This week, with Valentine’s Day approaching, the heart is suddenly everywhere. Cards, chocolates and flowers start to appear at every turn, along with reminders about love and connection. Although it’s become a highly commercialised event, it can still be a gentle prompt to think about care and kindness, whether that’s towards someone else or towards yourself.
And after several weeks exploring subtraction, food environments and the pressures modern systems place on the body, this feels like a good moment to take a slightly different tone. Valentine’s has had me thinking about the heart, and it felt like the perfect time to share a couple of simple nutrition principles that can help support it every day, including one that may change the way we think about chocolate.
The Heart and Everyday Rhythm
When we talk about heart health, the conversation often jumps straight to numbers or dramatic interventions. But day to day, the heart is influenced by much quieter factors: rhythm, stress load and the signals it receives from the nervous system.
Magnesium plays a central role here. It contributes to normal muscle function, including that of the heart, and supports normal nervous system function. In practical terms, it helps the body move out of a constant state of alert and into a more settled, balanced state.
This is important in a world where stress is often low-grade but persistent. A heart that is continually responding to stress signals is doing extra work, even when nothing feels obviously wrong. Ensuring adequate magnesium intake is one small but meaningful way to support that natural shift back towards balance.
Structure, Flexibility and Long-Term Support
Another less visible influence on heart health is the structure of our cells, particularly the membranes that surround them. This is where omega-3 fatty acids come in.
Omega-3s are incorporated into cell membranes throughout the body, including those in blood vessels and heart tissue. Their presence influences how flexible and responsive those membranes are over time. Rather than acting like a quick fix, they form part of the long-term architecture that supports cardiovascular resilience.
Together, magnesium and omega-3s highlight an important theme: supporting the heart is often about creating the right long-term conditions.
Chocolate, Pleasure and a Different View of Ageing
And then there is chocolate. Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be the same without it.
Chocolate is often thought of as a guilty pleasure. But research is beginning to tell a more nuanced story, particularly when it comes to dark chocolate.
Researchers at King’s College London have highlighted theobromine, a naturally occurring compound found in cocoa, as a potential player in processes linked to biological ageing. In this context, ageing is not about appearance or time passing, but about how cells cope with cumulative stress and maintain function. Theobromine appears to influence cellular signalling pathways involved in inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are central to how the body ages over time.
However, this is not a green light for ultra-processed chocolate products. The quality of the cocoa and the finished product matters. But it is a reminder that some foods associated with pleasure also contain compounds that interact with our biology in interesting and meaningful ways.
Supporting the heart is not just about discipline or perfection. It is about nourishment, rhythm, connection and enjoyment, and reducing unnecessary strain.
If Valentine’s Day this year becomes a moment to slow down, share something simple, or enjoy a square of good quality dark chocolate without guilt, that may be supporting your heart in more ways than one.
Because sometimes care is not about doing more. It is about allowing space for balance to return.
As always, thank you for reading. And next week, we’ll turn our attention to another area where small, thoughtful choices can quietly support long-term health.
