Walnuts, almonds and other nuts are another type of food that can reduce your blood cholesterol level as well. These nuts have a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids in them. If you are at the borderline of having heart disease, eating walnuts can help you push the line in your favor. They are not a cure-all but eating walnuts will help the situation. According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. But, this does not include nuts that are salted or coated with sugar. Since your overall goal is to improve your total cholesterol levels, limit yourself to just a handful of these nuts because they are high in calories. You should replace foods that are high in saturated fat with nuts. An easy way to this is to add a handful of walnuts or almonds instead of using cheese, meat or croutons in your salad.