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Hi, Mary. Got your February newsletter about heart health. Thank you! As I learned in the book I told you about, The China Study, a vegan diet full of vegetables, fruits, and COMPLEX carbs is the best diet for preventing heart disease. I would be so grateful if you could share some vegan recipes. Many thanks!

To fight cardiovascular disease The American Heart Association "recommends that you eat a wide variety of foods daily from all of the basic food groups." (AmericanHeart.org) They go on to say that we should put more focus on vegetables, fruits, whole-grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy items. In addition to this, we should eat fish about twice a week and "choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat."

While I admire anyone who can stick with a strict vegan diet, I agree with the American Heart Association - that we humans, as complex creatures, need a wide variety of nutrients for proper growth and good health. That being said, I'd also like to say that I truly enjoy an occasional vegetarian dinner, we have been putting more vegetables on the table each night and I believe that most people don't get enough fruits, vegetables or whole-grains in their diet.

I will certainly put more vegetarian/vegan recipes on my website for you! You may want to look at Vegetarian Pizza and Fettuccine with Spicy Raw Tomato, Herb, and Caper Sauce. Remember too that many vegetarian recipes can be changed to meet vegan guidelines.