High cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. You can improve cholesterol with medications, but if you'd rather first make lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol, try these five healthy changes. If you already take medications, these changes can improve their cholesterol-lowering effect.

If you have high cholesterol, you’re also at higher risk for heart disease. But the good news is, it’s a risk you can control. You can lower your bad LDL cholesterol and raise your “good” HDL cholesterol. You just have to make some simple changes.


Foods naturally rich in soluble fiber have proven particularly good at lowering cholesterol. Excellent sources include oats, oat bran, barley, peas, yams, sweet potatoes and other potatoes, as well as legumes or beans, such as pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, and peas.

keep in mind that limiting fat intake, even so-called “good” fats like omega-3 fat or Mediterranean-style fats like olive oil, is a good idea because any fat is dense with calories, which means heavy consumption can easily lead to a heavy body.

![2015-10-14-7-natural-ways-to-lower-cholesterol-levels-fast-fb.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZUAez3spkNp4fVXV1eFTw3zW9m9md7FPCoDnsKT96M2e/2015-10-14-7-natural-ways-to-lower-cholesterol-levels-fast-fb.jpg)
Total cholesterol

Below 200 mg/dL	Desirable
200-239 mg/dL	Borderline high
240 mg/dL and above	High
LDL cholesterol

Below 70 mg/dL	  Ideal for people at very high risk of heart disease
Below 100 mg/dL	 Ideal for people at risk of heart disease
100-129 mg/dL	Near ideal
130-159 mg/dL	Borderline high
160-189 mg/dL	High
190 mg/dL and above	Very high
HDL cholesterol

Below 40 mg/dL (men),
Below 50 mg/dL (women)	Poor
50-59 mg/dL	Better
60 mg/dL and above	Best
Triglycerides

Below 150 mg/dL	Desirable
150-199 mg/dL	Borderline high
200-499 mg/dL	High
500 mg/dL and above	Very high

Foods high in saturated fat include:
meat pies
sausages and fatty cuts of meat
butter, ghee and lard
cream
hard cheeses
cakes and biscuits
foods containing coconut or palm oil

![cholestrol_regulation.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQme6dxGyKfVNQ5YsPa1f7MxbSVViAysxJ5PuMFyeJWZSNV/cholestrol_regulation.jpg)

Eat more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats

Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids help lower LDL. Most plant-derived oils, including canola, safflower, sunflower, olive, grapeseed, and peanut oils, contain both. Fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring, and mackerel), seeds, nuts, avocados and soybeans are also great sources.

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.

Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with foods that are high in unsaturated fats, such as:

oily fish (for example, mackerel and salmon)
nuts (for example, almonds and cashews)
seeds (for example, sunflower and pumpkin)
vegetable oils and spreads (for example, sunflower, olive, corn, walnut and rapeseed oils).

Eat more legumes. Legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans and peas are good for people with high cholesterol levels. They are low in fat and rich in nutrients such as B vitamins, iron and unsaturated fats. They are also a rich source of soluble fibre, which helps to lower cholesterol levels.

![lower-ldl-cholesterol-eat-beans-600x306.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdBNzWyni2pJPYj7QrYJpuWZgfULiC3op7K1iVLZJfPpE/lower-ldl-cholesterol-eat-beans-600x306.jpg)
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/how-to-lower-cholesterol
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/nutrition-tips/lower-cholesterol-in-seven-days/news-story/8fccad5a19b245c0b5c103d680d48aea
https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg6-7.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935