So, you've just seen the doctor and been told you have high cholesterol. Don't panic - all you need to do is make some lifestyle changes. Cholesterol is mainly affected by hereditary factors, weight control, smoking and lack of exercise. And although cholesterol is not primarily affected by the foods we eat, in some cases dietary cholesterol does play a part. See our guide below on how to get a handle on your cholesterol by limiting certain foods and eating more of others.

Foods to limit:

• Fat. Cutting back on fried foods, puddings, biscuits, crisps, pies and chips can give you a double benefit: lower cholesterol and lower body weight. Instead, choose reduced fat products such as low-fat soured cream and cream cheese, fat-free yoghurt, skimmed milk and granola.
• Sweets or puddings labelled 'low-fat'. A low-fat brownie is still a brownie, and it still has loads of calories and fat. These types of reduced-fat foods shouldn't be part of your daily diet.
• Red meat. You don't have to cut meat out of your diet, just reduce your portion sizes to about three ounces, or the size of your palm. More than that is over the top in calories, fat and cholesterol.
• Some dairy products. Watch out for your intake of foods high in cholesterol like cheese, sour cream and butter.
• Trans fatty acids.You won't always find these trans fats listed on food labels, but they are mostly found in foods containing hydrogenated oils, meaning they start as liquid and are chemically changed to solids at room temperature. The hydrogenation process is used in making stick margarine and solid vegetable shortening, and hydrogenated fats are used in commercial baked goods such as puddings, biscuits and other snacks. Look for the word 'hydrogenated' on the label and try to limit these foods.

Foods to focus on: