7 Sites That Need to be on Your Web Radar

We are living in a world of information overload these days so how do you know which websites and newsletters are worth your time? After scouring the e-world, I put together a list of my favorite online destinations that are perfect for fashion and lifestyle junkies.

1. Edition01:
Edition01 is the first online luxury experience designed to spotlight and sell limited edition fashion pieces from leading designers in one of a kind capsule collections. Collaborating with Vera Wang, Zac Posen, Narciso Rodriguez and Thakoon (to name a few), founders Estefania Lacayo and Jessica Wilpon Kamel offer you a unique shopping and lifestyle experience which has already been touted by Vogue, WWD and Marie Claire to name a few. Their minimalistic and inviting web site is blog style making it very easy to shop their collections which are grouped by designers and lifestyle categories (“Travel Boutique”). You can also have a personalized shopping experience by using their “My Edition” feature to track what you want, need and bought and get recommendations for building your perfect wardrobe. I love that Edition01 goes beyond just shopping and gives you behind the scenes fashion intel in their Journal, stocked with insider interviews, celebrity essentials and designer inspirations.

New Year, New You: How-To Get Healthy & Maintain Your Resolution

The New Year is viewed as a time to reinvent yourself and leave bad habits in the past. Topping people’s resolution list each year is the desire to lose weight. While getting healthy is an admirable goal, people typically tend to go about it the wrong way. Many resort to cutting out food favorites like carbohydrates and fats, and in doing so create a diet plan that is unrealistic to maintain throughout the year. The key to successful dieting is to make small changes that will transform your life but not your lifestyle. Here’s how to make the most of your New Year’s resolution:

• Eat breakfast. Did you know that in order to gain weight, sumo wrestlers in Japan aren’t fed breakfast? It’s true and skipping breakfast slows down metabolism and encourages weight gain. Start your day with a breakfast that combines fiber and lean protein in order to rev up your metabolism and keep you feeling full ’til lunchtime.

• Add more fiber to your diet. Fiber is the secret to easy and successful weight loss. It is the zero-calorie non-digestible part of a carbohydrate. The more fiber a food has, the more satisfied you will feel after eating, leading you to consume less throughout the day. In addition, fiber has zero calories — so you get to fill up without filling out.

New Year, New You! Giveaway

Celebrate the New Year and a fresh new you with a fantastic PageDaily giveaway! Enter here for your chance to win our fabulous giveaway stocked with health inspiring and fit goodies like Tanya Zuckerbrot F-Factor Book and Bars, a 3-Day Cooler Cleanse, 60 minute Fusion Massage from Exhale Spa, Bliss Spa products and much more!

Our New Year, New You giveaway package is valued over $1700 and includes:

• 3-Day Cooler Cleanse

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• Tanya Zuckerbrot F-Factor Book & 3 flavor box of F-Factor bars

• Exhale Spa 60 Minute Fusion Massage

• Living Proof Restore Shampoo + Conditioner

• June Jacobs Masque, Balm + Hand & Foot Therapy

• Red Daisy Sports Bra + Capri

• Spa + Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week

• Stila Dream in Full Color Make-up Palette

• St. Tropez Golden Glow Kit

• POP Phone Handset by Native Union

• Stephanie Johnson ML Traveler Make-Up Case

• Blake Brody In-Studio Footwear

• Xen Strength Yoga DVD

Enter to win and invite your friends to increase your chances!

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Dining Out on a Diet

By Tanya Zuckerbrot Americans are eating out more than ever, but going out to eat doesn’t have to be a diet disaster.  You can still lose weight with healthy eating when dining out. While restaurants used to mean special occasions, now almost half of adults eat at restaurants, or order takeout every day for convenience, variety, or taste.  But if dieting while eating out means choosing one from column A and one from column B, then you can face disaster for your weight loss goals. Staying home and steaming veggies is not the only option! Whether you love Italian, or Japanese, or Mexican, or all of the above, there are plenty of healthy restaurant options that work with your desire to lose weight. To Lose Weight, Order an Appetizer When Eating Out When everyone is ordering mouth-watering—and fattening—appetizers, the worst thing to do is order nothing. Always start your meal with a salad (dressing on the side) or a cup of soup (broth-based)—2 nutritious, low-calorie options that keep you from attacking the bread basket and help you feel a bit fuller before your entrée arrives. Tips for Eating Italian Food—Pasta on a Diet Is Not the Enemy! The low-carb diet craze has made pasta the bad boy your mamma warned you not to date. We were told that to lose weight, we had to bid our beloved carbs—bread, pasta, and rice—goodbye.  So, how is it that in Italy, people eat pasta daily without the same obesity rates we have in the U.S.?  The secret: Italians serve pasta as a first course, or primo piatto, rather than as an entrée, as we do in America.  The problem with  pasta on a diet? Spaghetti as a main dish can weigh in at a whopping 1,000 calories, more than half of your daily calorie allowance! Don’t skip the pasta, just have it as an appetizer, about 300 calories.  Then, order grilled fish or meat with a side of vegetables for your main course, and you’ll get a well-balanced and satisfying meal. Secrets to Dining on Chinese without Gaining Weight Chinese food in the U.S. caters to the American taste for fried food and meat-based entrées, rather than the healthy grain- and vegetable-based dishes traditionally found in China.  While on a diet, steer clear of fried favorites like egg rolls, orange beef, and kung pao chicken, which packs an eye-popping 1,275 calories—the same amount of fat as 4 McDonald’s Quarter-Pounders! A better option while eating out: choose low-fat dishes that are stir-fried or steamed, and loaded with vegetables and lean protein.  If steamed dishes seem bland, order a stir-fried dish and a steamed dish and mix them together—the stir-fry adds flavor to the steamed option, while the steamed reduces the calorie and fat content of the stir-fry. Avoid Sushi Bar Diet Landmines & Opt for Healthy Japanese Cuisine When Eating at Restaurants Sushi bars  and restaurants are popping up more than any other type of ethnic food. Sounds like good news for your weight-loss plan, since Japanese cuisine is inherently healthy. Leave it to the American fried-food fixation to spoil the fun. Sushi rolls such as spider (fried soft-shell crab), tempura (deep-fried shrimp or vegetables), and Philadelphia (smoked salmon and cream cheese) are high in fat and can wreak havoc on your waistline. Instead, go for the miso soup (50 calories), a house salad with ginger dressing on the side (110 calories), and sushi or sashimi, both great sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Opt for lean fish and shellfish like tuna, shrimp, and scallops, and avoid fattier fish like yellowtail, salmon, and eel.  If you aren’t ready for to go raw, chicken, salmon, and beef teriyaki are all good bets when eating out while on a diet. Mexican Food Made Low-Cal: What to Skip, What to Order Can’t resist the tortilla chips at your favorite Mexican restaurant? They may be free, but they can cost you a lot in calories—15 chips equal 200 calories. And every dip into that bowl of guacamole adds 35 more calories. That’s 675 calories for 15 chips, before you’ve even ordered dinner! For a guilt-free starter, switch out the chips and guac for a tortilla (100 calories) with salsa (10 calories for 2 tablespoons). Then, have an appetizer like black bean soup, which is flavorful and filling, with 8 grams of fiber. Avoid main-dish diet pitfalls like nachos grande (beef, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream), which can set you back 1,400 calories. Even a seemingly small quesadilla can contain 500 calories. Your best bet for diet-friendly entrées when eating out at a Mexican restaurant ? Go for grilled vegetables and lean protein, such as chicken or shrimp fajitas. But don’t add the fattening condiments—go for peppers and onions to bulk up your tortilla, not your body. 3-Course Meal Weight Loss While Dieting? Go for the Greek Greek food is one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. Full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (olive oil and nuts), fish, and vegetables, it’s hard to go wrong when dining Greek. But there are a few dishes that are diet disasters. Pastitsio and mousakka are both filled with rich cream sauce. Cream sauce in any language translates as calories and fat. And while phyllo dough, which is common in Greek cuisine, might seem flaky and light, each layer is actually brushed with butter to make it crisp.  Another traditional Greek food, feta cheese, is mistakenly thought of as a diet-friendly cheese. In fact, 1 ounce has 75 calories and 6g of fat.  Make sure not to eat more than 2 ounces. A waist-friendly way to dine Greek—start with Greek salad (dressing on the side), then have a grilled-calamari appetizer, followed by a Greek-cuisine classic, grilled fish. Related Links • A Celebrity Nutritionist’s Diet Plan & Personal Tips • How to Eat Like a Kid & Still Lose Weight • Get the Buff Body You Want with a Fitness Routine You’ll Keep Tanya Zuckerbrot, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor Tanya Zuckerbrot is a Manhattan-based registered dietitian and the creator of the F-Factor Diet, an innovative nutritional program she founded in 1999. The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss (Putnum, 2006) debuted in hardcover in January 2007. This common-sense plan, used successfully by hundreds of Tanya’s clients, provides tools for improved health . . . Read more of Tanya’s tips ________________ Win Jay Godfrey’s Ruscha Cowl Belted Dress Jay shared his thoughts about women, now you share yours about his dress. Tell us how you would style his fabulous winter white dress, from shoes to jewelry and more, and where you would wear it! For contest details and to enter for a chance to win, click here.

Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor Cinnamon Apple Bar, $35

Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor Cinnamon Apple Bar, $35 All natural and low sodium Specially formulated to comply with the F-Factor Diet principles, which recommends eating a variety of foods and getting the recommended daily intake of fiber Shop the Full Story: Fiber Rich Foods: Summer’s Quicker Tummy Tucker

Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor High Fiber Skinny Cereal, $30

Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor High Fiber Skinny Cereal, $30 All natural and low sodium Specially formulated to comply with the F-Factor Diet principles, which recommends eating a variety of foods and getting the recommended daily intake of fiber Shop the Full Story: Fiber Rich Foods: Summer’s Quicker Tummy Tucker

Slenderize Your Backyard Barbecue with These Easy Tips

Nothing says Labor Day like pool parties and BBQs. But with fattening items like hot dogs and creamy side salads (think potato salad and coleslaw) on the menu—you may find yourself with a little extra pudge hanging over your bathing suit.  With a few simple changes you’ll be able to enjoy the end of summer without wreaking havoc on your waistline.  These tips save big on calories and grams of fat, but sacrifice none of the flavor or fun! I’ve even provided one of my favorite F-Factor recipes that’s sure to be a hit all summer long.  Happy BBQing!

 

• Go Lean on the Grill: Lean meats such as chicken, fish and turkey provide less calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than hot dogs and full-fat hamburger meat.   If you can’t avoid your hamburger craving, choose USDA Select or Choice grades of lean beef that have been trimmed of fat, such as ground sirloin. Another great tasty option is low-fat sausage with 3g of fat or less, from brands like Applegate Farms and Hebrew National.

Factor out: 2 full fat sausage links at 163 calories and 14g fat.

Factor in: 2 low-fat sausage links for 80 calories and 3g fat.

 

• Rub a Dub, Dub, Just not with a Wet Rub: When grilling, try using a dry rub. Unlike a wet marinade, which is often oil based, dry rubs add a kick of flavor without the unwanted calories.

Factor out: Marinade on your meats.  One tablespoon of olive oil has 135 calories and 15g of fat, and the typical marinade uses 1 cup of oil!

Factor in: Dry rub adds flavor to meat without any extra calories or fat!

 

• Secretly Slimmed-Down Potato Salad: Potato salad is a BBQ staple, but not always the healthiest option, with most recipes calling for at least a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. If you swap the mayo for a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, you’ll save big on calories and fat—and it’s so delicious, they’ll never know!  Another healthy addition is to keep the potato skins on—the skins contain half of the total dietary fiber of the potato and 45% of the daily value for Vitamin C! (recipe below)

Factor out: Mayonnaise adds tons of calories and fat to your potato salad recipe.  A half-cup is 785 calories and 87g of fat to your potato salad.

Factor in: ½ cup of Greek yogurt to your potato salad recipe.  Which has only 60 calories and 0g fat.

 

• Bag the Sugary Baked Beans – No BBQ is complete with the requisite bowl of baked beans. However, while beans are known as an excellent source of protein and fiber, the baked beans you’ll find at a summer soiree will likely be loaded with calories and sugar. Believe it or not, one cup of baked beans is equivalent in sugar to six Oreo cookies! Instead, make a four-bean salad combining canned chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, string beans and a few sprays of Wish-Bone’s Balsamic Breeze Vinaigrette Salad Spritzer. You’ll have a healthy dish that everyone will love, that’s is also good for them.

Factor out: Traditional baked beans, which can have up to 640 calories and 4g of fat in a cup.

Factor in: A four-bean salad, which will lighten up your BBQ with just 80 calories and 1g fat in a cup.

 

• Skinny Your Skewers with Veggies! Kebabs are not only fun to make and pretty to look at, but they taste great and should be loaded with delicious veggies.  Try alternating your skewers with a lean protein such as chicken or shrimp and high fiber vegetables.  Veggies like peppers, eggplant, and purple onions add color to your meal and make it more nutritious.   Plus, the combination of fiber and protein will help to keep you full.

Factor out: A chicken skewer totals up to 230 calories and 6g fat.

Factor in: A half chicken half vegetable skewer, takes down the caloric content with 175 calories and 3g fat.

 

• How About a Heart-Healthy Sangria: What’s more festive and appealing in the hot summer months than a fresh-mixed, sparkling cold Sangria?  Unfortunately, most recipes call for honey, coloring and even straight white sugar.  If you like Sangria, try making it with sweet berries, white wine and calorie free Sprite Zero to cut the calories in half from a traditional recipe. The fresh berries taste great, and the boost of antioxidants and fiber make it the perfect heart healthy drink for summer.

Factor out: The typical sangria recipe packs in 200 calories and 1g fat per glass.

Factor in: F-Factor lightened up sangria, which has 50 calories and is fat free.

 

• A Hot ‘n Sweet Surprise: Grilling is not just for protein and veggies!  Try grilling chunks of delicious summer fruits such as slices of pineapple or halved peaches and nectarines for a delicious take on a traditional summer fruit salad for dessert. The heat from the grill will caramelize the fruit, for a naturally sweet, low calorie treat.

Factor out: Peach pie, which can break your calorie bank at 261 calories and 12g fat.

Factor in: Grilled peaches with a scoop of creamy low-fat vanilla yogurt for the perfect summer treat that is only 60 calories and 0g fat.

 

Famous F-Factor Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, cooked and cubed (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped sweet red pepper
• 3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
• ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     In bowl, combine potatoes, celery, onion, pickle relish, red pepper, and eggs.

2.     In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients to make the dressing and mix well to combine.

3.     Pour the dressing over potato salad and mix gently to evenly coat. Cover and chill for several hours.

Serves: 10

Nutritional Content: 158 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 23g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 4 g protein.

Tanya Zuckerbrot, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor Tanya Zuckerbrot is a Manhattan-based registered dietitian and the creator of the F-Factor Diet, an innovative nutritional program she founded in 1999. The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss (Putnum, 2006) debuted in hardcover in January 2007. This common-sense plan, used successfully by hundreds of Tanya’s clients, provides tools for improved health . . . Read more

Fiber-Rich Foods: Summer’s Quicker Tummy Tucker

Warm weather is finally here, so it’s time to say goodbye to bulky layers- and the extra pounds that have been hiding behind them. Dreading the thought of baring your beach body this summer? For a flat stomach, healthy glowing skin, and improved energy the solution is simple: up your fiber intake! The ADA recommends 25-35g of fiber per day for women and 38g per day for men. However, the average person is only getting 9-11g a day! The absence of fiber in Americans’ diets is a major risk factor for weight gain.

The simplest, most effective yet overlooked strategy for quick summer slimming is to eat more foods that are naturally high in fiber. High-fiber foods have a low caloric density, which means you can eat a lot while consuming relatively few calories. Dietary fiber also quiets between-meal hunger and sugar cravings. That’s because fiber-dense foods slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream after eating. A recent study found that people who doubled their fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams per day cut their calorie absorption by 90 calories daily. That’s a 9.4lb weight loss in a year!

Fiber acts like a sponge in your digestive tract, absorbing other molecules like carbohydrates, fats, and sugars—along with all their calories—and preventing them from settling on your hips. In addition, fiber contributes bulk to foods, which gives you the satisfaction of chewing, plus the feeling of a full stomach, without adding any calories. Since fiber-rich foods take longer to digest you feel fuller longer, and as a result tend to eat less throughout the day, which makes weight loss easy to achieve. Ready to try summer’s quicker tummy tucker? Look your best this bathing suit season by adding these delicious high fiber choices to your daily diet:

Reach for berries (instead of a banana): A cup of raspberries contains a whopping 8g of fiber compared to a banana’s 1g of fiber and carbohydrate punch equal to a whole white potato.

High-fiber cereal: Whole-grain cereals vary widely in terms of dietary fiber so compare brands. F-Factor Cereals pack the most fiber with 15-18g per-1/2 cup serving –up to 72% of your daily fiber needs.
Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor High Fiber Skinny Cereal, (Pack of 6 boxes), $30

High-fiber bars: Most so-called health bars are basically glorified candy packed with calories and fat. A high fiber bar will help keep you full, without wreaking havoc on your waistline. F-Factor Bars pack 12g fiber, 50% of your needs in one bar!
Buy Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Health Valley F-Factor Cinnamon Apple Bar, (Pack of 6 boxes), $35

Pistachios: Pistachios are the highest fiber nut (3g per ounce). Plus you get more nuts per ounce, one serving of pistachios is 49 nuts versus only 23 almonds and 18 cashews.

Whole wheat bread: Choose 100% whole-grain bread that has at least 5 grams of fiber. Whole-wheat bread contains twice the fiber and almost half the calories of its all-white counterpart!

Watch PageDaily Exclusive Interview with Tanya Zuckerbrot

The Sports Drink Myth & Easy, Homemade Sports Drink Recipes

By Tanya Zuckerbrot

Supermarket shelves are overflowing with an array of sports drinks that come in different colors and flavors, and tout a variety of health claims. The manufacturers behind these sports drinks would love you to believe that these products are essential after-exercise drinks. However, unless you’re a competitive athlete or exercising intensely for 60 minutes or more, I’d recommend skipping the sugar-filled Lemon-Lime Gatorade. These homemade sports drink recipes are a much healthier alternative.

One liter of most sports drinks contains anywhere between 240 and 300 calories and 60–70 g of carbs, which is nutritionally equivalent to eating 4 slices of white bread. If you are only spending a half hour at the gym, you may be ingesting more calories in your after-exercise drink than you actually burned.

If you’re a moderate exerciser (30–45 minutes, 3–4 times per week), stick with a low-calorie sports drink or create your own after-exercise drink. Try these easy and delicious sports-drink alternatives for a waist-friendly way to rehydrate. You might notice that a pinch of salt is added to each DIY sports-drink recipe. Why? When you sweat, minerals such as sodium and potassium are excreted through your pores. After-exercise drinks should help restore electrolytes lost during an intense sweat session.

Homemade Sports-Drink Recipe: Raspberry Lemonade
Water is the best source of rehydration, and the primary ingredient in all sports-drink recipes. Adding lime and salt to your after-exercise drink helps to restore electrolytes that you sweat out during a workout. Fill your water bottle with this low-calorie, low-carb sports drink for a great DIY alternative to the Gatorades of the beverage world.

Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Content: 25 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 5g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 0g protein, 145mg sodium

Ingredients for Raspberry Lemonade Sports-Drink Recipe
1 cup water
1 individual-serving packet Crystal Light Lemonade
¼ cup raspberries
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 small pinch of salt

How to Make Your Own Raspberry Lemonade Sports Drink
1. Place all ingredients in blender and mix on high speed until well-blended.
2. Pour into your water bottle or a glass and enjoy.

Homemade Sports-Drink Recipe: Orange Oasis
Oranges aid in replenishing your body with the electrolytes needed after intensive exercise. Severe loss of electrolytes can occur during strenuous physical activity, which can result in dehydration and weakened muscles. This great DIY sports drink will assist with recovery so you are in prime condition for your next workout.

Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Content: 39 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 10g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 0g protein, 164mg sodium

Ingredients for Orange Oasis Sports-Drink Recipe
½ cup water
½ freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup carrot juice
1 small pinch of salt

How to Make Your Own Orange Oasis Sports Drink
1. Squeeze orange and pour juice into water bottle or tall glass.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients and enjoy.

Homemade Sports-Drink Recipe: Coconut Berry Bliss
Coconut water packs the 5 essential electrolytes that provide your body with everything it needs to perform at its best. Plus, coconut water is a natural source of nutrition and hydration in your own homemade sports drink. Blueberries add not only sweetness to this drink, but also natural sugar for an energy boost post-workout.

Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Content: 43 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 11g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 1g protein, 157mg sodium

Ingredients for Coconut Berry Bliss Sports Drink
½ cup water
½ cup coconut water
¼ cup blueberries
1 small pinch salt

How to Make Your Own Coconut Berry Bliss Sports Drink
1. Place all ingredients in blender. Mix on high speed until well-blended.
2. Pour into a water bottle or a glass and enjoy.

Related Links
• Detox Diet Cleanse 101: Eat, Drink & Lose Weight
• Dining Out on a Diet
• 5 tips for a Fitness Routine You’ll Stick To

Tanya Zuckerbrot, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor Tanya Zuckerbrot is a Manhattan-based registered dietitian and the creator of the F-Factor Diet, an innovative nutritional program she founded in 1999. The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss (Putnum, 2006) debuted in hardcover in January 2007. This common-sense plan, used successfully by hundreds of Tanya’s clients, provides tools for improved health . . . Read more of Tanya’s tips

Eat Your Way to a Sexy Valentine’s Day:
8 Natural Aphrodisiacs to Set the Mood

By Tanya Zuckerbrot What do Cleopatra and Casanova have in common? They both believed in the properties of powerful aphrodisiacs. The food you consume can have a direct impact on your sex life, affecting your hormones, brain chemistry, energy, and stress levels. Some aphrodisiac foods have psychoactive properties, others arouse because they are psychologically suggestive, and some can actually increase blood flow to the genitals. So, get your heartbeat racing this Valentine’s Day with natural aphrodisiac foods that are certain to spice up your night. World’s Best-Tasting Aphrodisiac: Chocolate Eating chocolate causes the release of mood-boosting, stress-reducing serotonin. The sweet stuff also causes a release of phenylethylamine, which produces changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, leading to feelings of excitement conducive to lovemaking. Just make sure to choose antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. Oysters: A Traditional Aphrodisiac Oysters have long been considered the food of love, and legend has it that Casanova ate dozens of oysters a day, once even seducing a vestal virgin by sliding an oyster from his lips. Oysters carry a hefty dose of zinc—and zinc has been linked to male fertility, potency, and sex drive, as well as being essential to sperm production. One oyster contains your daily zinc requirement, so imagine what serving your boyfriend/husband an appetizer of a few oysters as an aphrodisiac can do. Strawberries: The Natural Aphrodisiac Wrapped by Mother Nature A perfect little red heart, the strawberry is an edible Valentine. Touted as a natural aphrodisiac fruit since the ancient Roman era, the strawberry was a symbol of Venus, the goddess of love. In the French countryside, there was once a tradition of serving newlyweds cold strawberry soup to help promote a romantic honeymoon. And legend has it that if you break a strawberry in half and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you will soon fall in love with each other. Spices & Herbal Aphrodisiacs The right herbs and spices in food not only heat things up on the tongue but also in the bedroom. Capsaicin, the substance that gives peppers their kick, stimulates nerve endings to release chemicals. This raises your heart rate and triggers the release of endorphins, giving you the pleasurable feeling of a natural high. Chili pepper and ginger help improve circulation, and hot spices like cayenne, curry, and cumin help warm the body. Also, the intoxicating aromas of exotic spices infuse romance into the atmosphere. Potent Garlic as an Aphrodisiac Garlic remains the most popular aphrodisiac among modern-day Greeks. On Corfu, widowers who remarry are feted before the wedding with an assortment of dishes, all of which are heavily seasoned with garlic. Many Greeks believe that chewing 6 heads of raw garlic each day will help them conceive. Since it improves blood circulation, garlic is generally accepted as a potent aphrodisiac. Studies have recently shown that garlic in certain forms can stimulate the production of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme primarily responsible for the mechanism of erection, particularly in individuals who have low levels of this enzyme. Say Hello to the Sexy Pine Nut Pine nuts have more protein than any other nut. Besides providing protein to help increase stamina, pine nuts are heavy in healthful monounsaturated fats, zinc, and other nutrients that are linked with increased sexual desire. Sexier than your average peanut, pine nuts are found on the menus of many gourmet restaurants. Avocado: The Aztec’s Aphrodisiac Food According to an ancient belief, food aids the part of the body it resembles. In fact, the Aztecs valued the avocado as an aphrodisiac and named it “ahuacale” (testicle) because it grows in pairs. Though science can neither confirm nor deny that this fruit will get your fire going, it will give you fuel in the form of healthy fats, protein, and potassium. A Liquid Aphrodisiac: Red Wine Red wine, like a Pinot Noir wine, is healthy for your heart and your romantic life. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. It also is a particularly rich source of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. Plus, wine relaxes inhibitions and stimulates the senses. So, pair your Valentine’s Day dinner with a glass of red wine and enjoy! Related Links • 10 Great Gifts to Want for Valentine’s Day • Make Your Home Your Love Nest • Find Your Love Match & Every Day Will Feel Like Valentine’s Day Tanya Zuckerbrot, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor Tanya Zuckerbrot is a Manhattan-based registered dietitian and the creator of the F-Factor Diet, an innovative nutritional program she founded in 1999. The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss (Putnum, 2006) debuted in hardcover in January 2007. This common-sense plan, used successfully by hundreds of Tanya’s clients, provides tools for improved health . . . Read more of Tanya’s tips _______________ Super Bowl Sunday DIY: Make This a “Super” Bowl Party Whether you watch football or you have to google who’s playing in the Super Bowl this weekend, a good Super Bowl party is great fun. Special-events planner extraordinaire Jennifer Gilbert shares simple, fun tips on how to make your Super Bowl party a win. __________________ Project Runway’s Mondo Guerra: Win His New T-Shirts Feel good by looking good this Valentine’s Day! Rock these limited-edition tees designed by Project Runway contestant Mondo Guerra. You could win 2! Just tell us about your dream Valentine’s Day date and you could win these hot V-Day tees for you and the boy of your choice. Click here to enter.