Diet is one of the frontline means of defense against heart disease. But not just any diet will do — it has to be something you can stick with for the long run. “You need to avoid fads,” says Steven Nissen, MD, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He advocates the Mediterranean diet as a prudent and sustainable food plan. Mounting evidence points to this style of eating as optimal not just for weight control but for prevention and reduction of inflammation (an underlying cause of many diseases) and control of cholesterol — all critical to your heart health. Here: 6 recipes to help you eat heart healthy!