Three Tips for Healthy Cholesterol

1. Adhere to a high-fiber, healthy-fat eating plan like the Mediterranean-type diet I talk about so often. As my newsletter readers know, I’ve been a proponent of the modified Mediterranean diet for years—even before it became fairly mainstream. I’ve expanded that foundation to include the Japanese diet, because I believe that, combined, they deliver the best of both worlds.
   
   On this diet, you’ll eat plenty of fiber-bearing fruits and vegetables. For example, grapefruit contains pectin, an excellent fiber source that helps lower cholesterol. (But don’t eat grapefruit if you’re on cardiovascular drugs. I explained why in a recent letter to you.) One pear or an apple a day also provides significant fiber. Similarly, baked, kidney, and navy beans are high in fiber.
   
   I write about this diet often in my newsletter, Heart, Health and Nutrition.
   
   
2. Get moving! Exercise will get your blood flowing and keep your arteries and veins elastic and healthy. Movement of any kind has enormous physical, metabolic, and psychological benefits.
   
   
3. Stop smoking. You can add to the long list of reasons you should’t smoke the fact that smoking can lower your HDL levels. Even being exposed to passive smoke can place you at risk for heart disease and lower HDL levels.