One of the most important things that you need to keep track is your cholesterol level. Your total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dL. 200 to 239 mg/dL  is borderline high, while 240 mg/dL and above is considered high blood cholesterol and more than doubles your risk for coronary heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

The wrong type of diet is the main contributor to heart disease. If you don’t have a healthy cholesterol level, you should work to lower it by eating more of the right foods and avoiding those that contain high cholesterol.

Fruits and veggies contain a ton of vitamins and nutrients and have really low cholesterol content, so be sure to eat more of them. Oatmeal has also been found to lower cholesterol, so consider eating a bowl every morning for breakfast.

Foods that you should avoid on the other hand include egg yolks, red meat, and shell fish. Also steer clear from processed meat, coconuts, and butter, as these items are high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Image credit:  Ben Sutherland on Flickr