Red is delicious and good to your heart

This is the month to write about the color red. Why? Because Valentine's Day is coming. Because red is the color of love. You disagree? That's ok. We don't look at color with the same eyes. But one thing we can agree. It's about the food and plants we eat. Plants like apples, strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, peppers, and pomegranates are often colored by forms of carotenoids, red pigments. One can usually identify a strawberry by its red flesh. Strawberries look like a fruity heart-shaped valentine! They are filled with unusual phytonutrients that make them a heart-protective fruit.

Red raspberry is most often the source of ellagic acid. This substance found naturally in raspberries belongs to the family of phytonutrients called tannins, and it is viewed as being responsible for a good portion of the antioxidant activity of berries.

Cranberries are rich in antioxidants that are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA.

Meat gets its color from the iron found in the myoglobin and hemoglobin in the muscles and residual blood.

Red wine it's heart-healthy, it stands up to full-flavored and full-bodied foods, it makes dining more interesting. Red wines can be plumy, or jammy, peppery or spicy. It is the grape skins that are responsible for the red wine's distinct color spectrum. The skins are in contact with the grape's juice during the fermentation process, allowing the dispersion of both color and tannins. A moderate amount of red wine lowers the risk of heart attack and can raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) from forming.

One way to celebrate Valentine's Day is to organize a good dinner. Or even a party. Or maybe go out to a special restaurant if you hate cooking like I do! Either way, when returning home you can always get some delicious chocolates and homemade cookies on a colorful melamine plate and a couple of good expresso mugs with hot coffee inside...Then find a nice placemat to cover that tray and take it all to your special place in the house. Get a nice movie. Romantic or not. And enjoy some time together! (Probably that's what I'll do myself!)

Here are some ideas for Valentine's Day. Melamine plates to fill with tasty cookies, chocolates, fruits, or whatever you like; colorful Expresso mugs also from Zazzle. And some placemats you can use on your Valentine's dinner table or on your favorite tray.  You don't have a tray? You can always improvise. Just get a Zazzle placemate on top of it and you're ready to go. All these suggestions can be found at Zazzle's marketplace. Just click on each product and learn more about it. 

All Valentine's Day objects in this post were inspired by the color red. A couple of nice things we can display in our kitchens or dining rooms, why not? Let's celebrate love and passion just for one day or every day!

Happy Valentine's Day 3 Plate by Ronspassionfordesign
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Happy Valentine's Day 7 Plate by Ronspassionfordesign
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Vintage white and red roses party plates by Silvianna
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Hearts Explosion Plate by Perzpektiba
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Red hearts Espresso Mug by Silvianna
Design unique personalized mugs for kids online at zazzle.com

Vintage white and red roses espresso mug by Silvianna
Create one-of-a-kind custom coffee cups at Zazzle.

I Love U! On Poppy Red Background Pattern Place Mats by eprocentteam
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Placemat love's present background by Medusa81
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Happy Valentines Day Placemat by bonfirevalentines
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Hearts Place Mats by valentinesgirl
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Floral heart in red with a name place mat by Silvianna
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Red hearts placemat by Silvianna
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Vintage white and red roses place mats by Silvianna
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Hearts Big Explosion Place Mats by Perzpektiba
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Hearts, Hearts, and More Hearts Place Mat by fstasu61
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Red Hearts for Valentine's Day Place Mats by susanmossart
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Pitchfork Devil Love Placemats by holidayme
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Happy Valentine's Day! Red Hearts Place Mat by ZuzusFunHouse
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Happy Valentine's Day! Teddy Bear Place Mat by ZuzusFunHouse
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