Preventive medicine experts have now proven that blockages in heart blood vessels can be reversed by changing one’s lifestyle.

How can this be achieved? Dr. Neil Nedley's book Proof Positive provides good insight into how to achieve this goal in a practical way. Here is a summary of the key points:

Adopt a daily diet that meets these guidelines:

1. 60-75% complex carbohydrates.
2. 15% protein.
3. Avoid eating animal protein, including milk protein (casein) and eggs.
4. 0% cholesterol.
5. 10-25% fat, from vegetable sources, especially nuts.
6. No caffeine.
7. Calories not restricted, but avoid eating so much you become overweight.
8. Avoid sugar, especially in combinations with milk, as in custards, puddings, powdered milk, pancake mix, ice cream; also Parmesan cheese.
9. Eat foods high in arginine—roasted pumpkin seeds, soybeans, lentils, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), red kidney beans, baby lima beans, walnuts, almonds, firm tofu.
10. Eat 15-40 grams of fiber per day, esp. water-soluble types as is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes in their unrefined state.
11. Avoid fat substitutes, such as olestra. Olestra decreases absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and depletes the body of Vitamin E with prolonged use. No known fat substitute is safe.
12. Avoid margarine. Use olive oil instead.
13. Avoid coconut. It’s high in saturated fat.
14. Avoid eating large amounts of peanuts because of their high fat content. Eat almonds, walnuts, and pecans instead.
15. Eat nuts 5 times a week in moderate portions—50-75 gram (1.76-2.65 oz.) serving sizes.
16. Eat foods containing folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, as is found in fortified soymilk and fortified breakfast cereals.
17. Get at least 60 IU of Vitamin E every day. Good sources include wheat germ, vegetable oils, legumes, nuts (especilly almonds), whole grains, and green leafy vegetables.
18. Eat foods containing beta-carotene. Avoid supplements (they’ve been proven harmful). Good sources include carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, yellow types of squash, leafy green vegetables like kale, collards and mustard greens.
19. Eat foods high in antioxidants, such as garlic, onions, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, red beets, red peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, winter yellow squash, and carrots.
20. Avoid eating excessive iron, as is found in animal products.
21. Drink eight 8-oz. Glasses of water each day.
22. Eat foods containing lecithin, ginseng, garlic (up to 4 cloves per day), onions, chromium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.

Other Lifestyle Changes to Adopt:

1. No smoking.
2. Get moderate exercise—walk 3 hours per week at least 30 minutes per session at a heart rate of 50-80% of your maximum heart rate.
3. Decrease stress—practice stress management.
4. Bet social and emotional support for your lifestyle changes (avoid diet saboteurs).
5. Lose weight. Maintain your weight in the “ideal” range (see the Body Mass Index chart).

Here are the lists of best food for your artery unclogging diet, as chosen by Dr. Stoy Proctor, nutritionist with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists:

Healthiest Fruits

1. Guava – 1 each
2. Watermelon – 2 cups
3. Cantaloupe – ¼ melon
4. Apricot – 4 each
5. Orange – 1 each
6. Mango – ½ each
7. Papaya – ½ each
8. Kiwi – 2 each
9. Persimmon – 1 each
10. Grapefruit – ½ each

Healthiest Vegetables

1. Collards
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Red Pepper
5. Sweet potato
6. Pumpkin
7. Broccoli
8. Brussels sprouts
9. Asparagus
10. Avocado
11. Potato

Healthiest Grains

1. Quinoa
2. Amaranth
3. Buckwheat
4. Bulgar wheat
5. Barley
6. Millet
7. Brown Rice
8. Triticale
9. Whole Wheat
10. Oats

Healthiest Nuts & Seeds

Nuts:

1. Brazil Nuts
2. Walnuts
3. Almonds
4. Peanuts
5. Pecans
6. Filberts

Seeds:

1. Flax seed
2. Pumpkin
3. Sunflower
4. Sesame

Healthiest Oils

1. Olive
2. Corn
3. Sunflower
4. Safflower.ⁱ