Healthy Valentine's Day Candy Alternatives for Your Loved Ones

Chocolate hearts, chocolate roses, candy conversation hearts...so much candy. Every holiday seems to be full of sugary temptations. This year would be a great time to start switching to healthier alternatives. Show your loved ones how much you care by helping them improve their health this Valentine's Day. Here are some alternatives to the traditional candy gifts.

Fruit makes a great alternative to candy. It's sweet and healthy! Make a fruit basket with your sweetie's favorite fruits. Cut up a pineapple and with a small heart cookie cutter, you can create pineapple hearts. You can also try this with different melons, large apples and other fruits. Place them on wooden skewers and you can create a yummy bouquet. Also, strawberries are especially perfect, as they are naturally heart shaped, so they are a perfect way to make the fruit bouquet fuller and brighter. If you decide to make a fruit basket with the skewered fruit, first place a Styrofoam ball or block on the bottom of the basket. This will hold the wooden skewers in place and allows you to create your design. The Styrofoam ball or block may be reused to make an artificial or live flower arrangement. If you would like to add a little bit of chocolate, stick to dark chocolate, as it's the healthiest chocolate. You can dip a few fruit pieces in melted dark chocolate and let it harden before you arrange, or add a small jar of dark chocolate to your gift. If you don't have the time or the patience to try to make this fruit gift, you can find stores and websites, such as Edible Arrangements, that can create a beautiful fruit arrangement for any occasion. They deliver too!

Nuts, as long as the gift recipient doesn't have any nut allergies, also make a healthy gift. Make an "I'm Nuts for You" arrangement. Add all their favorite nuts; peanuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamia, pecans, walnuts, etc. You can also add dried fruits, granola and other healthy snacks.

Want to show your Valentine how much you care? How about planning a day together? Plan a day hiking, bicycling or just taking a walk in the park. End the day with a delicious healthy dinner. If you are planning on spending the day with your family, make the outing a family day everyone will remember, away from TV, computers, video games and all the everyday distractions. Spending time with your loved ones is always the best gift anyone can give and receive.