach to weight loss may have risks unto itself and led the researchers to state: "Unfortunately, fat free mass preservation did not prevent the slowing of metabolic rate during active weight loss, which may predispose to weight regain unless the participants maintain high levels of physical activity or significant caloric restriction."

This may explain why, when I interviewed three alumni of the TV show, they reported that 85 to 90 percent of participants regain most, if not all, of the weight that they lose, and that those who keep it off are generally the participants who have turned their losses into careers as personal trainers or motivational speakers.

Ultimately the current state of the evidence on the phenomenon known as The Biggest Loser is far from flattering. It suggests that the show may be detrimental to both viewers and participants in that its combination of derision, personal blame, and extremes of exercise and dieting fuel societal weight bias while simultaneously discouraging people from exercising. Meanwhile, for participants, it seems to disproportionately slow down their metabolisms to the point where they're burning a full meal fewer calories than would be expected by their losses.

[See Why We're So Fat: What's Behind the Latest Obesity Rates]

If you're a regular viewer here's my suggestion. Instead of spending two hours a week watching The Biggest Loser, why not use that same amount of time to ensure you pack your lunch for work each and every day and take three 20-minute walks a week with a friend or a loved one. No doubt the impact of those behaviors will be far more valuable and positive to your mental and physical well-being than watching a show that science suggests may be doing more harm than good.

[See 7 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Yoni Freedhoff, MD, is an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, where he's the founder and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute—dedicated to non-surgical weight management since 2004. Dr. Freedhoff sounds off daily on his award-winning blog, Weighty Matters, and is also easily reachable on Twitter. Dr. Freedhoff's latest book Why Diets Fail and How to Make Yours Work will be published by Random House’s Crown/Harmony in 2014.

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How to Choose a Healthy Slice of Pizza

Why do so many of my patients avoid pizza if they're trying to lose weight and eat healthfully? Pizza gets a bad rap. Instead of looking at pizza as a high-calorie, fat-loaded diet disaster, let's think of it as a nutrient opportunity—one that's rich in fiber, calcium, and protein. Of course, not every pizza is made to be nutritious, so to reap these benefits, choose your slice wisely:

Crust. If it's an option, go for a whole-wheat, thin crust. At all costs, avoid crusts that are cheese-filled or deep-dish.

Toppings. Any veggie is a good call. Try tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, and peppers. If you choose eggplant, make sure it's not breaded and fried. Do yourself a big favor and skip the pepperoni, meatballs and sausage, as these are often the culprits for extra fat and calories. If you really want meat on your pizza, ask for chicken.

[See 7 Reasons to Chose a Plant-Based Diet]

Cheese. Say no to extra cheese, and even ask for less of it, considering that cheese is another source of fat and calories. Or order your pizza without any cheese, and then sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan on top. If the idea of cheese-skimpy pizza seems blasphemous, order your pie with ricotta instead of mozzarella to halve your calories.

Blotting. To blot or not to blot—that is the question. And it's an elusive question at that; I have never been able to find any scientific research to confirm the number of calories you save from blotting your slice with a napkin. However, if your pizza looks very oily, it wouldn't hurt to try.

Portion. This is the big issue. A typical slice is about 300 calories—definitely within range for the average person's lunch—but it's that second or third slice that can spoil your diet. As we mentioned before, load that piece of pizza with fiber-rich veggies, which will fill you up and hopefully keep you from reaching for extra helpings. A side salad, too, may help you manage those second-slice cravings. Favor the 6-inch personal pies over individual slices? Beware: A single personal pie does not equal a single serving—more like two.

[See That Which We Call a Snack]

Beverage. Beer and soda may be the go-to drinks to pair with pizza, but if you're trying to watch your weight and eat healthfully, you might want to rethink the norm. Water, hands down, is the best way to go.

Homemade. As with many other dishes, making your own pizza can be the healthiest choice. You can easily control how much cheese to add, as well as the cheese variety. And if you crave the pepperoni and sausage, try a meatless soy-based brand. Instead of buying dough or pre-made crusts, try a 100 percent whole-wheat pita, English muffin, or tortilla. These bread options are ideal for portion control and roughly reflect individual servings.

Bottom line. If all you want is a regular slice of pizza, then go for it. Three hundred calories is not a big deal as long as you can stick to one slice. So, do yourself a favor and stop thinking of pizza as a forbidden food, but rather one with lots of possibilities.

[See Food and Beverages Nutrition Experts Avoid]

Keri Gans, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian, media personality, spokesperson, and author of The Small Change Diet. Gans's expert nutrition advice has been featured in Glamour, Fitness, Health, Self and Shape, and on national television and radio, including The Dr. Oz Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, Primetime, and Sirius/XM Dr. Radio.

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Cook Up Some Family Fun on Valentine's Day

Once upon a time, Valentine's Day wasn't solely for significant others. Think back to your early school days—come on, it wasn't that long ago—when we were told to make every classmate a valentine. Perhaps our teachers were onto something, because although Valentine's Day is often associated with romance and gifts of heart shaped chocolates, roses, and jewelry, it's more or less just a day to celebrate love. That can mean love for a special someone in your life, as well as love for a friend, or even your dog! Yes, all those gifts are great, but the Valentines from my kids are what really melt my heart.

We try to show love for one another every day, so February 14 is really not so different. But, I like to use the day as an excuse for some fun-filled family time in the kitchen, which is so much more than a room for cooking. For my family, it's where I teach my children about healthful foods, where my little Picassos get to work, and where we create all sorts of goofy memories—and our Valentine's Day plans reflect just that!

[Read A Romantic, Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day Meal]

Valentine's Day is a great time to see your kids' artistic sides. Grab old magazines, markers, and construction paper, and let your kids express whatever they love most on a homemade placemat. My kids often color as I cook and can usually create a disposable placemat in the time it takes to flip a pancake.

To get into the Cupid spirit, we'll be having a heart-y breakfast with foods that are naturally sweet and colorful, with no need for red or pink food coloring. What's on the menu? Heart-shaped, whole-wheat pancakes with a berry yogurt topper and dark chocolate-covered strawberries. Your children will enjoy these indulgences without knowing just how good for them they are, as they're loaded with B vitamins and antioxidants. We may even continue to play on the heart theme by having a conversation about heart-healthy foods. My children will probably roll their eyes and say, "Not again, Mom," but hey, sometimes the dietitian mom in me just can't help it. One day they'll thank me, and so will their hearts!

Whole-Wheat Pancakes (Serves 4)

? ½ cup + 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

? ½ tablespoon brown sugar

? 1 tablespoon applesauce

? ½ cup + 1 tablespoon milk

? ¾ teaspoon baking powder

? Pinch of salt

Berry Yogurt Topper

? 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt

? ½ cup strawberries, sliced

? ½ cup raspberries

Directions

1. Mix all the pancake ingredients together

2. Heat frying pan and use cooking spray to cover pan

3. Ladle batter into pan

4. While the pancakes are cooking, combine all the berry yogurt topper ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth

5. Before serving, use cookie cutter to cut pancakes into hearts

6. Serve with berry yogurt topping

[See Greek Yogurt Vs. Regular Yogurt: Which Is More Healthful?]

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries (Serves 4)

? 2 ½ ounces dark chocolate

? 12 strawberries

? ¼ cup chopped nuts

? ¼ cup shredded coconut

Directions

1. Melt dark chocolate by placing in a microwave-safe bowl and checking chocolate after 30 second intervals. Make sure not to burn it!

2. Once chocolate is melted, dip strawberries in melted chocolate.

3. If you want to add a topping, let chocolate sit on the strawberry for about 30 seconds, then roll strawberry in nuts, or sprinkle coconut, or both if you're feeling wild.

4. Let chocolate set and cool for at least 30 minutes.

[See 10 Healthy Desserts—and They're Tasty, Too]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN , is the founder and president of Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City, and Nutritious Life Meals, a gourmet, healthy, daily diet delivery program available across the country. She is a member of Women's Health Magazine's advisory board and has authored Slim Calm Sexy Diet, The O2 Diet, and The Snack Factor Diet. Her fourth book, The New You and Improved Diet, will be released in December. Her expertise is regularly featured on the Today show, Good Morning America, and Access Hollywood Live, among others, and she hosts "A Little Bit Better" on YouTube's Livestrong Woman channel. Read more of Keri's tips every day on Facebook!

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