An upbeat, instructional guide to the importance of taking care of the heart, this book tells readers everything they need to know about lowering cholesterol, preventing heart attacks, losing weight, and quitting smoking. Charts.

With its fingers on the pulse of preventive medicine, this vital guide, written by one of America's foremost cardiovascular authorities, gives readers strategies and tips to help them reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Includes heart-healthy recipes.

In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol, Dr. Joseph Lee Klapper, a noted cardiologist, takes readers from what cholesterol is and what it does through the many ways to lower it-what we eat and drink, both independently and in combination; mind and body approaches; and medications, natural remedies, and new methods on the horizon-and goes one big step further by offering Dr. Klapper's step-by-step plan for shedding cholesterol points. Following this plan, readers can begin where they are today, with whatever good or bad cholesterol level they presently have, and see a significant reduction!

Julia Child in her classic book, The Way to Cook (published by Knopf), writes of her concern that low-fat cooking may rob us of ''the pleasures of the table.'' I couldn't agree more! There is no reason for low-fat, low-cholesterol, heart-healthy cooking to rob us of the pleasures of food. Eating is one of the great joys of life. And food doesn't have to be grim and punishing in order for it to be healthy for your heart. In this book, with the assistance of over 50 top chefs, I show you how to make heart-healthy cooking one of the great ''pleasures of the table.'' You'll be surprised at how simple measures can help you cut the fat without cutting the taste. The recipes in this book are not your run-of-the-mill low-fat recipes. Here, you'll find gourmet recipes that are easy to make and taste great. Although I care passionately about the links between nutrition and the healthy heart, I am not a food cop. My background as both a cardiologist and a chef make me uniquely suited not only to care for your heart but also to provide you with meals that won't leave you feeling deprived. I recognize that in order for people to change their habits, they must be given food options that are tasty and exciting. The nutrition aspects of food must meld with pleasure and taste. So The Healthy Heart Cookbook For Dummies is about great tasting, heart-healthy nutrition. I want to make you the heart-healthiest, most satisfied eater - and reader - ever to walk this planet.

A heart healthy regimen needn’t be torture. Two hours on a stationary bike, followed by a dish of low-fat cottage cheese topped with a lonely sprig of parsley may be your idea of what it takes to maintain heart health—but it’s actually a lot more enjoyable and fun! Cardiac fitness, like any new lifestyle plan, can be achieved with only a few basic modifications to your diet and activity level. With The Healthy Heart Cookbook For Dummies, you’ll follow an exciting and delicious food regimen, destined to give you and your heart a boost. Written by James Rippe, a leading cardiologist and chef, and with over 100 recipes from a cadre of expert dietitians and fifty top chefs, you’ll discover some of the secrets to heart health, some common fallacies, and get the lowdown on a few life-saving basics: The risk factors for heart disease—and how to control them The eight key eating habits affecting heart health—includ ing the number of calories, cholesterol and fat, and antioxidant-rich foods you consume “Bad” versus “good” cholesterol—the world of saturated, monosaturated, and polyunsaturated fats Nature’s gift to health—phytochemicals and what foods contain them Smart shopping tips—including common supermarket traps, and how to select produce, meats, seafood, dairy, grains, and from the deli counter You’ll discover what a snap it is to prepare your own menu, assemble meals that are nutritious and balanced and also meet every sort of dietary need (including high blood pressure, diabetes, and food allergies). The book’s rich cornucopia of recipes will help you explore the delicious possibilities of every meal and dish, including: Breakfast and brunch—including Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins, Peach Scones, and Eggs Benedict with Asparagus and Low-Fat Hollandaise Sauce Appetizers and snacks—including Homemade Dill and Celery Seed Hummus and Chilled Hapa Shrimp Rolls and Thai Citrus Dipping Sauce Seafood—including Red Snapper with Braised Fennel and Spinach and Seared Scallops in Grilled Eggplant with Mango Salad Poultry and Meat—including Lemon-Grilled Cornish Hens, Healthy Heart Beef Stroganoff, and Herb-Crusted Lamb Loin with Braised Fennel and Fresh Mint Vegetarian Entrees—including Curried Tofu and Vegetable-Stuffed Pitas with Cashews and Raisins With sixteen pages of full-color photos, black-and-white how-to illustrations, a summary cheat sheet of need-to-know info, and humorous cartoons, The Healthy Heart For Dummies Cookbook helps you build a sensible foundation for overall fitness—beginning with your heart.

The Healthy Heart For Dummies explores that most vital organ -- the heart -- and explains why you need to care for it. This book also helps you design a personal lifestyle based on proper nutrition, physical activity, weight management, and mind/body connections to both prevent and control heart disease. It includes a section describing the latest tests and procedures used in evaluating heart health and problems, which help you make decisions on treatment options. As an added bonus, the author, James M. Rippe, M.D., has conferred with the world's top chefs to offer you 35 great tasting and heart-healthy recipes.