Your relationship with food may be directly related to your relationship with others, including, and possibly primarily, your relationship with your parents. Infants learn that the world is safe and form bonds with caretakers by having their needs met consistently and promptly. These needs are sleep, comfort, cleanliness, and food. It is the first way that we experience love, caring, and by extension personal value.

When a child’s basic needs are not met consistently and lovingly, a child may develop an attachment disorder. Deborah Klinger, wrote on the Good Therapy blog, “Eating is inextricably entwined with being fed, nurtured, protected and loved.” I am sure I am not the only one with a grandmother (and a mother and aunts) who still nurture and express love, at least partially, through food.

As we move into the new year with many focuses shifting to dieting and calorie counting, I wanted to make sure that you take the time to focus on one very important, often overlooked, area.

Vitamin L is probably not a vitamin you have heard of before. The reason for this is vitamin L is not a vitamin you can get through eating the right foods or from taking capsules. You can’t get vitamin L from the sun’s beautiful rays. Vitamin L stands for “love” and is equally important in our health and well being as the vitamins our bodies need to function.

If all of the skinny-minnies on the Bachelor have you feeling like there is no hope for an averaged-sized single guy or gal like yourself to find true love, think again. Fox network is just about to start  casting contestants for its new dating reality show “More to Love.”

Women who aren’t as glitzy and tiny as the Bachelorette hopefuls will vie for one man, who is being labeled as a “Kevin James type,” by going on extravagant dates. One new category that is being added is having contestants undergo a makeover, but not the physical kind. Instead, producers of More to Love want to send the message to viewers as well as the contestants that you don’t have to be a size 2 to find love. Producers are adamant that the women will not skinny down in order to make them more enticing to their potential suitor.

Imagine falling in love with someone who speaks a language in which you are not fluent or do not understand. How would you share and communicate about important subjects? How would you communicate your love? Consider the stereotype of the person that speaks more loudly when trying to communicate to someone who does not share a common language. It does not matter how loudly you speak Tagalog, I will not understand what you are trying to say with only your words. Gary Chapman, author of “The Five Love Languages,” has written a very popular series of books based on the idea of five basic ways that we communicate love with others. We use these languages to communicate caring and affection for everyone in our lives, partners, family, and friends.

Instead of the usual dinner out this Valentine’s day, try some more physical and healthy ways to show your lover how much you care. Here are some ideas:

• In place of chocolate, try those newer fruit basket assortments. Or some delicious assorted nut boxes (avoid the chocolate and/or candy covered ones).

• Plan a picnic (weather permitting) where you can enjoy a romantic sunset while taking a stroll and burning a few calories.