Checklist: A diet to lower cholesterol and lose weight

It's not just what you eat that counts in a diet to lower cholesterol, it's how much you eat. Being overweight increases your risk of having high LDL bad cholesterol, and low HDL good cholesterol. Often, just losing weight can help you lower your cholesterol. Here are five tips to help you get started.

• Read the labels carefully! That package of pasta may say it's only 330 calories a serving, but did you notice that there are three servings in the package?
• It's okay to snack between meals on a diet to lower cholesterol. In fact, eating five or six small meals a day instead of three large ones can help you avoid "crashing" between meals and overeating. Stock up on healthy snacks like carrot sticks, apples, and blueberries, one of the top health "superfoods."
• Switch from white breads and regular pastas to whole-wheat varieties on a diet to lower cholesterol. They tend to be lower in calories, and they have more heart-healthy fibre.
• Don’t drink your calories. Cut back on fizzy drinks, fruit juice, and alcohol. Hydrate with water instead. If you must have fizzy drinks, switching to diet drinks will save you hundreds of calories.
• Close the night kitchen. Mindlessly snacking in front of the TV after dinner is the source of many an empty calorie. Close the kitchen at a certain time - say, two to three hours before you go to bed - and don't open the fridge or the cupboards after that time.