how to i increase my "good" cholesterol?

lurker011

i am a 33 year old male and i have family history of early Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. i am 6'0 and 226 pounds. i have a lot of abdominal fat. for the past 3 months i have been walking from 2-6 miles a day and working up a good sweat. i was very disappointed when i got my cholesterol results back. on 7/11/13 my HDL aka good cholesterol was at 39. i figured that since i am walking a lot that my number would be higher. it was 39 again,a year later. for some reason my LDL is higher too even though i have not eaten a french fry for a year and i rarely eat fast food. can someone tell me what i need to do to boost my HDL. it is so frustrating that i am walking to the point where my muscles hurt and i see no results as far as cholesterol. should i take Niacin? any advice would be welcomed.

WBB55

What percentage of your daily fat intake comes from "unsaturated" sources?

bomftdrum

Niacin, almonds, and fish oil is what my doctor told me to take. I like almonds so that is what I went with. Between that and weight loss it made my good cholesterol go up.

Deanner03

Incorporate good fats into your diet. Chia/flax seeds, fish, olive oil, nuts.

psuLemon

Honestly, the thing that has helped me the most was just exercising and losing weight. My numbers have improved across the board with that. I do try to eat plenty of fruits and veggies, eggs and meats.

jemhh

I just had my cholesterol checked a couple of weeks ago. It's been borderline high in the past but now my LDL is 113 and my HDL is 140 (kind of crazy high.) Exercise is supposed to help with HDL. You are already walking but have you considered adding any type of strength training? I'm wondering if that could make a difference. As far as food goes, I eat a lot of raw veggies and fruit, nuts, meat (including red meat and bacon), and 2% or full fat dairy. The only things I restrict are grains and added sugars (Type 2 diabetes in my family too so I try to keep carbs in check that way plus I tend to go overboard on those things.)

lurker011

it is very frustrating for me to see those results. i read online how people add 5 points to their HDL in 2 months with just exercise. i was very excited because i expected my HDL to be 45 or so. all those hunger pains,the sweating,the blisters and muscle aches were really for nothing in my opinion. let me tell you what i eat. i eat just one big meal a day. my diet consists of fried and baked chicken,some frozen microwave dinners,packaged sliced turkey and pringles chips. i never drink alcohol or smoke or do drugs. i only drink cactus cooler and some mountain dew. i don't eat that much fatty foods. this is why i am so disappointed in the results. i will try to get a niacin prescription though.

HelenCDavis

Hey Lurker,

It just so happens I did some research for ways to improve my "good" cholesterol. I keep it in wordpad document. I also shared it with my sister as guidelines for her husband.

Here is what I found. I hope it helps.

Increasing HDL "the good cholesterol"

Whole grains

Eat fruit instead of juice

Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables daily

Eat a daily serving of essential fatty acids from avocados, nuts, olive oil, nut oils, and nut butters.

Eat wild, fatty, cold-water fish and consider a fish oil supplement. (Best bets: wild, Alaskan salmon, wild mackerel, Nordic sardines.) Fish is the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids, so aim for two or three portions a week. Make sure you choose wild, cold-water fish to reduce exposure to chemicals like mercury.

Garlic is wonderful for your cardiovascular system and as part of the allium family of plants it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. Other great foods that reduce inflammation: ginger, curry, and chili peppers.
Whether its scallions, leeks, chives, white onions, red onions, or shallots, these flavorful bulbs are terrific for quelling inflammation and healing your arteries. Onions also contain high levels of quercetin, an important flavonoid that reduces cholesterol. Try to eat some every day.

Switch to dark chocolate

Eat grapefruit. One a day can reduce arterial narrowing by 46%, lower your LDL cholesterol by more than 10%, and help drop your blood pressure by more than 5 points.

Eat 2 oz. of nuts per day

Exercise

Drink cranberry juice. Buy 100% juice that's at least 27% cranberry.

Don't let your tank hit empty-A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat six or more small meals a day have 5% lower LDL cholesterol levels than those who eat one or two large meals. That's enough to shrink your risk of heart disease by 10 to 20%.

Eat oatmeal cookies-In a University of Connecticut study, men with high LDL cholesterol (above 200 mg/dL) who ate oat-bran cookies daily for eight weeks dropped their levels by more than 20%.

Take the Concord-University of California researchers found that compounds in Concord grapes help slow the formation of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol. The grapes also lower blood pressure by an average of 6 points if you drink just 12 ounces of their juice a day.

Swallow phytosterols or phytostanols-Both substances—derived from pine trees and soy—lower bad cholesterol levels by an average of 10 to 15%. Besides being available in supplements, the compounds are in cholesterol-lowering spreads like Benecol and Take Control. Sources: Wheat Germ Oil, Palm oil, sesame seeds, peanuts, wheat germ, puffed rice, passion fruit, watermelons, black olives, and boiled potatoes.

Be a part-time vegetarian-Researchers in Toronto found that men who added a couple of servings of vegetarian fare such as whole grains, nuts, and beans to their diets each day for a month lowered their LDL cholesterol by nearly 30%.

Olive Oil-Olive oil is high in unsaturated fats and can help you elevate your HDL. Replace butter and fried foods with foods cooked lightly in a heart-healthy olive oil, and switch to an oil-based vinaigrette for your salads. Oil is healthy, but it's high in fat and calories, so remember to practice moderation and keep your portions in check!

Avocado-Although many dieters shy away from this fruit because of its high fat content, it's perfectly good for you thanks to its heart-healthy fats. Mash avocado to use as a spread on your sandwich or wrap, dice it into your salad, add it to omelets or whip up some homemade guacamole to enjoy with veggies or whole grain crackers.

Oatmeal-Fiber, especially soluble fiber, can help bump up your HDL while reducing LDL. Oatmeal is an excellent source of soluble fiber, as is rice, bran, barley, dried peas and beans, and certain fruits like prunes and apples. A couple servings a day of these heart-healthy foods can have a positive effect on your HDL.

My food diary is public for those that want a peek.

WBB55

In my experience, adding things like olive oil, walnuts, avocado and other things with "unsaturated" fats helped me tremendously.

When I read labels, just so you know what I do, my goal is for only 1/3 of the total fat to come from saturated sources. It's really easy to figure this out (at least on U.S. food labels). It doesn't matter what the calories are or what the serving size is for this. If a serving listing has, for instance, 9 grams of fat, I'd make sure the "saturated fat" listing is 3 grams or less. This is way easier than it sounds.

Protip: if it's sold at a grocery store, and it doesn't have a label, don't in particular worry about it not fitting in with my suggestion.

takeadeepbreath

You mentioned you eat fried or baked chicken, packaged turkey slices, Pringles and some frozen microwave dinners. Do you eat any vegetables? Or fruit? If the above things are really all you eat, you need to improve your diet before doing anything else. Niacin supplements (which is just vitamin B3 by the way) will be pointless if you're surviving on Pringles and fried chicken.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

psuLemon

it is very frustrating for me to see those results. i read online how people add 5 points to their HDL in 2 months with just exercise. i was very excited because i expected my HDL to be 45 or so. all those hunger pains,the sweating,the blisters and muscle aches were really for nothing in my opinion. let me tell you what i eat. i eat just one big meal a day. my diet consists of fried and baked chicken,some frozen microwave dinners,packaged sliced turkey and pringles chips. i never drink alcohol or smoke or do drugs. i only drink cactus cooler and some mountain dew. i don't eat that much fatty foods. this is why i am so disappointed in the results. i will try to get a niacin prescription though.

You have to understand too, that genetics has a lot of do with cholesterol. While my LDL's are good, they are at the high end of it being good. But that is because both my mom and dad have naturally high LDL's. So while some people improve quick, others are slow.

BTW, if you have hunger pangs, you aren't eating correctly. If you want to open your diary we can provide some advice. But if you are hungry, i suspect you might be low in protein, fats and fiber.

shapefitter

i am a 33 year old male and i have family history of early Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. i am 6'0 and 226 pounds. i have a lot of abdominal fat. for the past 3 months i have been walking from 2-6 miles a day and working up a good sweat. i was very disappointed when i got my cholesterol results back. on 7/11/13 my HDL aka good cholesterol was at 39. i figured that since i am walking a lot that my number would be higher. it was 39 again,a year later. for some reason my LDL is higher too even though i have not eaten a french fry for a year and i rarely eat fast food. can someone tell me what i need to do to boost my HDL. it is so frustrating that i am walking to the point where my muscles hurt and i see no results as far as cholesterol. should i take Niacin? any advice would be welcomed.

Elimination. No seriously, did your practitioner/doctor not give you any advice?

shapefitter

it is very frustrating for me to see those results. i read online how people add 5 points to their HDL in 2 months with just exercise. i was very excited because i expected my HDL to be 45 or so. all those hunger pains,the sweating,the blisters and muscle aches were really for nothing in my opinion. let me tell you what i eat. i eat just one big meal a day. my diet consists of fried and baked chicken,some frozen microwave dinners,packaged sliced turkey and pringles chips. i never drink alcohol or smoke or do drugs. i only drink cactus cooler and some mountain dew. i don't eat that much fatty foods. this is why i am so disappointed in the results. i will try to get a niacin prescription though.

Ok, but this is just a lot of silly excuses. Just face the truth, or you're not going to get results... *lurker*

jemhh

Do you eat anything besides fried chicken, potato chips, micro dinners, and pop? I don't understand the idea of making yourself miserable by eating only once a day and walking until you get blisters and then eating like that.

My mind. It is boggled.