March 7, 2024
In Barbra Streisand’s new autobiography, the iconic diva details the painful relationship she had with her emotionally unavailable mother, writing, “I realize my mother did show love, in some ways. Love, to her, was giving me food.”
Indeed, for many – even the tougher types – food is an expression of love. The old adage, “The quickest way to one’s heart is through their stomach,” makes a valid point.
Why Is Food Linked to Love?
By far, candies and sweets are the most common Valentine’s Day gifts in the United States. Valentine’s Day is also the second most popular day to dine out with a loved one(s), falling closely behind Mother’s Day.
According to a poll by NPR and others, more than a quarter of American families consider food a vital way to show love and affection. Gifts of food are also tangible signs of care and concern for others. Think meal trains for someone who is sick or casseroles given to those grieving a loved one.
Behind the “warm fuzzies” associated with food is actual science.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the social importance of food came to be about two million years ago when early humans began hunting big game and sharing it with others. Our brains became wired to remember events when we were fed, and by whom, forming the first connections between food and positive social experiences.
Fast forward to a study of several hundred college students out of the National University of Singapore that found romantic love makes foods taste sweeter – even things completely devoid of sugar, like water. This is because the neural circuitry activated in feelings of love is the same as the sensory perception of sweetness. Quite literally, love makes everything sweeter!
What’s more, while the “feel good” hormone serotonin is most commonly associated with the brain, one study revealed that the stomach actually contains 95% of the body’s supply of it. The study also found that the gut sends about 400 more messages to the brain than the brain sends to the gut.
The Mind-Gut Connection
Western medicine is finally catching up to what ancient healing traditions have long understood – there is an indisputable biological link between mind and body, particularly the brain and the gastrointestinal system. (Some maintain that we have three brains: the head brain, the heart brain and the gut brain.)
The billions upon billions of microorganisms (microbiome) living inside each of us are in constant communication with one another in an interrelated system that governs what we feel, think and, ultimately, how happy and healthy we are.
Much has been written about the benefits of a largely plant-based diet, the dangers of sugars and processed foods, balancing the microbiome with fermented foods and probiotics and the role of detoxification and nutrition absorption. But suffice it to say here that just as a healthy mind begets a healthier gut, so does a healthy gut make for a healthier brain.
Heart-Healthy Foods Everyone Will Love
No discussion about food and love should bypass that miraculous pumping machine at the heart of it all. The statistics on heart disease and stroke are sobering indeed. On average, someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds in the U.S., and heart disease is the number one killer of women in America.
This Valentine’s Day, consider these heart-conscious alternatives to bow-tied boxes of sugar:
- Dark chocolate is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, and studies have also shown that it lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate because it’s lower in sugar and fat, has fewer added ingredients, and you can still get all wrapped up in a sweet treat for your Valentine!
- Strawberries are another favorite on Valentine’s Day, namely for their heart-shaped, juicy-red succulence. But did you know that strawberries also improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin and may lower triglycerides as well as LDL (“bad”) cholesterol? Dip them in melted dark chocolate for a doubly love-ly treat!
- Blueberries are a “super food” for heart health, packed with antioxidants that protect us from free radicals and high LDL cholesterol. In fact, one study showed that just two ounces of freeze-dried blueberries a day lowered LDL oxidation by a whopping 28% person in people with obesity. Blueberries are also naturally low in calories and super tasty.
- Red wine graces many a Valentine’s table, but there’s more to love than its rich ruby color and earthy taste. The antioxidant resveratrol and catechins in red wine help protect artery walls, boost HDL (“good”) cholesterol and prevent blood clots. Limit consumption to a glass a day for women and two for men, as too much alcohol is harmful to the heart.
- Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which regulate the contraction and relaxation of the artery walls and may lower inflammation. While pink salmon is a great choice for Valentine’s Day, other good sources of omega-3s are white tuna, mackerel, lake trout, sardines, anchovies and herring.
- Nuts and seeds. Ditch the chips and reach for almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans or hazelnuts, all rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Seeds, particularly sunflower seeds, are packed with niacin and vitamins B3 and B5, nutrients that reduce bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
- Oranges are not only sweet, juicy and low in calories, they’re high in pectin, a fiber that fights cholesterol. What’s more, the potassium in oranges helps control blood pressure.
- Cherries are a favorite Valentine’s treat, especially the dark chocolate-covered kind. What’s more to love about them is that they’re loaded with anthocyanins (antioxidants that help protect blood vessels), high in potassium, low in sodium, and can help lower blood pressure and risk of heart disease.
- Dark, leafy greens are chock-full of vitamins and nutrients and high in nitrates, which help open blood vessels to let oxygen-rich blood reach the heart. Good choices are kale, spinach, bok choy, arugula, Swiss chard, mustard greens and romaine lettuce.
- Low-fat, low-sodium cheeses such as cottage cheese, ricotta, parmesan, feta and goat cheese can help lower blood pressure and protect blood vessels.
- Whole grains. The benefits of whole grain foods are many, including healthy cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and weight. Whole grain foods can also lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions.
- Sweet Potatoes. Despite the name, sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes (but they do taste sweeter!), and they’re also high in potassium. Potassium intake promotes the excretion of sodium, which lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.
Not Since 1945
Valentine’s Day is unique this year in that it also falls on Ash Wednesday, which hasn’t happened since 1945. And while not all Quakers (whose values form the framework of Kendal at Lathrop) engage in the practice of fasting or giving things up during Lent, it is worth highlighting the concurrence of a day that celebrates love with a day that brings many closer to God.
Underlying each of the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship is love…love for God, Earth and one another in all our unique and diverse manifestations.
What’s not to love about that?
Come discover all there is to love about Lathrop. Contact us for a tour today!