Ready for some exciting health news? "Ninety-nine percent of heart disease is preventable by changing your diet and lifestyle," said Dr. Dean Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and author of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. 

What's more, scientists are discovering that we don't have to ban all fat and salt to stay healthy. Instead, you just need to cut back on saturated fat (which comes from meat and whole-fat dairy) and trans fats (found in partially hydrogenated oils in fried and many processed foods). These types of fat seem to increase levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, which lines arteries with plaque and can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Good fats, on the other hand-such as monounsaturated (think olive oil and avocados) and polyunsaturated fats, like omega-3 fatty acids (found in sunflower oil, soybeans, and some fish)-lower LDL levels and raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.