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With adequate, accurate information and changes in your lifestyle, you can take control of your cholesterol, lower it and then maintain it at a healthy level.

Here is your step by step plan to enable you to lower your cholesterol within a few weeks - without medication.

' get your physician to test your personal cholesterol levels ' it is simply done with a blood test;

' when you get the results, discuss them in detail with your physician. There are two important readings ' HDL and LDL levels. The LDL level is the one that can become high and threaten your wellbeing. Also important is the ratio between the two readings ' a slightly higher LDL level may be compensated for by a very low HDL.

' if your HDL and/or LDL level readings need to be improved, ask your physician for advice. If the situation has become serious, it may be necessary to commence some medication to quickly stabilize the HDL and LDL levels. If however, the levels are just a little out of kilter, or even if you are told they are within the normal range for your age group, it should be possible for you to take control and, with some changes in your lifestyle ' in the areas of food and activity ' reduce your cholesterol to more satisfactory levels and to maintain them at those levels. This contributes significantly to your ongoing wellbeing and to your future prospects of maintaining good health as you get older.

' what do I have to change about my eating habits to achieve this? You do not have to go on a strict diet. Merely ensuring that certain types of food are not, or at least not very often, included in your meals and making sure that other types of food that you may not at present eat much of, make up a larger part of your meals.

You should try to eat:

a. as much of different kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables as possible;

b. lean cuts of meat and poultry [make sure the poultry is skinless];

c. lean fish and shellfish;

d. use low-fat dairy products ' fortunately there is an abundance of them available now ' it was not always so;

e. reduce the amount of salt and fat you use in your cooking;

f. use herbs and spices to add flavor to your food;

g. grill, steam, poach, broil or bake your food ' avoid frying it;

h. in other words, reduce the amount of fat you eat. Check the labels on the food you buy ' it is not only the total amount of fat in the food that is of concern, but also the amount of saturated and trans-fats. These are the deadly, and I use that word advisedly, the deadly components of your fat intake;

i. prepare your own meals, AND serve smaller portions of them. It is better, not only for this plan, but for your general health, to have smaller meals, and to have more of them during the day if you still feel the need for more food;

j. stay away from the fast-foods ' no pickups or deliveries!

' what else do I have to do?

a. increase your activity level ' it may have been almost non-existent or you may already be reasonably active. Increasing the level will have a major impact on your health. You do not have to over-exert yourself to gain the healthy benefits of exercise ' just be consistent with what you do. Try to get regular exercise, every day if possible;

b. not only will increased levels of activity help any cholesterol problems you may have, but it will also allow you to get to achieve, and to maintain, a healthy body weight;

c. if you are a smoker ' STOP ' enough said;

d. if your physician has prescribed medication to stabilize your cholesterol levels, follow precisely the advice and treatment you were given;

e. keep a journal of what you do ' the changes you make to your lifestyle and the results you achieve. If you begin to struggle to stay on target, read back over what you have done ' use the account of what you have done, and where you have come from and be proud of it. This will help to motivate you to stay on track.

Finally, learn as much as you can about cholesterol, about your health in general, and about how maintaining a healthy lifestyle not only brings you great benefits now ' but will continue to do so into the future ' into that longer lifetime you will surely enjoy as a result of your efforts now to take charge of your health ' and of your life.