{"id":7660,"date":"2026-02-14T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7660"},"modified":"2026-02-14T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:30:00","slug":"a-healthier-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7660","title":{"rendered":"A healthier Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-02-14T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A home cooked meal with a rich, chocolatey dessert<\/h2>\n<p>Valentine\u2019s Day\u00a0brings thoughts of\u00a0love,\u00a0happy endings and chocolate.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0easy to find greeting cards with sentimental messages, romantic comedies\u00a0on TV, and of course\u00a0heart-shaped boxes of\u00a0chocolates.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As you think about how\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0celebrate Valentine\u2019s,\u00a0consider avoiding\u00a0the\u00a0fancy\u00a0dinner reservation to make\u00a0a delicious meal at home.\u00a0You\u2019ll\u00a0save money\u00a0and reduce\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Search\/3,84241\" rel=\"noopener\">saturated fat<\/a>, sodium\u00a0(salt) and calories.\u00a0Plus,\u00a0a home-cooked meal\u00a0makes\u00a0your\u00a0special someone feel\u00a0even\u00a0more special.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Healthy\u00a0Valentine\u2019s\u00a0Day\u00a0tips<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make\u00a0your own meal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Add colorful\u00a0fruits and vegetables.\u00a0These\u00a0provide\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Search\/3,83063\" rel=\"noopener\">fiber<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0helps\u00a0control\u00a0blood glucose\u00a0(sugar),\u00a0manage\u00a0weight\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9925120\/\" rel=\"noopener\">lower cholesterol<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Choose dark\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Recipes\/Desserts\/Chocolate-Based.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">chocolate\u00a0for\u00a0dessert<\/a>.\u00a0Dark chocolate is\u00a0healthier for\u00a0heart and gut\u00a0health\u00a0compared to\u00a0milk chocolate.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0also\u00a0rich in antioxidants and minerals.\u00a0Choose\u00a070% cocoa\u00a0or higher\u00a0for more\u00a0health benefits.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sample\u00a0menu<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/MainDishes\/Braised-cod-and-Green-Beans-with-Pesto-APR2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Braised cod and green\u00a0beans with pesto<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/SideDishes\/Bright-Beet-and-Orange-SaladOCT2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Bright\u00a0beet and\u00a0orange\u00a0salad<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/Desserts\/FlourlessBlackBeanBrowniesNOV2022.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Flourless\u00a0black\u00a0bean\u00a0brownies<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By\u00a0cooking at home,\u00a0you\u00a0can\u00a0create a tasty,\u00a0healthy\u00a0meal\u00a0and\u00a0stay\u00a0on track with your\u00a0New\u00a0Year\u2019s\u00a0health\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Search\/142,71754_VA\" rel=\"noopener\">goals<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>VA\u00a0offers\u00a0resources\u00a0like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Recipes.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">recipes, cookbooks and cooking videos<\/a>.\u00a0VA also\u00a0provides\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Healthy_Teaching_Kitchen.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Healthy Teaching Kitchen<\/a>\u00a0(HTK)\u00a0classes\u00a0to\u00a0learn\u00a0healthy\u00a0cooking\u00a0methods.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For\u00a0more\u00a0information on heart-healthy choices for Valentine\u2019s Day, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/45059\/va-dietitian-offers-heart-healthy-choices-valentines-day\/\">check out VA News for more<\/a>. For more information on any\u00a0nutrition\u00a0topic, contact your local VA to speak\u00a0with\u00a0a registered dietitian.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/145042\/a-healthier-valentines-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Small swaps for your Valentine\u2019s celebration can have a big impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A healthier Valentine\u2019s Day - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Small swaps for your Valentine\u2019s celebration can have a big impact.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7660\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A healthier Valentine\u2019s Day - 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