Step 1: Get a cholesterol level test br Get a cholesterol level test from a medical professional to learn if your "bad" and "good" cholesterol levels are balanced at medically acceptable levels. br br Step 2: Eat food with soluble fiber br Eat food containing soluble fiber such as whole grain bread and pasta, beans, and soy products. Soluble fiber helps move cholesterol through the intestines. br br Step 3: Eat mostly unsaturated fats br Eat mostly "good" or unsaturated fats found in nuts and avocados -- or cook with vegetable oils like olive, canola, and corn oil. br br Step 4: Avoid saturated fats br Avoid saturated fats. Most ingested cholesterol comes from animal and dairy products. Select lean meat with minimal visible fat. Drink nonfat milk. br br Tip br Consider going vegan, which means giving up all animals products, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Many people have seen their cholesterol levels drop after going vegan. br br Step 5: Get food recommendations br Get specific cholesterol-lowering food recommendations from authoritative resources like the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association. br br Did You Know? br In 1963, ventriloquist Paul Winchell patented an artificial heart considered a prototype for Jarvik-7, the first successfully implanted artificial heart.