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.