Living Now Gold Medal Winner
Prevent A Second Heart Attack
8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease
Three Rivers Press; 2011
The book consists of Dr. Janet's spectacularly delicious and easy-to-follow Mediterranean Diet & Mediterranean Recipes.
It gives practical advice for Everyday Health and Fitness that helps you enjoy a long and healthy life by following the Mediterranean lifestyle - rated Best Diet 4 years in a row - 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021!
Available at:
Mediterranean Diet and Recipes

The delicious and foolproof plan to prevent a heart attack - and actually reverse your heart disease.

Inspired by the heart-healthy, time-proven Mediterranean Diet, a delicious and foolproof plan to prevent a heart attack - and actually reverse your heart disease.

By following the straightforward, eight-point program in Prevent a Second Heart Attack book, you can reduce your risk of a first heart attack or if you are a survivor, reduce your risk of a second heart attack by up to 70 percent.

Backed by cutting-edge research, Dr. Brill explains why each food is so important to your cardiovascular wellness, and gives you creative tips on how to get your daily dose. Packed with every tool you need - including daily checklists, a complete two-week eating plan, and dozens of mouth-watering recipes to suit every meal, taste, and budget - the program ensures that heart attack survivors and their loved ones will be satisfied, rather than deprived, as they eat their way to better heart health.

Dr. Janet Speaks About How to Prevent Heart Disease on The Balancing Act
What will I Learn?
Simple Mediterranean Diet Plan

Knowledge, skills, and confidence people interested in preventing a heart attack and heart attack survivors need to make simple - but life-changing-diet and lifestyle

modifications to prevent or reverse their disease and live long, heart-healthy lives.

Tips For Cardiovascular Wellness

Backed by cutting-edge research, Dr. Brill explains why each food is so important to your cardiovascular wellness.

She gives you creative tips on how to get your daily dose of heart healthy Mediterranean food.

Every Tool You Need

Daily checklists, a complete two-week eating plan, and dozens of mouth-watering Mediterranean recipes to suit every meal, taste, and budget.

Risks of Heart Attack

Each year, roughly 1.5 million Americans have a heart attack - and the majority of them survive.

Research shows that just one year after their diagnosis, the vast majority of these heart attack survivors fail to adhere to the dietary changes that could prevent a second heart attack.

Download Chapter
Heart-Healthy Food Number 1:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The centerpiece of the Mediterranean style of eating is olive oil a key factor in protecting against heart disease.

Rated Best Diet - 4 Years in a Row!
2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021
Live Healthier. Live Better. Live longer
One of the few worldwide experts on The Mediterranean Diet
Today's Heart Healthy Recipe
Low Cholesterol Recipe: Awesome Arugula
Create Heart Healthy Food & Fitness Plans with Dr. Janet's
BOOKS
Reverse Heart Disease by
Following the Mediterranean Lifestyle
Adopt Green
no day without greens and other vegetables
LOVE PLANT FOODS
no day without walnuts and flaxseeds
SAY YES
to fish and legumes
DAILY GRAINS
no day without whole grains and cereals
TAKE TO FRUITS
no day without figs or others fruit
AVOID FATS
no more butter and cream- to be replaced by extra virgin olive oil
SAY NO
to meat (beef, lamb, pork)
ENJOY
moderate alcohol consumption mainly in the form of red wine, recommended at dinner
What the Experts Say

"The message in this book is clear: eating heart healthy foods and being physically active is your body's best medicine.

Read this to prevent your second heart attack or stroke. Pass it on to someone you care about to prevent their first.

I truly believe that the Brill in Dr. Brill's name is short for Brilliant! Bravo Janet, on another masterpiece. Thank you from the bottom of my heart - the endothelial layer of our arteries."

Annabelle S. Volgman, MD, FACC
Medical Director, Rush Heart Center For Women
Associate Professor, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Brill's book is not another fad diet. It is for individuals who want to understand the progress of heart disease and execute lifestyle changes to prevent a second heart attack. To make her point, Brill incorporates pictures and illustrations to make clear how atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease develop. Her recommendations are not about nutritional deprivation; they are about I would recommend Prevent a Second Heart Attack for consumers as well as health-care professionals. It has many medical references, illustrations and graphics, making it a great resource. The recipes may not be for every reader, but for the health-conscious and adventurous individual, it might be appealing.

Reviewed by Ximena Jimenez, MS, RD, LDN
or the American Dietetic Association

What the Readers Say

A very helpful book

I found this book very helpful. I first got it out of the library and decided I wanted one of my own so I could refer to it. It is not too extreme which I found it other books. I can live with the diet this book suggests. My doctor agrees.

- K. Matto

The list of books that we insist everyone have in their house is very short- and this book has joined that list.

While the book is written for people who have already suffered a heart attack (and lived), in our view the advice is something that literally everybody needs to take a look at.

The reason for this recommendation is that this book is easy to understand and hard to argue with.

- The PEERTrainer Review of "Prevent a Second Heart Attack"

If you're one of the 13 million Americans who have survived a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart disease, Dr. Janet Bond Brill offers a delicious and foolproof plan that can lower your risk of a second heart attack by up to 70 percent. Inspired by the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, the Prevent a Second Heart Attack Plan is based on satisfaction, rather than deprivation.

- USAbooknews.com Review of "Prevent A Second Heart Attack"

Get Practical Advice for Everyday Health and Fitness
Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life

Q: Why did you write the book Prevent a Second Heart Attack?

A: I saw a need among heart attack survivors that was not being filled. Currently, more than 13 million Americans have either survived a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart disease.

As a registered dietitian specializing in cardiovascular disease prevention, I have found that heart attack survivors simply are not following a lifestyle plan that would help them to prevent a second attack.

What many of these "survivors" need to know is that a healthy lifestyle and carefully following doctor's orders can prevent another heart attack.

The problem is that many of these individuals find the "cardiac diet" too restrictive or complicated, and some receive no lifestyle counseling.

What's more, if the heart attack survivor decides to go it alone and purchase a self-help book, he or she may reach for one of the best-selling heart disease reversal books that promote a punishing, "extreme" fringe diet.

Most of these books feature Spartan, vegan-style eating plans that are simply too difficult to follow and frankly are just not livable.

Why should heart attack survivors be punished further with the burden of tasteless, low-fat plans when there is a better way?

My book gives these people good news - that they can prevent new plaque buildup and even reverse or stabilize dangerous, vulnerable plaque in their coronary arteries with a delightfully palatable lifestyle strategy where they can still enjoy the good things in life.

Q: But what exactly are the best lifestyle changes alongside drugs - for preventing a second heart attack and even reversing heart disease?

A: That is the very question this book answers. A tremendous amount of scientific research has investigated the application of various diet and exercise plans in preventing further coronary events.

I have found that the bulk of the scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the notion that post-heart attack patients should be advised to eat a Mediterranean-style diet, be physically active at least thirty minutes a day, and not smoke.

In fact, the famed Lyon Heart Study that tested a Cretan Mediterranean diet in cardiac patients reported a phenomenal reduction of recurrence rate of 70 percent compared to the control diet (a typical low-fat Western-style diet).

Thus, the bulk of the scientific research is crystal clear: a Mediterranean style of eating combined with physical activity is the optimal lifestyle plan for preventing a second heart attack and is far superior to the low-fat vegetarian diet regimens typically prescribed to heart patients in the fat-phobic '90s (and that continue to line bookstore shelves today).

I propose that a Mediterranean-style diet, as outlined in Prevent a Second Heart Attack and backed by powerful evidence, can be even more effective than the eating plans currently recommended by many cardiologists - simply because it tastes good and makes life more enjoyable.

Following vegan-style plans can also reverse heart disease but only if adhered to - an extremely difficult chore for most Americans.

Q: Did you have a personal reason for writing this book?

A: All the men I love have either died of heart disease or are currently living with the disease. My father had his first heart attack at age forty-five and died from his second attack several years later.

He was never given any lifestyle advice that could have helped him prevent or reverse his disease.

My father-in-law, Harry, had his first heart attack at forty-eight years old and had his second bypass operation two years ago at age seventy-eight.

He has tried many of the low-fat vegetarian diets over the years but has found them too difficult to adhere to on a consistent basis.

My husband, Sam, had his first heart attack two years ago at age fifty-one.

So I wrote this book with the hope that Sam, Harry, and the 13 million other American heart attack survivors will follow the advice set forth in these pages: a livable lifestyle that will show them the way to a long, happy, and healthy life by teaching them how to prevent that second lethal attack and even reverse the actual disease process.

Q: Hindsight is 20/20, but is there anything you would have suggested your husband, Sam, do to prevent his first heart attack?

A: Looking back, I would say I underestimated the power of three risk factors to promote a heart attack: severe emotional duress, family history, and a low HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Fearful that he would follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps (his grandfather died of a heart attack at age thirty-five), Sam underwent an invasive medical test (an angiogram) at age forty-five to reassure him that he was free of his family scourge.

The results came back negative for any trace of cardiovascular disease. His blood values were excellent except for a low HDL value of 32 (under 40 mg/dL is considered a risk factor)

He didn't smoke, had normal blood pressure, and was not overweight. He continued under the care of his cardiologist - and had passed his exercise stress tests with flying colors.

Then came the economic tsunami that hit the Florida real estate market (my husband is a general contractor)... combined with the stress of his father's second bypass operation - and he had a heart attack on July 31, 2009 - and thankfully survived with minor heart muscle damage.

So obviously, looking back, he should have been taking much more aggressive preventive measures given his family history - such as medications, HDL-boosting lifestyle measures, and practicing more stress management techniques.

Q: Is heart disease really reversible?

A: Yes. Studies published in leading medical journals have shown that following a lifestyle similar to the one outlined in my book - and combined with physician-prescribed medications - can stabilize and even reverse vulnerable plaque.

Q: Can I eat red meat?

A: The Prevent a Second Heart Attack plan consists of removing the plaque-building foods (red meat, cream, butter, eggs, and cheese) that cause blood vessel damage and replacing them with delicious anti-inflammatory foods that facilitate the body's natural healing processes to reverse existing heart disease and restore quality of life.

To combat the confusion issue, the Prevent a Second Heart Attack Plan offers powerful lifesaving advice, translating the complex clinical findings into a simple, easy-to-follow set of guidelines.

Q: What is the best exercise for my heart?

A: The scientific consensus is that walking is the best exercise prescription for fighting off heart disease. How much, how often, and how fast (plus a discussion of the latest scientific research on exercise for heart disease) is detailed in the chapter on exercise.

The best medicine for healing the arteries and reversing heart disease is moderate exercise, and the best exercise for you is the one you will do on a daily basis!

Q: What makes your plan so different and easier to follow than some of the other heart disease reversal plans on the market?

A: Many of the best-selling plans advise avoiding fish; any and all kinds of oil; avocado; nuts; seeds, and chocolate - delightfully tasty foods - all advocated in my plan.

Q: Can I really begin to heal my arteries in just 8 weeks?

A: Clinical research has shown a significant reduction in the rate of secondary events in post-heart attack subjects switching to a Mediterranean-style diet - in as little as 6 weeks.

Q: What about protein - where do I get my protein from?

A: The Prevent a Second heart Attack plan urges you to become a "vegaquarium."

By getting your protein from the earth and the sea, you will also be fueling your body with numerous additional nutrients that fortify your daily heart disease defense system - artery healing components not found in a Western-style diet high in animal protein.

Q: Can I drink coffee and tea?

A: The Prevent a Second heart Attack plan is a plant-based diet. Both coffee and tea are made from plants - and plants contain plaque-fighting phytonutrients. So yes, you can have coffee and tea.

Q: What about supplements?

A: Not all supplements are created equally when it comes to treating and reversing plaque buildup. Three stand out among the crowd and should be in every heart attack survivor's medicine chest: Niacin; Vitamin D3; Fish oil.

Read this book.

After my heart attack, I started reading everything I could get my hands on about how to use diet to improve my prognosis/reverse my cardiovascular disease: Ornish, Fuhrman, Campbell, Esselstyn, McDougall . . . . You name it, I've read it.

I learned a lot, and I determined that I would force myself to renounce my ways and adopt their no-animal-protein, super-low-fat eating regimens, because I don't want to die any time soon. I made a lot of changes, and became much healthier. But between my busy life and my food cravings, I just couldn't get to the level of compliance I wanted to with those other eating plans.

Then I got this book. At last, I have reached the Promised Land of healthy eating. Much of what I learned from the other authors I am still putting into practice: I still eat tons of fresh produce, mostly avoid meat and dairy products, etc. But Brill's guidelines include a few changes from those other plans, which make it easier to stick with in terms of both food satisfaction and convenience.

That's the first thing I love about this book: it tells you how you can eat a radically heart-healthy diet and still make it delicious and do-able. The second thing I love about it is that it provides an astonishingly detailed, yet readable, description of the many processes that happen in your body to produce coronary artery disease, and the specific ways that each of the recommended foods fights each step of the development of the disease. I came away from this book marveling at the wonders of nature. There are so many healing ingredients in food if we just eat it the way it grows naturally, instead of distorting and corrupting it the way we've been doing for the past century or so. It is really amazing.

Wonderful book. Highly, highly recommended.
By Blue Jade

A must READ!

This book has very helpful information for everyone who has experienced a first heart attack or has a loved one who has. I highly recommend.

By Roseanne and Steve

A very helpful book.

I found this book very helpful. I first got it out of the library and decided I wanted one of my own so I could refer to it. It is not too extreme which I found it other books. I can live with the diet this book suggests. My doctor agrees.

By K.

Even better, read this to prevent your FIRST heart attack!

This was the best of 6 books on preventing or reversing heart disease I read to help a friend who had a heart attack. I am an MD who practiced Internal Medicine. I found much of the data in this book invaluable and new to me. It is quite readable, practical, science based and thoroughly referenced (267 references) with data from about 200 individual studies. As a prior reviewer noted, many of the studies are based on epidemiologically based research which show association but cannot prove causation. I agree that the author would have done well to emphasize this more frequently. None the less, the kind of tightly controlled studies we might wish for are expensive, very difficult to arrange and often unethical in human populations. The type of study Brill cites are currently the only thing we have. Another plus for this book is that it is based on data relevant to survival rather than an ideology about plant-based food. Brill explains the physiology and pathology of heart disease in a thorough manner which contributes to understanding the rationale of the suggested dietary choices.

There is so much good and current information in the book that I am on my third reading. A goodie I missed that first two times: Among 23,000 Greeks studied prospectively for an average of 8.5 years the dietary items most associated with longevity were in order: 1) moderate red wine intake, 2) low consumption of meat, 3) high consumption of vegetables, 4) high consumption of fruits and nuts, 5) high consumption of olive oil and 6) high consumption of legumes. I would never have guessed that moderate red wine intake would be the most highly predictive factor for longevity.

She makes a good case for including fish in your diet. A shocker to me was the DART study in which the mere suggestion to heart attack survivors that they include two to three portions fish per week in their diet cut their risk of death by 29% in the following two years compared to patients not given the advice. Now there is a cheap and potent intervention.

I read this book to help a friend who had just suffered a heart attack. I ended up changing my diet dramatically and suggesting the book to many of my friends who also have not had a heart attack and would just as soon not have one.

By H. Mccartor

EXCELLENT!

Every person 50 years old or older must read this book. It will give you a longer and healthier life.

By Ed Gomez

Blood Pressure Down: Making BP Control Easy, Drug-free and Healthy
Review by: Pankaj Sharma

It's not just another book on high blood pressure. In fact, it's a guide to fitness and a healthy heart, especially for those suffering from high blood pressure as it addresses everything from the concept of hypertension to suggesting effective solutions to control and maintain a healthy blood pressure.

The best thing about the book is its in-depth research that goes into writing the book, which is quite evident from the references and scientific aspects provided by the author to prove her point.

It's not one of those books that preach, preach and preach. 'Blood Pressure Down' offers effective and easy-to-follow checklists and dietary plans that will help you keep a check on your blood pressure.

My recommendation is - go for this book! You will need it more in your kitchen than on your book shelf or in the library.

Read More
Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks Without Prescription Drugs
Review by: Nancy Stedman

Almost one in three Americans over 20 has high blood pressure, which is considered one of the most treatable causes of heart disease and strokes. Yet a majority of people with the condition fail to keep their blood pressure under control, at least in part because hypertensive medications produce lots of side effects, like fatigue. Blood Pressure Down presents a credible plan to lower your blood pressure without medication via diet, exercise and stress reduction. Some key foods include kiwis (almost as much potassium as bananas but with half the calories), low-fat yogurt (tons of calcium), dark chocolate (packed with flavanols) and red wine (it combines the benefits of antioxidants and alcohol). The book also recommends a daily glass of low-sodium vegetable juice as a way to get a megadoseof potassium.

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Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks-Without Prescription Drugs
Review by: Lenora Dannelke

In Blood Pressure Down, Brill highlights the fact that behavior changes can strongly influence blood pressure and employs the DASH principles in her lifestyles therapy plan. By following her plan, patients and clients can avoid undesirable side effects and eliminate the expense of blood pressure medications.

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8 Foods, 8 Weeks to
Reverse Heart Disease