By Carol Smith

As many as 80 percent of patients with heart disease fail to follow diet advise a year after their heart attack. This is according to Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D. author of Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease. Dr Brill believes the number one reason people don’t follow a heart healthy diet is because of confusion over what dietary changes need to be made. Reversing heart disease is possible with diet and Dr. Brill lays out exactly what needs to be done.

The Mediterranean Diet is the most effective way of reversing heart disease. It is a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes (which includes alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts), olive oil, fish and red wine with meals.

The Lyon Diet Heart Study demonstrated the value of the Mediterranean Diet. Following a first heart attack, six hundred people were divided into two groups. The first was told to follow the diet recommended by the American Heart Association in the 1990s. the other group followed the Mediterranean Diet. Five years later, the group following the Mediterranean diet demonstrated a 73 percent reduction in risk of heart disease.

Dr. Brill lays out the facts about the typical Western diet and why foods like red meat, cream, butter, eggs and cheese contribute to heart disease. The bulk of her book discusses the value of the Mediterranean diet which includes: extra virgin olive oil, green vegetables, fruits, lentils and legumes, walnuts and flaxseeds, oatmeal and whole grains with red wine. The book includes a 14-day meal plan.

Reversing heart disease is possible with a healthy Mediterranean diet. But, you have to be willing to follow it. Your heart will thank you.