Choose healthy fats

The type of fat you eat also matters. Some fats are better for your heart than others. Healthy fats, such as those in olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, can help lower LDL cholesterol. At the same time, it helps if you cut back on unhealthy fats found in fatty meats, butter and full-fat dairy products.

Saturated fats, such as those in meat, butter, cheese and other full-fat dairy products, raise your total cholesterol. Decreasing your consumption of saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calorie intake can reduce your LDL cholesterol by 8% to 10%.

Trans fats, sometimes listed on food labels as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," were often used in margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes. Trans fats raise overall cholesterol levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in processed foods sold after Jan. 1, 2020.