Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which means romance, gifts and lots of sweet treats. It can be a hard holiday to navigate when you’re on a diet.
We sat down with a local dietician to talk about how to feel good about enjoying a sweet treat like chocolate this Valentine’s Day.
“So I truly believe that everyone should be able to enjoy chocolate if it’s something that you like, it’s something that I would kind of categorize as a fun food in my mind where it’s something that it does have some potentially positive health benefits, but most people are choosing to eat it because it tastes good and we like it,” said Emily Myers, a nutritionist at Virginia Tech.
Chocolate has beneficial minerals and antioxidants but watch out for sugar and fat.
Enjoy treats in moderation, listen to your body, and don’t feel guilty about indulging.
“I like the phrase ‘the body likes averages,’ so our bodies can handle a celebratory meal, an exciting holiday and things like that,” Myers said. “And it’s okay to indulge and enjoy things like this.”
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Keeping a more neutral mindset around foods can help normalize our relationship with food and curb cravings.
It is important to keep a balanced diet and remember that it is okay to indulge from time to time for holidays.
