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You don't have to take pills or run marathons—just make wise choices about what you eat. Decades of research have shown that certain foods can help prevent—and sometimes even reverse—cardiovascular disease, greatly reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Heart-Healthy Choices
The best diet for your heart is rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, whole grains, fish and nuts. But remember, no single food—even the most healthful—prevents disease.

The benefits come from the complex interactions among hundreds of nutrients in a balanced diet, so following a heart-healthy eating plan is important. It's also essential to avoid foods known to damage the heart and blood vessels.

The worst offenders are processed foods and partially hydrogenated or trans fats. Found in many non-butter spreads, cake mixes, soup cups, fast foods, pastries and snack foods, trans fats increase bad (LDL) cholesterol and reduce the good (HDL) cholesterol that keeps arteries healthy.

Simply eliminating these fats can significantly lower your heart-attack risk. Health experts also recommend switching to low-fat or nonfat dairy products, cutting down on red meat and limiting portions of all meats to 2 or 3 ounces—about the size and thickness of a deck of cards. Fish and skinless chicken are good substitutes.

This healthful way of eating not only benefits your heart, but also helps protect against cancer, type 2 diabetes and emphysema, as well as Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative nerve disorders.

Changing long-standing eating habits isn't easy and won't necessarily happen overnight. But taking the first steps now could improve your health for a lifetime. What better way could there be to embrace your heart?