In this groundbreaking volume, Dr. Mary McGowan draws on her years of clinical experience in working with real patients to create a proven, livable program for preventing and reversing cardiac disease. Heart Fitness for Life offers a comprehensive and down-to-earth life plan that includes:* A 20 percent fat diet—which gets results because it is strict enough to make a difference but lenient enough for real people to stick with it* A selection of delicious and easy low-fat recipes developed by a professional chef—including pizzas, pasta, and desserts* A detailed investigation into the genetic basis of high blood cholesterol—and what to do about it* A non-judgmental and supportive approach to cholesterol and blood pressure medications that explains when taking medication is appropriate and even necessary* An energizing section on making exercise an exciting and fulfilling part of one's life, developed in tandem with an exercise physiologist* A concrete plan for giving up smoking—that really works!* An analysis of the connection between stress and heart disease, with tested stress-reduction techniques developed by a psychiatristAnd, at the core of Heart Fitness for Life are the stories of nine patients, ordinary men and women, who took on the challenge of fighting heart disease with Dr. McGowan's program—and who have won extraordinary victories.