To treat cholesterol, you need to take steps to live life better, to get active, lose weight and to eat healthily. Here’s a list of things you can do and see the articles Ways To Live Life Better for more practical tips and inspiration:

• Get down to a healthy weight – being overweight means your heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body.
• Be more physically active every day.
• Eat fish twice a week including oily fish
• Eat more fruit and vegetables.
• Eat more wholegrain varieties of cereals, breads, pasta and rice. Choose jacket potatoes.
• Choose lean meats. Trim fat off meat and skin off chicken. Drain oil from cooked dishes containing minced meat.
• Choose low-fat dairy products.
• Choose low-fat spreads made from sunflower or olive oil.
• Choose less foods from the top shelf of the Food Pyramid.
• Use low-fat healthy ways of cooking, like grilling or oven-baking, instead of frying.

What if I have low HDL?

If your blood test showed that your HDL cholesterol is below the recommended levels, you will need to increase this level to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. You can increase the healthy HDL levels by:

• Being more active
• Reducing your weight
• If you smoke, by stopping smoking

Your doctor may also prescribe medication to raise your HDL levels. You should have a regular blood pressure and cholesterol check with your doctor.