How To Raise HDL Cholesterol?

Answer 1

Many people are concerned about how to achieve and maintain good health. There are nearly always a few benchmark things that can improve a person�s health. They are basic practices that have been preached for years: exercise and eat right. This is certainly true when it comes to balancing cholesterol levels.

Lower cholesterol is not always better

Most people are familiar with the term cholesterol but fail to realize that not all of it is bad and not all of it needs to be lowered. HDL is cholesterol that people should work on elevating. The best ways to elevate HDL happen are also the best ways to lower LDL.

Eat right

It should come as no surprise that fruits and vegetables are good for you. They promote HDL and the fiber essential soaks up LDL. Part of eating right is moderation, and many things that are bad in excess can be good in moderation. Alcohol, when consumed in moderation, actually increases HDL.

Not all cholesterol is bad and people should actually try to increase HDL levels. Exercise works at lowering the bad stuff while elevating levels of HDL in a body. Move your body

It does not matter how you move your body as long as you are moving it. Exercise is the magic elixir for a lot of things, and balancing cholesterol is no exception. It decreases how much LDL you have in your body while increasing the HDL. Walk, run, dance or crawl, it does not matter what it is as long as you do it regularly

Often times it is not the fancy remedy that works best. These tips are basic but effective ways to manage cholesterol as well as a host of other dangerous medical conditions.

Answer 2

There is good and bad cholesterol. The bad one, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), needs to stay at low levels. The good one, high-density lipoproteins, needs to stay at high levels. Maintaining these levels decreases the risk of Heart disease. When people raise HDL cholesterol levels, the bad cholesterol levels automatically drop.

Raising HDL cholesterol is a matter of moderate exercise and making a few adjustments to the diet. The levels are not totally dependent upon what you eat, but there are foods that can help. The exercise makes up the difference where the foods leave off.

The desired HDL level for men and women is 60 milligrams. Men with levels at 40 milligrams or below are at a higher risk for heart disease. For women, that level is 50 milligrams.

One food that is said to raise HDL cholesterol is monounsaturated fat. Nutritionists say it is one of the good oils for a healthy heart. The source recommended most often is olive oil. Canola oil takes a close second. Other good oils include grapeseed, peanut, macadamia nut and sesame. Good food choices with monounsaturated fats include avocados, cashews, olives, whole grains and even red meat.

Glycemic load is a factor in HDL cholesterol. Some foods have a higher glycemic load, which means they raise the blood sugar level too high. That reduces HDL cholesterol. Foods with a lower glycemic value do not do that. Good foods include some fruits, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and non-starchy vegetables.

Soy products have received a lot of attention for helping to raise HDL cholesterol. That is because they are low in saturated fat and high in unsaturated fat. Authorities recommend three servings per day of soy products, including tofu.

Alcohol used in moderation can help. Experts vary on their idea of moderation. Some say two or three drinks a week, and some say one or two per day.

Quitting smoking can create higher HDL levels. So can losing weight. Besides some of the enjoyable foods mentioned, exercise is another easy way to raise the good cholesterol. A vigorous 30-minute aerobic exercise five days per week is all that is necessary to raise HDL cholesterol by five percent.