Tips for lowering cholesterol?

[Badvoc]

I am 40 and my cholesterol is 5.2 which is the highest end of normal.
Sadly there is heart disease on both sides of the family :(
The doctor said that diet and exercise can only reduce cholesterol by 10%.
I have switched to flora pro activ from butter.
I am also going to start exercising more (I have a herniated disc in my back which makes it difficult to exercise)
What else can I do?

Same position as you. I am doing the same as you. The practice nurse explained that this reading for cholesterol means that I should completely give up processed meats, pastry, cakes, cheese, cream, full-fat milk, crisps, pies, red meat, sugar, biscuits etc. Anything really that comes from a four-legged animal or that I couldn't cook myself from scratch without using fat (other than olive oil) or sugar. I have made changes, and I find it OK for breakfast and lunch, but it gets harder cooking dinner for everyone, and I do allow myself the odd bit of cake (though this should be no more than once a week, apparently).

That 10% figure is a bit worrying. I shall look it up.

Any other risk factors? Do you smoke, are you overweight, do you have high blood pressure? If not, stop worrying. If yes, then do something about it, ie give up smoking, drinking, lose weight and exercise properly. Simples.

My mum reduced her cholesterol by eating soy products everyday - mainly yoghurts and milk in tea.