“Get some pickled beets,” said my husband, Jim, as I was leaving for the grocery store. Our doctor recommended we add beets to our diet along with fermented foods. Jim figured why not let the beets do double duty? While I can find one brand without corn syrup, the pickings are slim. “Can we get some mason jars and pickle them ourselves?” he asked me. What perfect timing, we have an article on fermenting foods in this month’s issue!

“Fermentation transforms the nutrients in food in several ways. In a process known as predigestion, it breaks macronutrients down into more digestible forms (think proteins turned into amino acids) and renders minerals more bioavailable,” says Sandor Katz, author of several bestselling books on fermentation, in Fermenting for Foodies: Preserving Food and Traditions  [page 26]. Fermented foods have been associated with lower risk of heart disease, plus I’m a huge fan of pickles, so this works for me on multiple levels.

 In The Heart-Mind Connection we explore how thoughts and emotions affect our heart health [page 22]. Author Ronica O’Hara explains that the research on how emotions impact the physical heart is so vast and compelling that last year, the American Heart Association issued a statement urging that psychological factors be taken into account in cardiovascular care. Most of us know we need to exercise and eat well, but now we can prioritize hugs and laughing too.

This month’s issue is packed with love-themed articles. Explore how to help kids discover positive behaviors [page 30]. Discover how sex and intimacy can be a healing force to reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, manage pain and improve brain health in Truly Making Love: Sex and Intimacy as a Healing Force [page 32]. Owning a dog can make us more likely to survive a heart attack, so consider Fostering Love: Tips for First-Time Pet Foster Parents   [page 20]. And find out what David Perlmutter says about the role of uric acid in metabolic health [page 34]. During this month of love, I hope you find inspiration in these pages to keep your “muscle that pumps love” healthy and strong!

 Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher