Friday's Top 5 Tips and Trends

Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate, we’ve got a love-themed Top 5 Tips and Trends post this week.

1. Go on a double date

According to new research, a double date may do more for your love life than a traditional one-on-one romantic dinner. Specifically, interactions that involve self-disclosure with other couples mean that you see your partner in a new light, leading to increased feelings of passionate love.

2. Relationship trouble? Movie night!

Here’s another relationship tip spurred on by recent research: watching movies about relationships (and discussing them afterward) might reduce your chances of divorce. In the new study, divorce rate decreased—from 24 percent to 11 percent after three years—after watching and discussing five movies in a one-month period. The researchers believe that most couples already have the necessary relationship skills to make their commitments work—they just need to put them to use. Bring on the rom-coms, I say!

3. Choose fairer flowers

Have you heard of fair trade flowers? If you’re thinking of buying your sweetheart a bouquet of red roses this year, consider fairer options. From toxic chemicals to human rights abuses, it turns out the conventional flower industry isn’t so pretty. To read more about why—and how—to choose fairer blossoms, check out our article, “Fairness in Flowers.”

4. Don’t have too much of a sweet tooth!

Eating organic, fair trade chocolate out of a heart-shaped box this Valentine’s Day isn’t so bad, but if your version of having a sweet tooth means a can of soda a day, you might be in trouble. According to a new study, a serving of sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks each day is associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease and stroke, as well as weight gain. Make healthy choices: skip the pop (including diet versions), and aim for no more than 10 percent of your total caloric intake from added sugars.

5. Check out our best Valentine’s Day-themed alive recipes

If you’re treating that special someone to a night in, with a home-cooked dinner, we’ve got the best alive recipes for you! Check out the following links for:

• delicious but healthy sweets from your sweetheart
• a complete vegetarian Valentine’s Day menu
• a sophisticated tapas menu