Heart healthy diets along with regular exercise are two of the major contributing factors to the reduction of heart disease and stroke.  One reputable and well known diet was designed and is promoted by Dr. Dean Ornish.  His heart healthy diet is part of his Program for Reversing Heart Disease.

Dr. Ornish showed that it is possible to reverse heart disease without drugs and surgery. His plan includes diet, exercise, support groups, meditation and yoga. He quotes a study that showed if you are 5% overweight you are 30 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Those that are moderately overweight have an 80 percent higher risk than lean people. And if you are 30 percent overweight you're over 300 percent more likely to develop heart disease.

His research showed that coronary heart disease can be reversed by making different lifestyle choices. The lifestyle changes include diet, stress management, quitting smoking, moderate exercise, and emotional support.

This weight loss program is a more healthful way of living.  It is not just a diet with restricted calories. It involves moderate exercise.  Importantly, moderate exercise has most of the same benefits of more intensive exercise without the risk of injury. Moderate exercise helps you lose weight and it strengthens your heart at the same time.

Stress management includes relaxation through meditation or yoga. Having a support team to cheer you on and encourage you is a big part of his program. To follow this diet program at home you need the support and encouragement of your family. The average person consumes about 40 percent of calories as fat. Dr. Ornish's diet recommends consuming only 10 percent of your calories as fat.  People in the study using this diet lost an average of twenty-two pounds the first year. On the diet you eat foods that are very low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates, and high in fiber. You avoid foods from animals, oils, high fat dairy, sugar, alcohol and any food with more than 2 grams of fat per serving.

This is pretty much a vegetarian, low fat, high fiber diet. There are no calorie restrictions, just good healthy food. Basically, if you change the type of food you eat you to a better quality food you can eat more of it. On this diet you eat more often and become healthier. This healthy diet and exercise plan has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. It reduces chest pain or angina. And best of all it actually reverses coronary artery disease. It is more effective than traditional methods. The major challenge of the Dean Ornish program is that it is difficult to maintain these changes in lifestyle and diet indefinitely.  However, the improvement in quality of life makes this program worth trying for anyone who is at high risk or already has developed heart disease.

A Healthy Heart Is not Just About A Healthy Diet 

For anyone who has been diagnosed with heart disease or is simply concerned with ways to prevent it, you''ll be interested to know that a strict, heart healthy diet is not the only key to maintaining a healthy heart. In fact, the main component is actually an overall healthy lifestyle. Because even if you''re on the best diet in the universe, if you''re not active and especially if you smoke, the effort you''re making is basically futile. But the goods news is that 80 percent of heart disease can be prevented with a proper balance of good eating habits and exercise. 

Here are some ways you can bring balance into your life and incorporate a combination of fitness with a healthy diet routine that will greatly reduce your risk for heart disease, as well improve the condition of your health if you have already been diagnosed.  

- Decrease the amount of your usual salt intake, particularly if you have high blood pressure  

- Cut back on cholesterol by choosing to eat low-fat or fat-free products in addition to more lean meats  

- Lessen your consumption of foods and drinks that have a high sugar content  

- Avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats whenever possible, e.g. snacks and salad dressings  

- Eat more fish, specifically the varieties that contain higher levels of Omega 3 fish oils like wild salmon and lake trout  

- Incorporate more high fiber and whole grain foods into your diet  

- Eat as much freshly prepared fruits and vegetables as you can  

- When dining out, choose healthy menu options  

- Limit any alcohol consumption  

- Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 3 or more times a week  

- Don''t Smoke! 

Think about what you''re currently eating and how much activity is present in your current lifestyle. Are you following a heart healthy diet? Are you exercising daily, weekly or at all? Base your decisions on the results of those answers and take smaller steps at first if that''s what you''re comfortable with. Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to help you get fit and maintain a healthy heart. Choosing the stairs over the elevator is a perfect example of one simple choice you can make. Parking further away from the office or the store is another. Whatever strategies you do end up choosing, they are all based on your own personal preference. But committing to a plan and working toward making significant, permanent changes is one of the most important steps you''ll ever take. 

Now, if you''ve got to make some changes, whether small or substantial, no one''s expecting you to work wonders overnight. But you''ve got to make the effort, and you''ve got to do it on a consistent basis. A plan for a heart healthy diet and lifestyle is something that you will become accustomed to and will benefit greatly from during your long(er) lifetime.