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Fitness, Exercise, and Healthy Eating
 
Cut Down on Sodium (Salt)
Cut down on sodium. You can choose low sodium foods, which will also help lower your cholesterol, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat or nonfat dairy products, and moderate amounts of lean meat. To flavor your food, reach for herbs and spices rather than high sodium table salt. There are many types of seasoning mixes in salt shaker-like containers you can find in grocery stores, but some do contain salt. Be sure to read the labels of these products before purchasing.
Control Your Body Weight
Control your body weight. It is not uncommon for overweight people to have higher blood cholesterol than people who are not overweight. When you reduce the fat in your diet, you cut down not only on cholesterol and saturated fat, but on calories as well. This will help you to lose weight and improve your blood cholesterol, both of which will reduce your risk for heart disease. If you are overweight, talk with your health care provider about the best ways to lose weight, including having a regular exercise program. Regular exercise is important, even if you are not overweight. It will help lower your blood cholesterol and blood pressure and improve your overall health.
Good VS. Bad Cholesterol
If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up (called plaque) in your arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from the heart and lungs to all parts of the body). High cholesterol adds to the narrowing and blockages in arteries, which cause heart disease. We all have “good” cholesterol, called HDL, which helps remove cholesterol from the blood. We also all have “bad” cholesterol, or LDL, which causes cholesterol to build up in the blood.
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