Cholesterol levels above average and you need to lower it? That's not surprising because it's common nowadays. To aid you in lowering your cholesterol, here's ten tips you can use today.

As dealing with anything health related, the food you eat and your exercise habits are critical. The Food you eat is critical to reducing your cholesterol levels, Follow the tips below to reduce your cholesterol

Know what LDL and HDL means to your health. Think of HDL as healthy or good cholesterol and LDL as lousy or bad cholesterol. HDL can actually move cholesterol out from your blood, while LDL allows it to form as plaque in your arteries HDL cholesterol can help by counteracting the bad LDL cholesterol.

Luckily you can help to reduce cholesterol to acceptable levels. Here's what you can do:|Here's a few things you can do:|Here's some cholesterol lowering tips:}

1. Eat sandwiches on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey(non processed if possible) and fresh vegetables. Pass on any forms of hot dogs, bologna, salami and hold the mayonnaise. Stay away from highly processed food high in cholesterol.

2. Cold water fish such as wild salmon, flounder and halibut are good sources of omega 3 fish oil. {Try wild some red salmon varieties, which tends to be high in omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Flax seed is another rich source of omega 3 oils.

3. Avoid Trans fats. It raises the bad LDL cholesterol levels, and it can also lower your good HDL levels Trans fatty acids can raise your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while lowering the good cholesterol (HDL). Avoid also foods like margarine, shortening and all processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Eat nuts. While high in fat they contain the good (HDL) cholesterol. Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)

5. Try to limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like such as angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.

6. Consume foods high in fiber. Fiber rich foods include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals that help to lower cholesterol levels include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals.

7. Grill foods rather than fry them. If you've gotta have steak or burgers, try grilling them at home and choose lean meat or organic. This avoids the most of the grease and the meat tastes great.

8. Try a low fat salad dressing. Avoid dressings with trans fat or cholesterol. Olive oil is a good choice, although high in fats it's the good cholesterol (HDL), and add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.

9. Eat fruits and vegetables Fill your diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Thay have no cholesterol, the fiber fills you up and they have antioxidents.

Some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

10. Eliminate fried foods from fast food outlets that usually deep fry foods. Foods cooked in many fast food outlets are deep fried, which tends to raise your cholesterol levels. Try to avoid them.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

Just make some modifications and stay fit by exercising like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball and you will reduce your cholesterol levels in no time.