Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your body. Cholesterol can be both helpful and harmful to your body. On the good side, it helps build the hormones and nerve cells your body needs. But when you have too much cholesterol, the walls of your blood vessels can thicken. This can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Measuring Cholesterol

When you get your cholesterol checked, your health care provider will tell you how high your cholesterol is:

If your total cholesterol is

• 200 or below, that is healthy.

• 200 to 239, it is a little too high.

• 240 or above, it is too high.

Your health care provider may also check the two main types of cholesterol in your blood. One type is HDL or 'good' cholesterol. The other type is LDL or 'bad' cholesterol.

• HDL helps prevent heart disease. It helps your body get rid of cholesterol.

• LDL leaves fat on the inside of the blood vessels. When you have too much LDL, you have a higher chance of heart disease.

It's good to have high HDL and low LDL.

If your HDL is

• 45 or above, that is healthy.

• 35 to 44, it is a little too low.

• 35 or below, that is not healthy.

If your LDL is:

• 130 or below, that is healthy.

• 130 to 159, that is a little too high.

• 160 or above, that is not healthy.

Keeping Your Cholesterol Low

Most of the time, you can take care of your cholesterol by eating right and getting the exercise you need.

It's important to eat healthy foods to keep a healthy weight.

• Eat fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains every day.

• Eat less fat. Stay away from saturated fat, like that in butter and meat.

• Use oils like sunflower, safflower, canola, olive, or corn. Stay away from palm or coconut oil.

• Eat chicken, turkey, and fish instead of red meat.

It also helps to:

• Check food labels for fat and cholesterol.

• Take the skin off before you eat chicken or turkey.

• Use egg whites instead of whole eggs.

• Drink skim milk instead of whole milk.

• Use low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese instead of sour cream.

It's also important to exercise at least 3 times a week.

• You may want to swim, jog, walk, or bicycle.

• You should exercise at least 20 minutes every other day.

High cholesterol may be a problem in your family. Know your family history. Talk about it with your health care provider.

Remember, to take care of your cholesterol:

• Eat healthy.

• Exercise often.

• Check your cholesterol every year.