There are 2 types of cholesterol. LDL is bad cholesterol HDL is good cholesterol LDL is the type of cholesterol that clogs your arteries and causes heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, etc HDL is a type of cholesterol that acts sort of like a pacman and goes throughout your bloodstream in your body and eats and destroys bad cholesterol. I always remember them by remembering that "H" means happy So, the key is to lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase your good cholesterol (HDL) You can decrease your bad cholesterol by avoiding foods which contain bad fat. The number one bad fat is "trans fat" also known as "Partially hydrogenated oil" or simply "Hydrogenated oil" You need to start reading labels on foods and if you see any food that contains trans fat, it is a heart clogger and a cancer causer. The scary part is that when you start reading labels, you will realize just how many foods contain these bad fats. IT's amazing. You can also reduce your LDL cholesterol by reducing your foods that originated from an animal. Try to really limit red meat as much as possible...........turkey and chicken are ok as long as you prepare it in a healthy way. No frying! Now, how to increase your HDL: Increasing your HDL is totally up to YOU When you exercise, your body will produce HDL cholesterol, so every time you take a brisk walk, just imagine your body creating those pacmen that will go through your blood and kill the bad cholesterol. In addition to feeling better and looking better, the exercise will help cholesterol. Controlling stress also increases HDL cholesterol. When you are under stress, your body releases a chemical called cortisol which is similar to adrenaline........while it is okay to have adrenaline running through your veins if you were truly in a life and death situation, having it run through your veins on a daily basis is deadly........The chemical cortisol will prevent your body from producing this lifesaving HDL, so please find a way to relax. Exercise also has a way of helping stress so you might be able to zap out that cortisol while you are at it. Some people use prayer or meditation to help them relax. There are also certain foods that help increase HDL. These foods contain the "good" fats. Remember, it's the good fats which help lower bad fats. Good fats are, however, high in calorie, so you DO want to include them in your daily diet but don't go overboard eating these good fats. 2-3 servings a day of good fats is probably enough.......and those servings are realistic servings and not supersize. Anyway, some examples of good fats are olive oil, walnuts, salmon, avocados, etc. When choosing salmon, make sure you ONLY choose Wild Alaskan Salmon. Farmed salmon are known to contain mercury and other contaminants. I buy cans of salmon packed in water (never buy the ones packed in oil) and then I make a salmon salad sandwich on whole wheat. I mix it just like a tuna salad sandwich but I just substitute salmon instead.......and then that salmon can get to work in my bloodstream eating up that bad cholesterol. Salmon also gives your skin, hair and nails a very healthy glow. It is truly a superfood! Good luck to you!