Plus, she adds, very restrictive diets are rarely sustainable. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., lead author of the AHA's dietary guidelines. "People often replace fat with things like sugar, which can increase the body's production of triglycerides, a type of fat that may raise the risk for coronary artery disease," says nutritional biochemist Alice H. And, in fact, some experts say way-low-fat diets could be dangerous. Both the AHA and National Institutes of Health recommend people get a more moderate 25 to 35 percent of daily calories from fat. But not everyone wants a bite of Ornish's meal plan. All fats, explains Ornish, contain more calories per gram than protein or carbs-and the more cals you eat, the more likely you are to gain weight, which puts extra strain on your ticker. But: The Reversal limits even heart-healthy unsaturated fats in foods such as olive oil and seeds.
They can skyrocket bad cholesterol and contribute to plaque that clogs arteries and raises heart attack and stroke risk. The biggest villains, says Ornish, are saturated and trans fats found in grub like red meat and butter. That's around 18 grams if you're eating 1,800 cals a day-not much, considering a handful of almonds has 14 grams. Per Ornish, the stuff should account for only 10 percent of a person's total daily calories. Not just because it's meatless-I'd dabbled in vegetarianism before-but because it's so low in fat. The most daunting change I faced was the Reversal's diet. He promised to help out more and we vowed to make supporting each other a priority. It was the deepest convo we'd had in months. He told me how taking on my regular tasks (chauffeuring the kids, cooking) when I was away made him appreciate just how much I do. Rather than bitch about whose turn it was to take out the trash (his, it's always his), I shared how overwhelmed I was feeling. In lieu of the hour-long group sessions at Ornish HQ (they were so intense I cried, in a good way), I sat down with my husband. Discouraged that I couldn't meet the quota, I redoubled my efforts in the "love and support" realm. Ha! My 3-year-old's internal alarm already chimes well before dawn.) I tried meditating before bed, but kept zonking out after about 20 minutes. (Ornish's staff suggested I wake an hour earlier. I struggled to find a spare 60 minutes just once a day. That Zen evaporated upon coming home to two small kids and a husband with a case of man-flu. By midweek, I was so blissed out that when my hotel's sprinkler system flooded half the building at 6 a.m., I just shrugged it off. In California, we started and ended each day with an hour of meditation and gentle yoga, designed to combat the high blood pressure caused by being chronically frazzled.
#Make your own sirds plus
I'd already been clocking that much, plus two weekly Pilates classes, so I focused my energy on the Reversal's next principle-stress management. Similar to the American Heart Association (AHA), Ornish prescribes around three hours of moderate cardio (think brisk walking or biking) and two 20-minute strength-training workouts per week. I decided to go balls-to-the-wall and follow the Reversal for maximum impact, using my week in California as a kick-starter, then continuing for a month on my own back home in Pennsylvania. Also, the benefits of the Reversal Program-and its less hard-core cousin, the Spectrum-are appealing: more energy, lower anxiety levels, and healthy weight loss. Plus, new research shows that women like me (and their M.D.s) underestimate their risk for heart attack, and they're more likely to die of one than young men. All four grandparents had high blood pressure three had strokes. My dad has high cholesterol and has been on blood pressure meds for 50 years. And his promise is miraculous, if not controversial: The program can prevent, halt, or even eliminate cardiovascular disease. His followers are true believers (Bill Clinton called on Ornish after his 2010 heart surgery). His tenets-move more, stress less, love more, eat well-sound "duh" simple. I'd been invited by the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and its founder, the charismatic internist Dean Ornish, M.D., to test-drive his Reversal Program, an intense weeks-long cardiac rehab now offered at 20 U.S. And besides, I hadn't come to California to celebrate. At least I had a nice view-of the mountains over San Francisco Bay. This year (39, gah!), however, I blew out a candle stuck into a wobbly slab of fat-free vegan pudding. I always celebrate my birthday with a slice of chocolate cheesecake. WH health editor Tracy Middleton laid her heart on the line. One doctor says he can reverse the damage-even keep it from invading your bod in the first place. Nearly 40 percent of women age 20 and older already have some form of heart disease, an often stealth assassin with zero symptoms.
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