Foods That Increase Good Cholesterol

Good Cholesterol Foods That Lower The Bad and Increase The Good

Cholesterol comes in two forms – the good and the bad. The idea is to eat good cholesterol foods that lower the bad and increase the good. Bad cholesterol is called low density lipoproteins or LDL while good cholesterol is called high density lipoproteins or HDL.

The objective is to lower the LDL and to increase the HDL and as luck would have it, there are plenty of foods that can actually do both at the same time. All you have to do is include them in your daily diet and pretty soon you will see that you have healthy cholesterol levels, hovering within the normal range.

Suggested Low Cholesterol Diet

There are many low fat cholesterol diets and types of foods that are considered as ‘good cholesterol foods.’ You can definitely create hundreds of different menus out of these healthy items.

However, we have prepared an example of a cholesterol free diet that you can get started with.

• Breakfast – It would be great to start to your day with a bowl of oatmeal or oat bran. This is one of the good cholesterol foods that are highest in fiber content, which is needed by your body to lower LDL count. You can also add fiber-rich fruits to your oatmeal, like slices of apples or pears.

• Lunch – You can eat a chicken sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avoid red, fatty meats and stick to the white, lean kinds instead. Also, you can forget about fried food for a while because this method of cooking further increases the amount of fat and cholesterol in your food.

• Dinner – You can prepare a dish of salmon, trout, tuna or other saltwater fish that contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. Unlike other fats, omega-3 fatty acids do not increase cholesterol levels – it brings it down instead.

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

Furthermore, omega-3 has been found to make the heart stronger and lower blood pressure.  Grilling, baking and broiling are much better options for someone who is trying to lower cholesterol levels too.

If you get hungry in between meals, you can snack on are peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts or any kind of fresh fruit. Along with eating these good cholesterol foods, it would also be good to get some regular exercise so that you don’t put on any extra pounds that can lead to obesity and high cholesterol. You should also quit nasty habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.