You don’t need a prescription to lower your cholesterol. Just follow our 7 easy steps to start feeling healthier now.

1. Eat five or more servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables a day.

2. Eat six or more servings of grain products, including whole grains, a day.

3. Choose fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes (beans), skinless poultry, and lean meats.

4. Choose fats and oils with two grams or less of saturated fat per tablespoon, such as canola oil and olive oil.

5. Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit. Walk or do other activities for at least 30 minutes on most days. If you need to lose weight, do enough activity to burn more calories than you eat every day.

6. Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition; especially limit foods like soft drinks and candy that have a lot of sugars.

7. Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, and/or cholesterol, such as whole milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, and egg yolks.