How to Raise Good Cholesterol Fast With Diet and Exercise

Most people assume that it's best to keep cholesterol levels low. However, there are two different types of cholesterol, and their roles in the body are very different. Raising the good type of cholesterol can actually benefit your health. There are plenty of ways to do this just through your daily diet, habits and activities.

What Is Good Cholesterol?

• Good cholesterol is referred to as HDL (high-density lipoprotein). HDL cholesterol is good because it helps clear out fat particles in the blood and keeps them from building up on artery walls. Doctors recommend that you maintain an HDL level between 40 and 59 mg/dL. Even going a little higher than this is good, because it will significantly reduce your risk for heart disease.

Obesity

• Maintain a healthy body weight to keep HDL levels high. Obesity plays a large role in your cholesterol numbers. Eating a healthy diet is important, but that alone may not raise good cholesterol. One of the key ways to raise your HDL levels is to get enough cardiovascular exercise. Being physically active on most days for 30 to 60 minutes can help get your HDL numbers back up.

Diet

• Pay attention to your diet for ways to raise HDL levels. HDL levels might be a little trickier to raise through diet than LDL levels are to lower. However, there are definitely some changes you can make to your diet that will help boost your numbers.

  Many people believe that to maintain a healthy cholesterol level they should stay away from fats of all kinds. This is untrue. Healthy fats, called unsaturated fats, are good for your body and can raise your good cholesterol levels. The mono and polyunsaturated fats that are found in many nuts and legumes are one of the easiest ways to get these essential fats. In particular, cashews, Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts may have more healthy fats than peanuts and other nuts. Be careful, though: Nuts can add a lot of calories---all you need is a handful.

Foods to Avoid

• Avoid certain foods that may lower HDL levels. Trans fat, the bad kind of fat, should be avoided as much as possible. This type of fat is found in food that's cooked with hydrogenated oils like fried foods and baked goods. Many processed foods contain them as well. To be safe, stick to freshly prepared foods that are free of hydrogenated oils.

Stop Smoking

• Put out that cigarette to raise your good cholesterol. Not only does smoking lower HDL cholesterol, it also makes your blood more prone to clotting. Smoking changes the structure of existing HDL cholesterol so that it's no longer able to do its job properly. Just by quitting, you can raise your HDL levels up as much as 10 percent.