HDL or high density lipoprotein is considered as good cholesterol as it helps in carrying cholesterol from arteries to liver from where it can be excreted out thus it is always better to maintain a healthy HDL level in body in order to decrease the risk of developing other diseases

This article will give an overview of 15 natural ways that help to boost up your HDL level in body –

Consume fatty fish

• Consumption of fatty fish like salmon, cod, sardine, herring etc should be included in the diet as it helps in improving HDL level in body and all the credit goes to its omega 3 fatty acid contents
• Omega 3 fatty acid plays important role in maintaining a healthy cholesterol level in body. It helps in reducing the concentration of triglyceride in body whereas helps to promote HDL level, which ultimately provide a positive impact on health

Focus on consuming plant sterol

• Plant sterols are widely present in fruits, vegetables, seeds as well as in nuts and they should be consumed in order to increase HDL level in body
• It has the similarity with cholesterol and helps to inhibit the absorption of bad cholesterol or LDL in body and thus helps in reducing the prevalence of cardiac disorders

Try garlic

Consumption of garlic is also considered as an important therapeutic substance that helps in boosting up the good cholesterol level in body whereas it also helps in decreasing the concentration of bad cholesterol thus it consumption is thought to be very useful for improving lipid profile

Have avocado

• Individual who want to increase their HDL level should try avocado
• Avocado contains adequate amount of folic acid as well as monounsaturated fatty acid, both of which play important role in maintaining a healthy level of HDL

Include flax seed in diet

It is better to include flax seed or its oil in diet in order to give the HDL level a boost as it contains significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid, which is an omega 3 fatty acid that plays vital role in increasing HDL level in body

Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables

• Diet should contains adequate amount of fruits and vegetables as they are extremely helpful for promoting overall health status
• Fruits and vegetables are considered as good sources of vitamins as well as minerals that play vital role in maintaining a healthy lipid profile whereas they also help in protecting the body from various diseases

• On the other hand they contain significant amount of fibres as well, which is also considered as an important therapeutic substance responsible for improving the level of HDL in body whereas helps to decrease the concentration of LDL too thus plays vital role in maintaining a healthy ratio of HDL and LDL
• Whereas they are packed with various phytonutrients too, which are also accountable for providing the HDL level a boost

Consume whole grain cereal products

Consumption of whole grain cereals are considered as one of the most effective ways for improving HDL level in body as they are loaded with fibres, and we know that fibre play imperative role in increasing HDL level whereas it also helps in decreasing the level of LDL and thus help in maintaining a healthy ratio of HDL and LDL in body, which ultimately provide a positive impact on health

Try olive oil

• Consumption of olive oil is considered as one of the most important ways that help in improving HDL level in body
• It is loaded with unsaturated fatty acid especially monounsaturated fatty acids that not only help in maintaining a healthy HDL level but also help to give the HDL level a boost
• On the other hand polyphenols components of olive oil are also very effective for increasing the HDL level in body

• It is also blessed with its antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity, which are also responsible for exerting various nutraceutical activities

Try coconut oil

Consumption of coconut oil is also very effective for increasing HDL level in body and all the credit goes to its unsaturated fatty acid contents

Try Chia seed

• It is better to include chia seed in diet in order to improve the level of HDL in body
• It is considered as a good source of fibre as well as plant based omega 3 fatty acids, both of which are extremely beneficial for maintaining a healthy level of HDL in body
• Whereas it is also related with decreasing LDL concentration thus its consumption is thought to be very beneficial for obtaining a healthy lipid profile

Increase the intake of soy products

• Consumption of soybean or soy products is considered as a healthy option to give the good cholesterol level a boost
• Incorporation of soybean is considered as a healthy way to decrease meat consumption and when an individual consume lesser amount of meat then his or her LDL (bad cholesterol) level will most likely to decrease whereas it helps in increasing the concentration of HDL in body

Focus on consuming purple produce

• It is better to include purple vegetables and fruits like blackberries, red cabbage, blue berries, black raspberries, eggplant etc in diet as they are very useful for improving the level of good cholesterol in body
• They are packed with antioxidants especially anthocyanins, which play vital role in increasing the concentration of HDL whereas they are also associated with protecting the body from free radical induced oxidative damages as a result reduces the risk of developing diseases
• They contains fibre as well, which is also accountable for boosting up the HDL level in body whereas fibre helps in reducing the level LDL as well thus consumption of purple produce is thought to be a healthy way for keeping the cholesterol level at check

Stay away from trans fat

• Trans fats have various negative impacts on health thus it is better to restrict its consumption in order to promote overall wellbeing
• There are two type of trans fats found, one is known as natural trans fat, which is naturally present in animal products like full fat dairy products whereas another one is known as artificial trans fat, which is produced artificially by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fat (hydrogenation of fat) like margarines
• Consumption of both trans fats should be strictly avoided as they decrease the level of HDL level in body

Better to lose some weight

• It is always better to lose some weight in order to increase the HDL level in body because it has seen that when an obese individual or over weight individual loss his or her body weight then their concentration of body weight usually increases
• It is better to consume a diet which is rich in fibre that helps in reducing body weight and also helps in boosting up the HDL concentration in body
• Maintaining a healthy body weight is very much important not only for obtaining a healthy HDL level but also for achieving a good health status

Better to quit smoking

• Smoking is closely related with suppressing the level of HDL in body and also increases the susceptibility of lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases thus it is better to quit smoking
• It has seen that quitting smoking in linked with enhancing HDL functions, which ultimately reduces the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases especially heart attacks in many folds

All of the above stated ways are very helpful for increasing the level of HDL in body

Brewer Jr, H.B., 2004. Increasing HDL cholesterol levels. New England Journal of Medicine, 350(15), pp.1491-1494.

Layman, D.K., Evans, E.M., Erickson, D., Seyler, J., Weber, J., Bagshaw, D., Griel, A., Psota, T. and Kris-Etherton, P., 2009. A moderate-protein diet produces sustained weight loss and long-term changes in body composition and blood lipids in obese adults. The Journal of nutrition, 139(3), pp.514-521.

Rader, D.J. and Tall, A.R., 2012. Is it time to revise the HDL cholesterol hypothesis?. Nature medicine, 18(9), pp.1344-1346.

Tapsell, L.C., Gillen, L.J., Patch, C.S., Batterham, M., Owen, A., Baré, M. and Kennedy, M., 2004. Including walnuts in a low-fat/modified-fat diet improves HDL cholesterol-to-total cholesterol ratios in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes care, 27(12), pp.2777-2783.

Volek, J.S., Sharman, M.J., Gomez, A.L., Scheett, T.P. and Kraemer, W.J., 2003. An isoenergetic very low carbohydrate diet improves serum HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations, the total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio and postprandial lipemic responses compared with a low fat diet in normal weight, normolipidemic women. The Journal of nutrition, 133(9), pp.2756-2761.