Ways to Control Cholesterol

There are many ways to control cholesterol levels, including losing weight, eating healthier, exercising consistently, stopping smoking, and even taking medication. Some people can benefit by doing them all, while others may only need to take part in one or two of them to control their cholesterol.

Soluble Fiber

• Eating 10 grams per day of certain soluble fiber foods like oatmeal, oat bran, psyllium, barley, apples, pears, prunes and kidney beans can reduce your LDL and total cholesterol levels. This is because soluble fiber limits cholesterol absorption by your intestines, thus reducing the amount your body will retain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Nuts

• While eating soluble fiber foods can prevent excess cholesterol absorption in the intestines, eating certain nuts--walnuts, especially--can help prevent its buildup in the blood stream. In addition, eating nuts--walnuts, almonds and some others--will help keep your blood vessels flexible, which helps prevent hardening of arteries.

  Other nuts that help reduce cholesterol---in moderation, of course---include hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, peanuts and some pine nuts. But don't eat too many. You only need about a handful of nuts per day to reap the benefit.

Fish

• If you want to control your cholesterol, but you still want to eat meat, eat fish. Some fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, an important ingredient in the fight against high cholesterol. Fish with the most omega-3 in them are salmon, mackerel, trout (the ones from lakes), albacore tuna, herring and sardines. But how you eat these fish is also important: They need to be baked or grilled, not fried.

Exercise

• Any exercise is beneficial to those seeking to control their cholesterol, even if it's just taking a walk after dinner. However, those who manage to work up to 30 minutes (or an hour) of exercise each day will benefit the most, according to the Mayo Clinic. And the best way to do that is to choose an activity that you enjoy, so you will remain committed to it. In addition to lowering the bad (LDL) cholesterol, exercise also raises the good (HDL) cholesterol, too.
  Always talk with your doctor before you begin any exercise program.

Smoking

• A fast way to reduce and control your cholesterol is to stop smoking. In fact, 24 hours after an individual stops smoking the likelihood of a heart attack also decreases. And, after only one year of smoking cessation, individuals cut their heart disease risk in half. Stopping smoking also lowers blood pressure.

Medication

• Some people are unable to control their cholesterol through diet and exercise alone. For them, it is important to maintain a medication regime in order to control this condition. Generally one or more of the following drug classes are prescribed (depending upon why the cholesterol is high): statins, bile acid-binding resins, niacins, fibrates and cholesterol-absorption inhibitors.