Foolproof Heart Attack Protection?

I was eagerly waiting for the showing on CNN of Sanjay Gupta's The Last Heart Attack.  It was preempted by the dramatic and stirring events in Libya, but I was able to view the basics on the CNN website.  Here are the links:

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/%E2%80%98dr-sanjay-gupta-reports-the-last-heart-attack%E2%80%99-%E2%80%93-a-mission-possible/

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/19/heart.attack.proof.diet/index.html?iref=obnetwork

The diet that is recommended -- and which former President Bill Clinton follows -- is one that excludes dairy products, eggs, meat products and all added fats and oils.  It is based instead on legumes, fish, grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.  Experts claim that the diet actually cleans the arteries of plaque and it is effective even for those who have a genetic predisposition to heart diease.
 
I have a mixed reaction to this report.  I firmly believe that food has made us sick in the United States -- and that food can cure us.  I believe that processed foods, low fiber and high sugar are the cause of the increased incidence of the major diseases from which we suffer in this country -- and that changing what we eat will reduce the incidence of those same diseases.  So...I'm delighted to hear this bold statement that heart disease is a "foodborne illness" and that heart disease can be "cured" with changes in our diet.
 
I also believe, though, that a real and comprehensive solution to the epidemic of diseases caused by American dietary patterns includes bringing joy back to the table.  This means first, there must be a table; second, there must be whole foods, lovingly prepared, on the table; third, the foods must taste good and be satisfying; and fourth, we need to find ways to notice, savor and appreciate what we are eating.
 
Dietary fats have long been recognized as an important source of satisfaction and sense of well-being.  In Isaiah 25:6 when G-d prepares a banquet for the people, a banquet that signifies a restoration of the original harmony between divine and human realms and the end of death, fats predominate in the imagery: "And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined." 
 
Many studies suggest that olive oil has not just a neutral role in maintaining heart health -- but an active and positive role.  Fatty acids are an essential part of the human diet -- hence, "essential fatty acids."  Fats should be 20-35% of a healthy diet. 
 
Speaking personally, I can say that my vegetarian and heart-healthy foods taste better and are more satisfying with some fat content.  I use extra virgin olive oil almost exclusively for that purpose.  I believe that as a result, I am less inclined to grab fast foods or unhealthy items.  I am content and well-satisfied after I have enjoyed a meal, and I don't feel cravings and urges for inappropriate food items.
 
The diet presented in The Last Heart Attack -- and promoted by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. of the Cleveland Clinic -- includes fish.  Certainly fish could provide the dietary fat required in a healthy diet and possibly satisfaction as well.  Fish would be excluded, though, from a vegetarian diet, and even if one does eat fish, plant-based dishes seem unnecessarily dull and dry to me without the addition of oils. 
 
My personal choice for good health and joyful eating remains the Mediterranean diet, which is, in some sense, a more moderate version of Dr. Esselstyn's diet.  I love to visualize . . . and prepare and eat . . . beautiful fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, legumes and yes, oils.