Cholesterol — can’t live without it, can’t live with it. Although the body needs it to function properly, too much of it damages it. And that’s when trouble starts. Since the body makes its own cholesterol in adequate quantities, just about anything else we take in from animal fats, trans fats and other goodies wreaks havoc on the system.

We’ve heard it enough times: Diet and exercise are the ticket. As soon as we hear the dreadful words, many of us start getting bad hearing, the eyes gloss over, and we feel a sudden urge for a nap.

“The American population for some reason is not very receptive” to the advice, says Deborah Marcantoni, CHTP, CQHP, CNS, CPT, director of Silverdale-based Holistic Healing and Health center that offers nutritional and weight loss services, healing touch therapy and classes including yoga and Tai Chi. “People don’t have time, they are so stressed and caught up in the pace, they don’t have time to exercise,” she says.

If you’re one of those people who are allergic to the mere sound of the words “cholesterol, diet, exercise,” take heart: You don’t have to turn your lifestyle upside down to get results.

Studies have shown physical activity to reduce cholesterol, but it doesn’t have to be an intensive exercise routine to produce results. Half-hour walks, taking stairs instead of elevators, gardening or mowing, and just being generally more active during the day is a big step in the right direction, Marcantoni says. Next thing you know, you’re putting in 30 to 60 minutes of activity into the day. “It all adds up. The body recognizes being active and in time will create more HDL (the good cholesterol),” she says.

On the dietary front, consumers are more conscientious about animal and saturated fats and have been making an effort to consume low-fat products. Considered among the worst, saturated fats increase LDL, or bad cholesterol.

Simple changes like using fruit spread instead of butter on toast and cutting all visible fat from meat before cooking it can help, as well as using “select grade” beef or “round” and sirloin for ground, says Nicole Lashaway, RD, CD, CDE, clinical nutrition manager at Harrison Hospital, which offers a variety of nutritional and dietary services. “Portion control is really important with meat. One serving is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards,” she says.

Less considered by consumers is the fact that sugar—contained in most convenience foods—and hidden trans-fats not identified on the label are as much of a culprit. Look at some of your labels and you’ll notice corn syrup everywhere—that’s concentrated sugar that stimulates the creation of cholesterol and triglycerides (fats that flow through the blood stream). Take sugar, trans-fats—contained in anything that has hydrogenated oils—and other dietary faux pas, mix in stress and increasing sedentary lifestyle, and you’ve got a recipe for a heart attack.

“Trans-fats have been shown to raise blood cholesterol by as much as 15 percent and triglycerides by as much as 47 percent,” Marcantoni said.

It may seem impossible to avoid trans-fats: They are in everything from breads and cereals to coffee creamers and margarine. The Food and Drug Administration recently introduced new regulations that will require manufacturers to list trans-fats on labels beginning in 2006. In the meantime, you can look for hydrogenated oils yourself—and if that croissant looks appealing, picture your arteries clogged with waxy-looking cholesterol, and it may compel you to move on to the produce aisle.

That’s one aisle that’s definitely your friend — soluble fiber helps reduce cholesterol, and besides oatmeal and whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables are the best sources for it. The goal is to take 25-35 grams of fiber a day, Lashaway says, which is a tough goal for many people. One serving of oatmeal, for example, has 5 grams; a cup of cooked black beans has 19.5; add some more fruit like apple to the regiment and you have a great improvement. A few products like Benacol and Smart Balance, which are butter substitutes made from natural plant sources, also have proven to lower cholesterol.

As you make small changes in the diet and your physical activity, there is one more ingredient to healthy cholesterol level: stress management. A stressed body, Marcantoni says, the blood pressure goes up, the heart rate pumps, and the body creates more cholesterol. So take some time off, go for a peaceful walk, enjoy your apple snack—and see if you can take better control of your health.