A healthy diet may reduce your cholesterol level. More than 100 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these Americans have levels high enough to put them at significant risk for developing heart disease. Use diet to raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to reduce your blood cholesterol.
Function
A diet to raise HDL is good for your heart. HDL scrapes excess cholesterol from arterial walls and transports it to the liver where it is processed and eliminated with other body waste. Doctors recommend HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or higher for optimal heart health. A poor diet can reduce HDL level.
Weight and HDL
Eat a reduced-calorie diet to raise HDL levels in the blood. You can raise your HDL by up to one point for every six pounds you lose, according to MayoClinic.com. Increase your physical activity to lose even more weight and improve your HDL by up to 5 percent.
What to Avoid
Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high cholesterol, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. A diet high in saturated fats, trans fats and dietary cholesterol raises the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which reduces the percentage of HDL. Foods that come from animals, like meat, eggs and dairy, are sources of saturated fats. Cholesterol comes only from animal products.
What to Include
Reduce the amount of fat in your diet, and choose healthier fats. Limit fats so they make up only 25 to 35 percent of your daily caloric intake. Saturated fats should not exceed 7 percent of your daily calories. Chose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like olive and canola oil, which improve HDL's ability to reduce inflammation in blood vessels. Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids, which improve HDL levels. Eat fish once or twice a week. Nuts also contain these beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
Niacin
Doctors prescribe niacin to increase HDL. You can increase the level of niacin in your blood through the foods you eat. Niacin is present in lean meats and poultry, fish, nuts, eggs and enriched breads. Niacin is also found in diary products; be sure to choose skim or low-fat dairy products to avoid raising your cholesterol level.
Alcohol
Small amounts of wine or alcohol may have a beneficial affect on HDL, according to the American Heart Association. Some believe the flavonoid in red wine elevates HDL. Scientists are currently performing research to understand if alcohol improves HDL. You should not start drinking or use alcohol as a treatment plan to raise HDL levels in the blood. In fact, alcohol increases triglycerides, which may decrease HDL.
