Transcript: Whether you’re in the eighteen percent of Americans with high cholesterol or not, you can benefit from living a low-cholesterol lifestyle.  A low-cholesterol lifestyle involves making conscious decisions to eat, play and live in a way that will help to lower your levels of harmful LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is found in the body. Some cholesterol is necessary for basic functions, but here’s the catch: The body usually makes all the cholesterol it needs. With this in mind, it makes sense to lower your intake of fats. In fact, it’s best to limit total fat intake to less than 30 percent of your daily calories. All fats aren’t created equal though, and fall into different categories: Saturated, unsaturated, and trans-fatty acids. Saturated fat is found primarily in foods from animals, like beef, eggs, milk and cheese. Because saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol, it is best to limit it to less than 7 percent of your daily calories. Saturated fats and unsaturated fats are distinguishable by the way their carbon atoms bond. A double bond between carbons leads to lower amounts of hydrogen in the fat due to fewer bonding sites. Saturated fats, which have no double bonds, are literally saturated with hydrogen.  Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, DO have double bonds and can be further divided into monosaturated fats, which have one, and polysaturated fats, which have two. These unsaturated fats may actually help lower blood cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet. The unsaturated fats are found in many fish, nuts, seeds and plant oils. They should make up about half of your daily fat intake. Perhaps the worst fats are the trans-fatty acids and hydrogenated fats. Trace amounts of these are found in animal products. They are also formed during the process of hydrogenation, which is how margarine, shortening and cooking oils are made. Understanding and limiting your intake of fats is an important step toward a cholesterol-friendly diet, but it’s essential to increase your fiber, too. Consuming 25 to 30 milligrams of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole-grains daily can help lower LDL cholesterol. A healthier diet is a great start, and exercise can make your program even more efficient! Aim for thirty minutes at least three times a week. While physical activity is not known to impact bad LDL cholesterol, it does increase the level of HDL, or good cholesterol, in the blood, lowering the risk of heart disease. And finally—one of the most important things you can do to lower your cholesterol levels is to stop smoking, or to decrease the amount of time you spend around smokers. Smoking is a double blow…it lowers levels of HDL cholesterol and makes your body resistant to heart-healthy exercise. High LDL cholesterol is bad news, but leading a cholesterol-lowering life can help! Remember to see your doctor before you begin a new exercise or diet program.