How to Increase HDL Cholesterol Naturally
Quit smoking., Lose excess weight., Exercise regularly., Limit your alcohol intake., Eliminate trans fats from your diet., Eat more complex carbohydrates., Limit red meats., Increase all fruits and vegetables., Drink more water., Add a niacin...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Quit smoking.
Smoking can make it harder to raise your HDL levels, so if you smoke, do your best to quit.
By quitting smoking you can raise your HDL levels by as much as 10%.
Talk to your doctor to learn about smoking cessation programs in your area.You can also visit the American Cancer Society’s website for guides to help you quit: http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-toc -
Step 2: Lose excess weight.
Being overweight is also a factor in low HDL levels, so try to lose some weight if you are overweight.
Even a small amount of weight loss can help to raise your HDL levels because for every six pounds that you lose, your HDL level may increase by one point.
That means that if you lose 30 pounds, you may see a five point increase in your HDL levels., If regular exercise is not already a part of your lifestyle, then you should try to start an exercise routine.
Walking for 30 minutes a day five days per week is a great way to start, but you can try other types of exercise as well.
Make sure that you choose an activity that you will enjoy so that you will be more likely to stick with your program.
Some good options include:walking or jogging biking swimming dancing using an elliptical walker practicing martial arts ice skating or roller blading cross country skiing , Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol has been linked with higher HDL levels, but you should not start drinking alcohol or begin drinking more alcohol as a way to raise your HDL levels.
If you do drink, then limit yourself to one drink per day if you are a woman or two drinks per day if you are a man.Do not drink in excess or you may experience negative effects from drinking.
If you drink more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol, then you will be putting yourself at a higher risk for high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, obesity, accidents, and suicide., Trans fats have a negative effect on cholesterol.
They can raise LDL cholesterol levels while lowering HDL levels.To protect yourself from these negative effects, make sure that you avoid foods that contain trans fats such as:packaged baked goods such as pies, cookies, and crackers margarine nondairy coffee creamer fried foods like French fries, doughnuts, and fried chicken refrigerated cookie dough, pizza dough, or biscuit dough snack chips like tortilla chips and potato chips , Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to process, so they will keep you feeling full longer and may even help you with your weight loss efforts.
Eating complex carbohydrates will also help to ensure that you get more fiber, which can increase your HDL levels and lower bad (LDL) levels by causing you to excrete excess cholesterol.Some good complex carbohydrates include:oats barley millet quinoa buckwheat rye whole wheat bread and pasta brown rice , Red meat contains a high amount of cholesterol, which can raise your bad cholesterol levels.Limit your intake of red meat as much as possible and when you do eat red meat, make sure that it is grass-fed (not corn-fed) red meat.
Other good protein choices include:
Skinless poultry.
It is important to avoid the skin because it contains a lot of fat and cholesterol, so it may raise your bad cholesterol levels.
Fish.
Wild-caught fish such as salmon, cod, haddock and tuna are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and they can also increase your HDL cholesterol levels.Beans.
Beans contain protein and they are also low in fat and high in fiber.
Try to include a serving or two of beans every day, such as black beans, garbanzos, white beans, and kidney beans. , Eating more fruits and vegetables will increase your fiber intake and it will also help to ensure that you are getting plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Green leafy vegetables also have high levels of sterols and stanols, which have help to improve your cholesterol ratio.
Make sure that your diet includes plenty of:leafy green vegetables such as mustard, collard, beet, turnip greens, spinach, kale okra eggplant apples grapes citrus fruit berries , It is crucial to drink lots of water to help with the elimination process.
Try to drink eight 8 ounce glasses (about two liters) of water every day.
You can add lemon, cucumber slices, or some fresh mint leaves to your water for some extra flavor.
Try carrying a one liter water bottle around with you during the day and make it your goal to drink the whole bottle by midday.
Then refill the bottle and try to drink another full bottle by the end of the day. , Niacin (taken as niacinamide) is a B complex vitamin that can increase HDL cholesterol levels and lower triglycerides.
To increase your HDL cholesterol, you can take a niacinamide supplement of no more than 1200 to 1500 mg per day.
Check with your doctor for a specific recommendation.
Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dosing as well.
Niacin is also available by prescription and prescription niacin tends to be more effective.
Talk to your doctor about getting a prescription niacin supplement., Beta-sitosterol and gamma oryzanol are plant sterols that can help to increase HDL levels and lower LDL levels.
Check with your doctor first to see if this supplement is a good choice for you.
If your doctor says it is okay, then you can take one gram of beta-sitosterol three times per day or take 300 mg of Gamma oryzanol once per day.
Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
You can also get plant sterols from eating seeds, nuts, and vegetable oils.
Some foods are even fortified with sterols, such as orange juice and yogurt.
Eating a couple of daily servings of sterol-rich or sterol-fortified foods may help to raise your HDL levels., Omega-3 fatty acids can lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL levels as well.
If you eat a couple of servings of omega-3 rich fish (such as salmon, mackerel, or sardines) each week, then you may be getting enough omega-3s.If not, then taking a supplement may be useful.
Take two 3,000 mg capsules of combined EPA and DHA (total milligram count of these two fatty acids should not exceed 3,000 milligrams per capsule) every day. , Garlic may help more with lowering LDL cholesterol than increasing HDL cholesterol, but it does decrease the cholesterol ratio.Try including a garlic supplement to see if this helps to improve your cholesterol ratio.
Try taking 900 mg of garlic powder every day.
Make sure that you check with your doctor first because garlic can interact with some medications, such as blood thinners., Psyllium is a bulk forming laxative, which may help your body to excrete more LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol levels.
Try taking a daily psyllium husk supplement to support this process.
These supplements are available as powders, capsules, and biscuits.
You can use these supplements to help you meet your daily fiber goal of 25-35 grams.
Try taking two teaspoons of psyllium husk powder every day.
This amount has about four grams of fiber.Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use. -
Step 3: Exercise regularly.
-
Step 4: Limit your alcohol intake.
-
Step 5: Eliminate trans fats from your diet.
-
Step 6: Eat more complex carbohydrates.
-
Step 7: Limit red meats.
-
Step 8: Increase all fruits and vegetables.
-
Step 9: Drink more water.
-
Step 10: Add a niacin supplement.
-
Step 11: Take plant sterols.
-
Step 12: Include an omega-3 supplement.
-
Step 13: Try a garlic supplement.
-
Step 14: Consider taking a psyllium supplement.
Detailed Guide
Smoking can make it harder to raise your HDL levels, so if you smoke, do your best to quit.
By quitting smoking you can raise your HDL levels by as much as 10%.
Talk to your doctor to learn about smoking cessation programs in your area.You can also visit the American Cancer Society’s website for guides to help you quit: http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-toc
Being overweight is also a factor in low HDL levels, so try to lose some weight if you are overweight.
Even a small amount of weight loss can help to raise your HDL levels because for every six pounds that you lose, your HDL level may increase by one point.
That means that if you lose 30 pounds, you may see a five point increase in your HDL levels., If regular exercise is not already a part of your lifestyle, then you should try to start an exercise routine.
Walking for 30 minutes a day five days per week is a great way to start, but you can try other types of exercise as well.
Make sure that you choose an activity that you will enjoy so that you will be more likely to stick with your program.
Some good options include:walking or jogging biking swimming dancing using an elliptical walker practicing martial arts ice skating or roller blading cross country skiing , Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol has been linked with higher HDL levels, but you should not start drinking alcohol or begin drinking more alcohol as a way to raise your HDL levels.
If you do drink, then limit yourself to one drink per day if you are a woman or two drinks per day if you are a man.Do not drink in excess or you may experience negative effects from drinking.
If you drink more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol, then you will be putting yourself at a higher risk for high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, obesity, accidents, and suicide., Trans fats have a negative effect on cholesterol.
They can raise LDL cholesterol levels while lowering HDL levels.To protect yourself from these negative effects, make sure that you avoid foods that contain trans fats such as:packaged baked goods such as pies, cookies, and crackers margarine nondairy coffee creamer fried foods like French fries, doughnuts, and fried chicken refrigerated cookie dough, pizza dough, or biscuit dough snack chips like tortilla chips and potato chips , Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to process, so they will keep you feeling full longer and may even help you with your weight loss efforts.
Eating complex carbohydrates will also help to ensure that you get more fiber, which can increase your HDL levels and lower bad (LDL) levels by causing you to excrete excess cholesterol.Some good complex carbohydrates include:oats barley millet quinoa buckwheat rye whole wheat bread and pasta brown rice , Red meat contains a high amount of cholesterol, which can raise your bad cholesterol levels.Limit your intake of red meat as much as possible and when you do eat red meat, make sure that it is grass-fed (not corn-fed) red meat.
Other good protein choices include:
Skinless poultry.
It is important to avoid the skin because it contains a lot of fat and cholesterol, so it may raise your bad cholesterol levels.
Fish.
Wild-caught fish such as salmon, cod, haddock and tuna are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and they can also increase your HDL cholesterol levels.Beans.
Beans contain protein and they are also low in fat and high in fiber.
Try to include a serving or two of beans every day, such as black beans, garbanzos, white beans, and kidney beans. , Eating more fruits and vegetables will increase your fiber intake and it will also help to ensure that you are getting plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Green leafy vegetables also have high levels of sterols and stanols, which have help to improve your cholesterol ratio.
Make sure that your diet includes plenty of:leafy green vegetables such as mustard, collard, beet, turnip greens, spinach, kale okra eggplant apples grapes citrus fruit berries , It is crucial to drink lots of water to help with the elimination process.
Try to drink eight 8 ounce glasses (about two liters) of water every day.
You can add lemon, cucumber slices, or some fresh mint leaves to your water for some extra flavor.
Try carrying a one liter water bottle around with you during the day and make it your goal to drink the whole bottle by midday.
Then refill the bottle and try to drink another full bottle by the end of the day. , Niacin (taken as niacinamide) is a B complex vitamin that can increase HDL cholesterol levels and lower triglycerides.
To increase your HDL cholesterol, you can take a niacinamide supplement of no more than 1200 to 1500 mg per day.
Check with your doctor for a specific recommendation.
Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dosing as well.
Niacin is also available by prescription and prescription niacin tends to be more effective.
Talk to your doctor about getting a prescription niacin supplement., Beta-sitosterol and gamma oryzanol are plant sterols that can help to increase HDL levels and lower LDL levels.
Check with your doctor first to see if this supplement is a good choice for you.
If your doctor says it is okay, then you can take one gram of beta-sitosterol three times per day or take 300 mg of Gamma oryzanol once per day.
Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
You can also get plant sterols from eating seeds, nuts, and vegetable oils.
Some foods are even fortified with sterols, such as orange juice and yogurt.
Eating a couple of daily servings of sterol-rich or sterol-fortified foods may help to raise your HDL levels., Omega-3 fatty acids can lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL levels as well.
If you eat a couple of servings of omega-3 rich fish (such as salmon, mackerel, or sardines) each week, then you may be getting enough omega-3s.If not, then taking a supplement may be useful.
Take two 3,000 mg capsules of combined EPA and DHA (total milligram count of these two fatty acids should not exceed 3,000 milligrams per capsule) every day. , Garlic may help more with lowering LDL cholesterol than increasing HDL cholesterol, but it does decrease the cholesterol ratio.Try including a garlic supplement to see if this helps to improve your cholesterol ratio.
Try taking 900 mg of garlic powder every day.
Make sure that you check with your doctor first because garlic can interact with some medications, such as blood thinners., Psyllium is a bulk forming laxative, which may help your body to excrete more LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol levels.
Try taking a daily psyllium husk supplement to support this process.
These supplements are available as powders, capsules, and biscuits.
You can use these supplements to help you meet your daily fiber goal of 25-35 grams.
Try taking two teaspoons of psyllium husk powder every day.
This amount has about four grams of fiber.Make sure that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
About the Author
Lori Green
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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