How do I Increase Good Cholesterol in Blood Levels?

Unhealthy cholesterol levels raise the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. One safe guard against heart disease is to increase your good cholesterol level, the blood cholesterol properly referred to as high-density lipoprotein (HDL). One way to increase your HDL cholesterol is to eat less saturated fat and incorporate a variety of cholesterol friendly foods into your daily menu. According to the American Heart Association, saturated fats should be limited to less than seven percent of total daily calories. Other recommended food items, such as those containing soluble fiber, monounsaturated fats and red wine, also provide a natural means to raising good cholesterol levels.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 cup whole oats
• Muslin cloth
• 1 cup water
• 4 to 5 almonds
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
• Steel mesh strainer
• 4 oz. skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• Avocado
• 1 to 2 tbsp. almonds
• 2 to 4 oz. Pacific herring
• 2 to 4 oz. lake trout, salmon or albacore tuna
• 1 to 2 tortillas
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1 to 2 grams omega-3 fish oil pills
• 4 to 8 oz. red or white wine
• 1 to 2 cups fruit mix
• 1 to 2 inch square dark chocolate

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Instructions

Breakfast - Eat Soluble Fiber

• 1

  Make a fibrous concoction of sprouted oat milk to use as a substitute for your regular cereal milk. Combine the oat milk with a high fiber breakfast cereal, such as Go Lean by Kashi. Sprouted oat milk contains oats, a source of soluble fiber that can help raise HDL cholesterol.

• 2

  Soak 1/2 cup of whole oats in water and cover them in a muslin cloth. Allow one to two days for the oats to sprout.

• 3

  Wash the oats and place them in the blender, along with 1 cup water and four to five almonds. Blend together for one minute. Add two cups skim milk and 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder. Blend for another minute or until smooth.

• 4

  Strain the resulting milk into a glass using a steel mesh strainer. Discard any oat hulls caught by the mesh strainer. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Lunch - Consume Healthy Fats

• 5

  Cook a 4 oz. (skinless) chicken breast in 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil contains both poly- and monounsaturated fats which are recommended for improving cholesterol levels. Avoid foods high in saturated fat.

• 6

  Prepare a fibrous side salad that contains monounsaturated fats. Combine 2 cups spinach leaves, 1/4 avocado and 1 to 2 tbsp. almonds.

• 7

  Top the salad with a dressing of your choice that is low in saturated fat. Read nutritional labels on dressing containers to choose a dressing high in monounsaturated fat.

Dinner - Eat Fish Containing Omega-3

• 8

  Eat a 2 to 4 oz. serving of Pacific herring with 1 cup fibrous green vegetables. Pacific herring is especially high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to lower the risk of heart disease.

• 9

  Fix two fish tacos as an alternative meal during the week using 2 to 4 oz. of lake trout, salmon or albacore tuna. If you don't want the added calories of the tortilla, simply mix the taco ingredients in a bowl.

• 10

  Consume 1 to 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil pills following a non-fish dinner (if you prefer not to eat fish). You can purchase fish oil pills containing omega-3 at your local vitamin store. Do not exceed 2 grams per day.

Dessert - Enjoy Chocolate and Wine

• 11

  Drink one to two servings of red or white wine. Daily controlled amounts of alcohol are known to raise HDL cholesterol. No more than 8 oz. (2 glasses) of wine per day is recommended.

• 12

  Build and eat a fruit bowl containing 1 to 2 cups mixed fruit such as fresh pineapple, tangerines and grapes. Snacks containing one serving of soluble fiber are a way to increase your HDL cholesterol levels.

• 13

  Eat a 1 to 2 inch square of dark chocolate containing 70 percent cocoa or greater. The consumption of dark chocolate (not to exceed 40 grams per day) has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol.