An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber.

The average American gets about half that amount. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber. A bushel of studies shows that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.

Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

Even exposure to second-hand smoke can affect your HDL level. Talk to your doctor about developing a plan to help you stop smoking. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat. They add flavor and variety to your diet. They are also the best source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals for your body.

Aim for 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day. This should not include potatoes, corn, or rice. These count as carbohydrates. They are found in foods such as butter, coconut and palm oil, saturated or partially hydrogenated vegetable fats such as shortening and margarine, animal fats in meats, and fats in whole milk dairy products.

Limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Avoid trans-fat completely. Most fats in fish, vegetables, grains, and tree nuts are unsaturated. Try to eat unsaturated fat in place of saturated fat. For example, use olive oil or canola oil when cooking instead of butter.

Use healthier cooking methods. Baking, broiling, and roasting are the healthiest ways to prepare meat, poultry, and other foods. Trim any outside fat or skin before cooking.

Lean cuts can be pan-broiled or stir-fried. Use either a nonstick pan or nonstick cooking spray instead of adding fats such as butter or margarine. When eating out, ask how food is prepared. You can request that your food be baked, broiled, or roasted, rather than fried.

Look for other sources of protein. Meats are a good source of protein. But they contain a lot of cholesterol and saturated fats. Fish, beans, tree nuts, peas, and lentils also offer protein, but without the cholesterol and fats.

They also contain fiber and other nutrients. Consider eating one meatless meal each week. Try substituting beans for meat in a favorite recipe, such as lasagna or chili. Snack on a handful of almonds or pecans. Soy is also an excellent source of protein.

Good examples of soy include soymilk, edamame green soybeans , tofu, and soy protein shakes. Get more fiber in your diet. Add good sources of fiber to your meals. Examples include:. In addition to fiber, whole grains supply B vitamins and important nutrients not found in foods made with white flour.

Eat more fish. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild-caught oily fish are the best sources of omega-3s. These include salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.

But all fish contain some amount of this beneficial fatty acid. Aim for 2 6-oz. servings every week. Add supplements to your diet. Some examples include:. Learn how to read a nutrition facts label. All packaged and processed foods should contain a nutrition facts label.

When you hear your healthcare providers talking about cholesterol, they refer to the concentrations of the "bad" cholesterol, also known as low-density lipoproteins LDL and the "good" cholesterol, also known as the high-density lipoproteins HDL cholesterol.

Simply put, the more LDL cholesterol present, the more cholesterol is attached to the walls of the arteries, which becomes plaque. As the plaque builds up, blood flow becomes restricted, making the heart work harder. This buildup can lead to heart problems, like stroke or a heart attack.

The good news is, HDL cholesterol prevents cholesterol from accumulating by taking it away from the blood vessels and back to the liver, where it gets broken down. In other words, the more HDL cholesterol is present, the lesser your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Your risk for high cholesterol is determined by several factors, including genetics and age. Fortunately, what you eat, your body weight, whether you smoke and exercise can make a difference in your cholesterol levels.

Talk to your doctor about testing your cholesterol levels. They may recommend medication if they're high but breaking some of these habits can help you improve your levels and be healthier in other ways. To improve your cholesterol levels, here are our top five habits to break.

Added sugars are forms of refined carbohydrates added to foods and beverages during production and in meal preparation. Unlike naturally occurring sugars, which are found in vegetables, fruits and dairy products, consuming added sugars may raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol, leading to an increased risk for coronary heart disease.

In short, reducing your added sugar intake may help to improve your HDL cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association AHA recommends limiting added sugar intake to no more than calories a day for women and calories a day for men, equivalent to about 6 teaspoons and 9 teaspoons, respectively.

Added sugars are found in food and drinks, including sodas, energy drinks, some yogurts, breakfast cereals and oatmeal, cereal bars, desserts, baked goods and more.

To cut back on your added sugar intake, check the nutrition label for added sugars. Read the ingredient list as added sugars come in various names including, brown sugar, molasses, agave, honey, fructose and high-fructose corn syrup.

If you drink soda regularly, consider cutting back on the amount you drink. You can also reduce the serving size of foods that provide added sugars, and try making sweet treats without added sugar.

Like added sugars, refined grains provide minimal nutritional value as the bran and germ, which include essential nutrients like dietary fiber, are stripped during the manufacturing process.

As a result, the starchy part of the grain remains. When consumed, it becomes absorbed into the blood sooner, causing sudden spikes in the blood sugar level and triggering the pancreas to produce and release more insulin.

Over time, this could lead to weight gain, increased triglyceride levels, insulin resistance and a greater risk for coronary heart disease. Refined grains include white flour, white pasta and noodles, potato chips, cakes, cookies and more. Whole grains, such as whole barley, whole oats, millet, buckwheat and spelt, on the contrary, are good for your heart.

Dietary fiber helps stabilize the blood sugar and prevents sudden spikes by slowing down the absorption of sugar. Whole grains may also help improve your cholesterol level.

Including an extra serving or two in your diet may reduce the LDL cholesterol level and the risk of coronary heart disease by 10 to 20 percent. To get into the habit of eating whole grains, start by replacing one meal with whole grains and slowly work towards including whole grains as part of most meals and snacks.

Try these high-fiber whole-grain recipes to get you started. Besides whole grains, other foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes also have dietary fiber.

Specifically, the soluble fiber present in these foods acts as a sponge that binds to dietary cholesterol and fat and removes them in the stools.

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Request Appointment. Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol. Products and services. Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol Lifestyle changes can help improve your cholesterol — and boost the cholesterol-lowering power of medications.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Show references Your guide to lowering your cholesterol with TLC.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. pdf Accessed May 22, Kumar P, et al. Lipid and metabolic disorders. In: Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed May 22, Tangney CC, et al.

Lipid lowering with diet or dietary supplements. Catapano AL, et al. Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Final determination regarding partially hydrogenated oils removing trans fat. Food and Drug Administration.

Accessed June 28, Cooking to lower cholesterol. American Heart Association. Fekete AA, et al. Whey protein lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function and lipid biomarkers in adults with prehypertension and mild hypertensions: Results from the chronic Whey2Go randomized controlled trial.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Douglas PS. Exercise and fitness in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Accessed May 30, Hyperlipidemia adult.

Rochester, Minn. Braun LT, et al. Effects of exercise on lipoproteins and hemostatic factors. Smoke-free living: Benefits and milestones. Accessed May , Cardiovascular benefits and risks of moderate alcohol consumption.

Accessed May 31, Bonow RO, et al. Risk markers and the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. In: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. Products and Services A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition Nutritional Supplements at Mayo Clinic Store Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition.

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It is found in foods from animal sources only. It travels in the body by lipoproteins LDL and HDL. A health care professional can measure blood cholesterol and help you understand what the levels mean. Track your cholesterol levels over time and take steps to reduce high cholesterol. View or Download Fact Sheet English PDF Spanish PDF.

Home Healthy Living Healthy Lifestyle Life's Essential 8 How to Control Cholesterol Fact Sheet. HDL: Helps keep LDL from sticking to artery walls and reduces plaque buildup. This process can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Triglycerides: The most common type of fat in the body. Track Levels A health care professional can measure blood cholesterol and help you understand what the levels mean.

Tips for Success Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins like fish and seafood.