Typically, your lifestyle and your genetics combine to lead you to have-or not have-high cholesterol.
Pictured recipe:Steel Cut Oatmeal
Not all cholesterol is bad.
Cholesterol is carried through the blood in molecules called lipoproteins.
LDL (bad) deposit cholesterol inside your arteries.
But talk to your doctor too, because you might also benefit from a prescription, such as statins.
1.Choose high-quality foods.
So aim to eat more healthy foods-fruits, veggies, lean protein, low-fat dairy, whole grains.
Get your omega-3 fats.
Other polyunsaturated fats are plentiful in certain plant oils-grapeseed, safflower, sesame, soy and corn oils.
Olive, canola and peanut oils are good sources of monounsaturated fats, and so are avocados.
Learn more:The Best Oils for Cooking
3.
Be mindful of saturated and trans fats.
If you eat 2,000 calories per day, this translates to 11 to 13 grams of saturated fat.
Learn more about thetop high-fiber foods to include in your diet.
Carrying around extra weight is another potential contributor to high cholesterol.
Strive for better sleep.
By better, we mean both quantity and quality.
But what is considered quality sleep?
Read more:7 Foods to Help You Sleep
8.
Laugh more, stress less.
Finding a way to manage your stress can help keep your cholesterol in a healthy range.
So find something that helps you de-stress-solid sleep, exercise, even laughter.
Learn more:7 Foods for Stress Relief
