Cooking oils are an essential tool in any kitchen -- whether you are a cooking novice or a master chef.  But if you're cooking for a healthier heart, using certain oils in your food preparation could help -- or hurt -- your cholesterol levels. So, whether your cooking for a loved one or for yourself, making sure you're including healthier oils in your diet will help keep your heart healthy. Here are some helpful tips on how to select cholesterol-friendly oils to cook with:

_{Photo: cerealphotos, istockphoto}

A recent study published in the European Heart Journal suggests that children whose mothers smoked during their pregnancy may have lower HDL, or "good", cholesterol levels, compared to those whose mothers did not smoke.

The study is actually a subset of another larger study that was previously conducted, the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS). Researchers enrolled mothers into the study during their pregnancy, and then examined their children 8 years later for differences in factors like blood pressure, HDL, triglycerides, C-reactive protein and carotid intima-media thickness compared to those children whose mothers did not smoke. A little over 300 children were enrolled in the study.

Researchers found that children whose mothers smoked during their pregnancy, or were exposed to environmental cigarette smoke during the mother's pregnancy, had lower HDL cholesterol levels compared to those who were not exposed to cigarette smoke before they were born. Triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and blood pressure were also higher compared to those not exposed to cigarette smoke. Carotid intima-media thickness did not appear to be affected. However, when this was corrected for exposure to cigarette smoke (second-hand smoke) after birth, HDL cholesterol was still lower in children exposed to cigarette smoke prenatally - suggesting that exposure to cigarette smoke can have an impact on certain aspects of a child's lipid profile.

Although there haven't been a lot of studies that have looked at the effect cigarette smoke has on HDL levels in prenates, or these findings translate to these children years down the road, other studies exist that examine the detrimental effects that cigarette smoking has on the heart. Lifestyle factors of the children in this study, such as diet and exercise habits, were not examined and would be needed to further establish a link between lowered HDL and maternal cigarette smoking.

High HDL levels have been shown in some studies to exert a protective effect on heart disease. One study suggests that every 1 mg/dL increase in HDL may result in up to a 3% decrease in heart disease.

Find Out More:

• How Does Cigarette Smoking Affect Your Cholesterol?
• Ways to Boost Your HDL
• What Causes Low HDL Levels?

_{Article: Ayer JG, Belousova E, Harmer JA, et al. Maternal cigarette smoking is associated with reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in healthy 8-year-old children. Eur Heart J 2011;DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr174.}

Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables because they were good for you - and she was right! Besides being low in calories, vegetables contain a variety of healthy chemicals - such as vitamins, phytosterols, and polyphenols - that possess a variety of nutritional properties. Some of these chemicals have also been linked in helping keep your cholesterol levels healthy.

Scientists are not sure exactly how various vegetables are able to help keep your cholesterol levels in check. It could be the healthy chemicals contained in many of these vegetables - or the fact that replacing vegetables with a fattening snack, thus lowering your caloric intake in the process. In any case, vegetables make a delicious snack - or a tasty addition to any meal you are having.

Here are some healthy ways to spruce up your veggies for your next, heart-healthy meal:

• Five Easy Spinach Recipes
• Low-Cholesterol Winter Squash Recipes
• Ways to Make Plain Salads Delicious

_{Photo credit: eROMAZe, istockphoto}

A heart-healthy diet plays an important role in keeping your cholesterol levels within a healthy range. But if you're not accustomed to watching what you eat, beginning a heart-healthy diet may seem like a horrendous task.

Luckily, it doesn't have to be.

There are many approaches you can take to following a cholesterol-lowering diet, but if you're relatively new to watching what you eat, there are many ways to keep begin -- and stay -- on your diet. Not only does it ensure that you are consuming healthy foods -- it also makes sure that you're not sneaking in foods that are not.

Try some of these helpful ways to start your cholesterol-lowering diet -- and stay on track:

• First Steps: One Change to Start a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet
• Quick and Easy Low-Cholesterol Recipes
• How to Begin a Diet to Reduce Cholesterol

_{Photo Credit: Bochkarev Photography, istockphoto}