Many believe that avoiding these foods would help them to maintain a normal cholesterol level. While this may be one good dietary approach, it is not the only way. In addition to limiting the intake of high cholesterol food, saturated fat should also be reduced. Eating too much food that are high in saturated fat such as chicken skin, Chinese sausages and deep fried foods can affect the cholesterol level. In addition, trans fats, which are partially hydrogenated fatty acids, are even worse than saturated fat in the way of affecting cholesterol level.

Research studies show that it can increase the bad cholesterol and reduce the good cholesterol, thus affecting cardiovascular health. Foods that contain trans fats include margarine, crackers, cookies, snack foods. Simply making changes to one’s diet is not enough to control the cholesterol level. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is also important. Exercise regularly can assist in lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol. It is recommended to take part in 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day. This can be jogging, running, swimming or other cardio activities. The key is to find the type of exercise that you will enjoy so that it will be easier to do it regularly.

Besides exercising, people who are overweight should lose some weight, even if it’s only 5 to 10 lbs. Weight loss alone can help lower cholesterol levels. Besides changing diet habits, taking omega 3 supplements or fish oil may help assist in stabilizing blood cholesterol level. EPA is specifically beneficial to blood vessel and blood cholesterol level. When choosing a fish oil or omega 3 supplement, pay attention to the label on the package about the DHA and EPA dosage. Choose a supplement with higher EPA level to focus on cholesterol problems. The ideal ratio of EPA:DHA is 2:1 for stabilizing blood cholesterol.