Making Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are important to help control high cholesterol, especially if you have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Even if your doctor has prescribed medicine for you, you may still need to make changes at home to lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk. Some people can even take less medicine after making these changes.

What changes do you need to make?

Make these lifestyle changes to help lower your cholesterol:

• Eat healthy foods. Follow a heart-healthy diet such as the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet, the Mediterranean diet, or the American Heart Association diet recommendations. See:

  High Cholesterol: Using the TLC Diet.

  Heart Disease: Eating a Heart-Healthy Diet.

• Lose extra weight. Losing just 5 lb to 10 lb (2.3 kg to 4.5 kg) can lower your cholesterol and triglycerides. Losing weight can also help lower your blood pressure. For help, see:

  Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change.

  Weight Management: Using Positive Thinking.

• Get active. Regular physical activity raises "good" HDL cholesterol. Getting active has many other benefits too. It can help you lose weight. And it can lower your blood pressure. See:

  High Cholesterol: Raising Your HDL Level.

  Fitness: Adding More Activity to Your Life.

  Activity Ideas.

  Quick Tips: Getting Active at Home.

• Don't smoke. Quitting can help raise your HDL and improve your heart health. "Good" HDL levels often go up soon after a person quits smoking. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking. And for more help, see:

  Quitting Smoking: Getting Support.

  Quitting Smoking: Coping With Cravings and Withdrawal.

  Quitting Smoking: Preventing Slips or Relapses.

More on food

Making healthy eating habits a part of your daily life is one of the best things you can do to lower your cholesterol. Your doctor may recommend the TLC diet. The diet's main focus is to reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat, because saturated fat raises your cholesterol.

High Cholesterol: Using the TLC Diet

You could also use the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating foods like fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, high-fiber grains and breads, and olive oils. These foods are rich with monounsaturated fats, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.