Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – but you can stay healthy this year and forgo the beautifully wrapped chocolates and sweets.
This Valentine’s Day give the gift of health - and healthy eating. Prepare yourself and your Valentine a delicious, healthy meal that’s based on blood type and can help revive and renew – naturally.
Not sure about your Valentine’s blood type?
No problem. Here are some basic guidelines for a healthy Valentine’s Day dinner -- ideal for most Blood Types -- from the D’Adamo Institute the originators of Blood Type Diet by Dr. James D’Adamo.
Specifically, Type O Blood Types should have the high-protein portions, while Type A's should stay on the vegetarian based menu.
Follow these simple cooking and eating tips for all blood types:
- Use olive oil for cooking
- Bake or steam your vegetables and fish – never fry them
- Don't use Teflon – use stainless steel cooking pots and utensils
- Try not to mix proteins with starches – it causes bloating
- Try to eat organic whenever possible
- Eat a protein snack between meals to maintain blood sugar
A five-course Valentine’s Day Dinner menu – fit for all blood types.
Appetizer
- Roasted garlic has a lovely presentation and surprisingly very sweet on a rice cracker to start off your meal.
Soup
- Use fresh vegetables -- a vegetable broth can go a long way.
The vegetable soup can be prepared in advance for easy heat-and-serve on Valentine’s Day. You can also use the broth of the soup when sautéing, poaching and steaming. Just use the soup in place of water.
Salad
- Use fresh lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, flax seeds, almonds
For dressing add olive oil, lemon, and cilantro. Pesto diluted with oil and a squeeze of lemon is a perfect drizzle.
- Cheeses: prepare a tray of Feta, goat, mozzarella, ricotta cheeses with rice crackers.
Entrees
While it is easiest to prepare when you know your guests blood type, it’s not impossible to prepare a wonderful healthy meal without knowing the blood types. If you’re not of the blood types -- broiled fish, roasted turkey and lamb are acceptable for all blood types.
If you happen to know then the following list might provide more options.
Best for Type O Blood Types
- Meats -- Choose from beef, buffalo, ostrich, turkey or veal
- Fish: salmon, Cod, Haddock, Orange roughy
Farm raised fish is not desirable, wild is preferred.
Best for Type A Blood Types
- Vegetables/Legumes
- Tofu
- Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes (white, blue, red), sweet potatoes
- Peas, beans, lentils
Drinks
- Juices: freshly squeezed and refrigerated in glass jars before serving will keep the juice fresh and ready to serve. Choose from apricot, black cherry, blueberry, cranberry, carrot, celery
If you opt for an alcoholic beverage, select an expensive red wine. Those typically have the least amount of tannins and if it’s occasional why not treat yourself!
Dessert
- Fruits:
A large tray of cranberries, grapefruit, lemons, limes, pineapple, pomegranates, raspberries and strawberries is ideal.
Homemade Fruit leathers/rollups are great for kids and kids at heart. Super easy to make and much healthier option to the packaged ones sold in supermarkets.
Use a cookie cutter, cut out heart shapes and add to the mixed fresh fruit salad.
Granola type bars/balls sweetened with fruit – and cut out into hearts make a great Valentine’s Day treat.
Extend your Valentine’s Day healthy eating habits to the rest of the year with Dr. James D’Adamo’s 2010 released book “Just an Ounce of Prevention … is Worth a Pound of Cure” and other books which offer chapters of healthy recipes and menus.
Happy “Healthy” Valentine’s Day.
