1.  

Follow Canada's Food Guide.

2.  

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables daily.

3.  

Eat cereals, breads, rice and pastas made from whole grains.

4.  

Eat foods with less fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.

5.  

Drink skim or low-fat milk. Eat low fat yogurt and cheese (less than 15% fat).

6.  

Limit meat intake and choose lentils, legumes and tofu more often.

7.  

Replace meat with fish more often.

8.  

Remove the skin and fat from meats, poultry and fish.

9.  

Choose white poultry meat over brown meat.

10.  

Broil, bake, roast or poach foods instead of frying.

11.  

Use moderate amounts of vegetable oils rather than margarines or butter.

12.  

Limit intake of eggs to 4/week.

13.  

Eat egg whites instead of egg yolks when possible.

14.  

Read food labels to learn what you are eating!

15.  

Consult a Registered Dietitian to help you learn how to eat to stay healthy.

16.  

Get lots of exercise everyday. Talk to your doctor about safe and best ways to exercise. Examples of good ways to exercise include brisk walking, yard work, housework, dancing, running, swimming and bicycling.

17.  

Lose weight if you are overweight.

18.  

Stop smoking

19.  

Take your blood pressure medication if prescribed by your doctor.

20.  

Take lipid lowering medication as prescribed by your physician. For those who do not respond to dietary intervention - including people who have a genetic predisposition to cholesterol or triglycerides - drug therapy may be necessary to achieve safe levels of cholesterol.