(HealthDay News) -- A heart-healthy diet can help keep blood vessels clear of plaque, and help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Womenshealth.gov offers these guidelines for a heart-healthy diet:

• Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits.
• Making at least half of your daily grain consumption whole grains. These may include whole-grain barley, brown rice, whole-grain corn and oatmeal.
• Eating low-fat dairy foods, such as yogurt, cheese and milk.
• Getting lots of nuts and dry beans, lean meat, fish and poultry without the skin.
• Favoring polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats via vegetable oils, fish and nuts.
• Avoiding: saturated and trans fats, sodium (salt), cholesterol and added sugars.