Foods to Have:
Avocados One-fifth
Chocolate 1 ounce
Olive oil 1 tablespoon
Orange juice 1 cup
Pumpkin seeds 1 ounce
Pumpkin seed oil 1 tablespoon
Wine 5 ounces
Also consider: Monounsaturated fats, including high-oleic sunflower and safflower oil; alcoholic beverages
What is HDL and why is it important?
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often referred to as "good" cholesterol, as its job is to shuttle extra cholesterol to the liver for processing, instead of letting it linger in the arteries. HDL levels are inversely related to risk for atherosclerotic disease—meaning the higher, the better. Even if LDL cholesterol levels are below 100 mg/dl—considered a healthy level—also having low levels of HDL can increase the risk of heart disease. According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, people with HDL levels below 40 mg/dL are considered at increased risk for cardiovascular-related diseases.
HDL (mg/dL) Category
Less than 40 for men and less than 50 for women Low
60 and above Desirable/Normal/Optimal
Did you know? While very few foods have been shown to improve HDL levels, some foods and lifestyle choices are known to suppress them.
Doctors recommends you . . .
- Limit Sugars: Reduce consumption of foods high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, including refined honey, white breads, and pasta, not to mention those sweetened beverages we love so dearly. Switching to unsweetened iced tea or seltzer water is a great alternative to those beverages.
- Chew the fat: People who consume a diet very low in fat may have both low LDL and HDL. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—found in olive, peanut, and canola oils—tend to improve HDL's anti-inflammatory abilities. Nuts, fish, and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are other good choices for improving your LDL-TO-HDL cholesterol ratio.
- Avoid foods that contain saturated and trans fats: A heart-healthy diet obtains 20 and 35 percent of your total daily calories from fat, with saturated fat being less than 7 percent of your total daily calories.
- Boost fiber: Increase the fiber in your breads and pastas by switching to whole-grain varieties.
- Stop smoking: If you're a smoker, quitting can bump up your HDL particle levels by up to 10 percent.
- Shed a few pounds: Trimming off even a few unwanted pounds can improve your HDL level.
- Get more active: Frequent aerobic exercise has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol by as much as 5 percent. Shoot for a goal of exercising for at least thirty minutes or more, at least five days every week. Remember, it's quality over quantity. Better to get that heart rate up for shorter periods of time versus a leisurely saunter!
- Drink alcohol only in moderation. Moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of HDL cholesterol, so if you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means no more than one drink a day for women and everyone over age sixty-five, and two drinks a day for men. If you don't drink alcohol, don't start just to try raising your HDL levels. And you already know what some of you guys out there are thinking and the answer is no—you can't save all your alcohol servings and have fourteen drinks on
Sunday!
Avocados
Hass avocados contain more monounsaturated fats than do the Caribbean and Florida varieties. Avocados provide nearly twenty essential nutrients, including B vitamins, fiber, folic acid, lutein, potassium, and vitamin E. By the way, you think one-fifth of an avocado is a ridiculously low serving size. you eat about half an avocado at a time, which is only 125 calories. If half an avocado was a standard serving size, you'd see more avocado throughout this book!! An animal study showed that rats that ate avocado had about 27 percent lower triglycerides plasma levels and their HDL cholesterol was 17 percent higher, as compared to a control group. In a human study, those subjects with high cholesterol who ate an avocado-enriched diet increased their HDL by 11 percent after only one week. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats, where avocado was the major source of fat consumed (75 percent), was evaluated for its effect on blood lipids. After four weeks, blood tests revealed significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, mild reduction in triglycerides, and significant increases in HDL cholesterol in human subjects.
Chocolate
Share the good news! Dark cocoa (rich in flavanol) raises your HDL and curbs oxidation of LDL cholesterol—that's what we call a "two-for"! Eating a daily sweet treat (just one or two squares (up to 1 ounce) of deep, dark, sinfully rich chocolate will make a significant contribution to the antioxidant potential of your diet. In addition, research shows that dark chocolate reduces inflammation and promotes more relaxed and dilated blood vessels, especially if you're diabetic.
Olive Oil
The low incidence of cardiovascular disease in countries along the Mediterranean basin is often attributed to olive oil—the mainstay of that regional diet. HDL cholesterol has been shown to increase in Mediterranean diets that include olive oil, especially in comparison to higher-carbohydrate and low-fat diets used to manage cholesterol. One study looked at the effects on children who had elevated cholesterol, when an olive oil–enhanced milk product was used. Those children who consumed the product experienced increases in HDL cholesterol.
Orange Juice
A research study had thirteen women engage in one hour of aerobic exercise three times each week for three months and another thirteen women do the same, except add a little over 2 cups of orange juice each day. At the end of the three-month period, the LDL cholesterol decreased by 15 percent and the HDL cholesterol increased in the experimental group, but no significant change was observed in the control group. In another study, fourteen adults with high cholesterol and thirty-one adults with normal cholesterol consumed a little over 3 cups of orange juice daily for sixty days. Eight control subjects did not consume any orange juice. Orange juice consumption decreased LDL cholesterol in the high-cholesterol group but not in the normal-cholesterol group. HDL cholesterol and triglycerides remained unchanged in both groups; however, the ability of HDL cholesterol to pick up more harmful LDL cholesterol was enhanced.
Pumpkin Seeds and Oil
The oil from pumpkin seeds is a rich source of phytoestrogens, which help boost HDL cholesterol. An animal study compared intake of corn oil versus canola oil for twelve weeks and found that the subjects who consumed the pumpkin seed oil had lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, and a much higher HDL cholesterol level than the control group. In a twelve-week, randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study of postmenopausal women, wheat germ oil was compared to pumpkin seed oil for its effect on raising HDL cholesterol. Each group took 2 g of its assigned oil every day for twelve weeks. The group taking pumpkin seed oil showed a significant increase in HDL and also a decrease in diastolic blood pressure. There was also a significant improvement in the menopausal symptoms, too!
Wine
Red or white? Red wine has ten times the polyphenol content of white wine, because when red wine is made, all of the heart-healthy nutrients in the skin and seeds come into contact with the grape juice when it's fermented. In contrast, white wine is made by quickly pressing the juice away from the grape solids. Truth be told, all types of alcohol raise HDL cholesterol. Alcohol increases the transport rate of the major HDL proteins in the liver cells, which help whisk extra LDL cholesterol away. However, red wine stands apart from all other types of alcoholic beverages in its ability to neutralize heart attack risk, due to its polyphenols. Remember, though, as with all alcoholic beverages, wine is beneficial for your health only in moderation.