I hope you spent Valentine’s Day celebrating the special relationship you have with a loved one, but we all know that there are other types of relationships.

Some of these relationships are referred to as “toxic” because they can be damaging to our mental health. If you’ve ever been in one of these relationships, hopefully, you broke it off before it caused any lasting damage.

Another relationship you might like to examine is your relationship to certain foods. Some experts have labeled our current food environment as toxic because we are constantly surrounded by unhealthy food choices. Foods that are high in sugar, saturated fat and salt can be found not only in the grocery store and at fast food restaurants but also in gas stations, movie theaters, hardware stores, etc.

These foods have addictive properties. They affect the same pleasure centers in the brain as drugs and alcohol. Food manufacturers exploit this because they know we have a hard time resisting the combination of sugar, salt and grease. Manufacturers of processed junk foods are like drug dealers; they only want to make you buy more of their product. They care nothing for your health.

Foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt are the ones that can do the most damage, especially to our heart health. A high sugar diet contributes to high LDL (bad) cholesterol and high blood pressure. A diet high in saturated fat inhibits the insulin response in cells, which raises blood sugar. Saturated fats can also add layers of plaque to the insides of arteries. Too much sodium in the diet increases blood volume, which increases blood pressure because your heart has to work much harder than it needs to. And high blood pressure pushes cholesterol into the artery walls and may disrupt those plaques, leading to heart attacks.

Foods with an excess of sugar, fat and salt will break your heart. Attempt to remove them from your diet and spend more quality time with whole, fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

Just like a partner who is loving and supportive can be better for your mental health, eating fresh, whole foods, without added sugar, salt and saturated fat, can be better for your physical health. You may even fall in love with them.

Sherry DeWalt is the healthy lifestyles coordinator for the CGH Health Foundation in Sterling.