NUTRITION: Eat For Your Heart

If you needed a sign to start taking better care of your ticker, let this be it!

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Heart attacks are scary, but they're not inevitable: A whopping 80% of cardiovascular disease can be prevented through lifestyle changes and proper screening. That means you have the power to dramatically improve your heart health and how you eat is crucial.

That's why Prevention recently released The Ultimate Heart Healthy Full-Flavor Meal Plan, created by Colleen Montgomery, M.S., who has spent more than a dozen years working with cardiac patients. It's packed with helpful guidance for heart health, along with a 28-day meal plan (plus shopping lists) to get you on the right track. Using the book, you'll make small, realistic changes daily that, over time, will add up to a huge positive impact on your heart health. Here's a sample of what you'll learn, including one of the many delicious recipes.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR FOODS

The best eating style for your heart is a whole-foods, predominantly plant-based diet. Along with quitting smoking, lowering stress, and increasing your physical activity, relying on a plant-based diet will help you lose excess weight and lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars-all factors that greatly affect heart health. Here's what to go for-and how these choices work to protect your heart: