Everyone can reel off their date of birth, height, weight and eye colour, but how many of us know our cholesterol level?

Margot Brennan, public relations officer for the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI), says it’s an important number to know. “You also need to know the breakdown of that cholesterol. Sometimes GPs will give you a figure, but you need to know is it the good cholesterol or the bad cholesterol that is up.”

Bad cholesterol’s official name is LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol while HDL (high density lipoproteins) cholesterol is known as good cholesterol.

We are bombarded with advertising that promotes spreads or yoghurts containing plant sterols as a way to reduce cholesterol but what about making other changes?

Something like a plant sterol, Brennan says, “can be very useful to get somebody who has done all the dietary changes down that last bit rather than going on medication. I would always approach the diet part first.”

Knowing a bit about fat is a good start if you have raised cholesterol. The first type of fat that needs to be addressed is saturated fat, which is found in red meat and dairy products. However, as meat and milk provide very important nutrients, they shouldn’t be cut out. “We suggest you use very lean meat and use low fat varieties of dairy,” Brennan says.

People with high cholesterol should increase the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in their diet. These can be found in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated spreads, olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking, as well as in nuts and avocadoes.

Hydrogenated fats or trans fats are predominantly found in processed foods. Cutting them out is probably one of the most important things people can do to reduce their bad cholesterol.

If you have high cholesterol, Brennan suggests eliminating prawns, liver, kidneys, offal foods and pâtés from your diet.

Brennan dispels the myth that people have to stay away from eggs to reduce their bad cholesterol. Even a person with high cholesterol would be allowed between four and seven eggs a week.

Foods that contain soluble fibre do lower cholesterol, she says. Porridge, peas, beans, lentils, some fruit and vegetables will have small amounts of soluble fibre.

“Upping your intake of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, really and truly eating from the food pyramid, and just using the low fat varieties from the dairy and meat shelves is probably the simplest way of looking at it.”

A healthy weight and exercise are also essential as they help to increase the good cholesterol, as does one glass of red wine.

Brennan also recommends, when cooking, that you bake, boil, stew and grill rather than deep-frying food.

Women going through the menopause tend to experience a raised cholesterol level. “Soya products can be very useful. They bind cholesterol and remove it from the body.”