I skipped the heart attacks (*crosses fingers*) but was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol 2 1/2 years ago. At first I tried just living like I always had (I'm a Mississippi girl :) and taking the meds, but I felt awful, so I started experimenting.

I bought a book called _Reversing Diabetes_, and it HAS reversed mine. I've lost 50 pounds and come off ALL my meds. You want high (complex) carbs and fiber, low fat and protien (hard on those kidneys!).

SOOO--I relearned to cook by taking a favorite food and playing with it. Cornbread? It's already whole grain (especially if you don't use the cornmeal "mix"), so use fat-free buttermilk in place of whole-fat regular milk and just spray your skillet with some olive oil in a spritzer. You'll still get the crispy crust, but with LOTS less bad stuff.

As Ruthieg says, go a bit at a time. Soon you'll not only automatically make the healthy changes, but you'll actually LIKE the food better.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.