A registered dietitian, New York Times best-selling author, and author of the new book The Dash Diet Mediterranean Solution, Marla Heller, M.S., R.D., has combined her expertise on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and the Mediterranean diet to share a comprehensive plan for weight management and better health.

In this excerpt from her new book, Marla tells us how to make the Med-DASH plan easy. It comes down to getting the right foods in your fridge so that when you reach in you'll automatically pull out a plant-based, nutrient-dense food. Here are some tips for navigating the grocery store aisles and choosing heart-healthy options.

The heart of the Med-DASH plan is plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, olive oil, beans, nuts, seeds, and mostly whole grains, when you do have grains.