By Abra Pappa for Nutritious America.com

We are just days away from Valentine’s Day, which means buckets of chocolates and red roses to symbolize the ubiquitous love fest that is February 14th are being snatched up across the globe. Roses and chocolates are nice, but what if I told you there is one food that you could add to your diet today to get you revved up for the best night of your life on February 14th? I am talking about a great night, a long amazing night…. okay, I’ll just say it…. a night of great SEX!

I am always fascinated by the extreme power of food, not just because it can be delicious and healthy, but because food, certain foods, have the power to be medicinal. These foods are called superfoods, and they truly straddle the line between being a food and a powerful medicinal compound.

The superfood that I am talking about here is called maca, and it is thought of as nature’s version of Viagra.

Maca has been used for thousands of years as a staple food in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It is a root vegetable that resembles a radish. You will find it dried and ground into a powder in most natural markets across the country, but before you run out and chow down on an entire bag… listen up, there are guidelines.

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Celebrated as the month of love, February can be a little sad for those who are without a special someone. Valentine’s Day, with all of its commercial grandeur and hype, doesn’t have to be a let down if you’re alone. No one else but you is required to feel love.

Several thousand years ago, Rumi, a Sufi poet and mystic, penned the beautiful verse, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Love is abundant. You don’t need much to feel it. All you need is an open heart and the remembrance that love is everywhere.

Aside from the many health benefits of yoga, we are also encouraged to be open to the enchantment that lies within when we practice. In other words, yoga helps us to dismantle those barriers that keep us from experiencing love.

The following suggestions will help you realign with love. They are not necessarily for couples, spouses or partners; they are for anyone wanting to rekindle a love affair with life.

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By Dana Shultz of My Little Celebration

Question: How do you make Valentine’s Day even sexier than it already is? Easy. Make it vegan. Because nothing says sexy like healthy, and vegans know all about that.  

Vegans not only enjoy countless health benefits from their diet – like lowered risk of heart disease and a trim figure – but they also save cows left and right and promote fair treatment of all animals in the process. Does it get any sexier than that? I think not.

And the best part? Going vegan doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s as simple as finding ingredients that don’t contain animal products to substitute into your favorite recipes, like flaxseed for eggs, soy milk for cow milk, and vegan butter for real butter.

Needing some recipe inspiration to get you started? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered for Valentine’s Day – morning, noon and night.

View our slideshow to see recipes for Vegan Black Bean Brownie Pancakes, Vegan Peanut Stew, and more!

Millions of people are planning on buying, giving and eating chocolate in celebration of love on Valentine’s Day. This time of year means big sales for chocolate companies. If you are interested in buying chocolate that supports fair labor standards, as well as those that do not harm the environment or your body, make sure you are well educated as to where your chocolate comes from and how it was harvested.

Of the many types and varieties of chocolate on the market, not all adhere to certifiable fair trade standards, which means there is little concern about the environment or the people who work hard to bring your sweet treat to a store near you. Those that do however will display the words Fair Trade on their labeling, making it easy for the consumer to be aware that they have kept up with the requirements necessary to be certified fair trade.

One notable chocolate manufacturing company that does not flaunt a fair trade certification, however surpassed fair trade standards and brought their harvesting and processing techniques to a remarkably high level of ideals. Kallari, the only line of world-class, certified organic dark chocolate is operated by an indigenous cooperative of organic cocoa growers who gain 100% of the profits for which they work so hard.

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Valentine’s Day is here and for the nearly 26 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, finding a diabetes-friendly Valentine’s Day treat can be a challenge. If you or a loved one has diabetes, you might have assumed you’d have to forgo dessert this Valentine’s Day. While there are plenty of low-and no-sugar dessert options out there, it can be difficult to find replicas of your traditional favorite recipes for holidays.

The good news is that diabetes-friendly menu items can be delicious– they’re just generally lower in sodium, carbohydrates, saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher in fiber compared with other dishes. Of course, everyone, regardless of whether or not they have diabetes, should watch portion sizes and stick to one serving – even if it is a special holiday.

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