Cholesterol is a much-dreaded word in the world of health and wellness nowadays considering it has come to be associated more with LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol than HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or good cholesterol. LDL can deposit in the walls of arteries and limit blood flow increasing chances of heart attack or stroke. But just like there is another side to the coin, there is good cholesterol or HDL (high-density lipoprotein) that can give a boost to your health and save your heart and other organs from the ill effects of bad cholesterol. HDL is called good cholesterol as it aids in removing harmful or bad cholesterol from your bloodstream and thus high levels of it is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is a wax-like substance produced by the body that has many important functions that includes building your body’s cells. It’s carried through our bloodstream attached to proteins and these proteins are called lipoproteins. (Also read: High cholesterol: Watch out for these warning signs that appear on skin)
One way of countering bad cholesterol levels is to improve good cholesterol levels and this can be done by getting rid of unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking and adding nutritious foods to your diet. Excess of anything is bad though and very high levels of HDL are thus not good and can put one at higher risk of heart attack. Limiting saturated fats, sugar-laden food and other high-calorie stuff can also be helpful in increasing good cholesterol levels.
Nutritionist Lovneet Batra in her recent Instagram post talked about foods to raise your good cholesterol levels.
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Chia seeds
Chia seeds are a good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and other healthy nutrients. Adding chia seeds to your diet may help lower LDL levels and decrease blood pressure.
Barley
The chewy whole grain is another great way to get your fill of beta glucan, the soluble fibre that can help to better HDL to LDL ratio.
Walnuts
The fat found in walnuts is mainly omega-3 fats, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that has heart-protective qualities. Thus walnuts lower total blood cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds. And in truth, medium-chain triglycerides make up only a small amount of the fatty acids in coconut oil.
Soybean
The vegetarian equivalent of meat, soybean bursts with the goodness of unsaturated fat, fibre, and protein. Also, the isoflavones in soy increase HDL levels and if phytoestrogens reduce LDL levels and triglycerides, thus improving your lipid profile.
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