When your doctor decides that it is time to test your cholesterol, he or she will send you for a blood test, and then wait for the results of the cholesterol test to come back. Plan to spend a few minutes discussing these results with your doctor, asking about how you can optimize them if that is in fact needed, and ask what your risk is for heart disease.

If your cholesterol numbers are not in the optimal range, your doctor may recommend that you take prescription drugs to get your cholesterol levels in a better range as quickly as possible. Not doing this could lead to strokes, so take seriously the medical advice you are given.

Now, if your numbers are reasonable, your medical practitioner may just encourage you to improve your diet, switching to one that is low cholesterol, and hardly contains foods of high cholesterol regularly.

Once you are aware of the foods that you should and should not be eating, then switching to good foods should not be a problem, especially as you know that once you are eating better, your heart health will be improving, and your risk of heart problems will be getting lower.

This is exactly what you want, a strong heart. But along with the avoidance of a high cholesterol diet, you need to be exercising, may be four days a week going for a brisk walk for about 30 minutes, as this will help your fitness level, and your overall health.

So, if you are to consume low cholesterol foods , what does that mean you will be consuming, and what foods should you not eat? It is necessary to avoid an excess of foods from animals, so things like red meats should be eaten in moderation, with only the leanest cuts of meat being considered. Egg yolks are also of high cholesterol, but the egg whites are good for you, so think about moving over to egg white products rather than complete eggs.

On the list of not recommended is butter, as it is derived from an animal, so if you still want to in oil, think about using olive oil, especially virgin olive oil. This is less processed than light olive oil which is called that just because it is lighter in color, not lighter in calories.

Oat meal and oat bran is good for you to eat, and is a great breakfast food. It provides you with soluble fibre, which is also found in apples, pears and barley.

Legumes, such as dried peas, dried beans and lentils are good for you, because not only do they provide you with soluble fibre, but they also contain plant protein, which is good for the growth of tendons and muscles, as well as good for internal organs, blood, hair and bones, too.

There are obviously many more foods that could be mentioned for a diet low in cholesterol, but I am running out of space here. What is important is to start lowering your cholesterol now, so that you are not at risk of heart disease or strokes. But of course, this is entirely up to you, reduce your cholesterol now, or be at risk for strokes and heart attacks in your future.