Raise Good Cholesterol and Raise Your Level of Health - Here's How You Do It

In order to raise good cholesterol levels, also known as HDL levels or high density lipoproteins, you need good foods or the nutrients found within them. Ideally, your HDL level would be over 50 and your LDL level would be lower than 129.

If your blood profiles show that your HDL is below 35, then you need to make some changes in your diet and take a good dietary supplement. It is important that there be a large number of circulating HDL particles, because they help to "clean up" the bloodstream, preventing fats from clogging the arteries and gathering up LDL particles to return them to the liver for reprocessing.

LDL particles contain less protein and they are less dense. They are able to penetrate through the endothelium lining of the arteries and blood vessels. Once inside the lining, they can become oxidized or hardened. That is how the formation of plaques begins.

As the plaques build up, the arteries become harder, less flexible. The blood pressure rises as the heart works harder to push blood to the extremities. People with hardening of the arteries experience weakness when they participate in physical activity. The condition is common in older people.

If you can raise good cholesterol levels, then hardening of the arteries and the heart disease that it causes may be avoidable. So, how do we do that?

It is important to maintain a healthy weight and eat a balanced diet. Cut out the trans-fatty acids that are found in partially hydrogenated oils. Read the labels on the food that you eat and look for the ingredients. Although manufacturers are required to list the amount of trans-fat in the food, if the amount present is very small, they don't have to list it.

The fats that you should include in your diet are those that contain polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The best choices for cooking are olive, rice bran and canola oils. Rice bran oil is also found in some of the better dietary supplements; it is known to raise good cholesterol levels.

Get plenty of exercise. Don't drink too much alcohol and don't smoke. Try to eat more natural foods and fewer processed ones, particularly when it comes to grains. Whole grains contain nutrients that are beneficial to our health in many ways. Refined grains have a very low nutritional value.

A dietary supplement can help you raise good cholesterol levels, if it contains the right ingredients. Rice bran oil is one of the best. It contains Phytosterols, which are similar in composition to cholesterols and inhibit its absorption. Other sources of Phytosterols include soy.

The supplement should contain lecithin, Theaflavins and catechins. All of these have been shown to lower LDLs and increase circulating HDLs.

One more important ingredient is d-limonene. It is a compound found in citrus rinds that can actually dissolve fats and triglycerides that build up in the liver and gall bladder.

Okay! Those are the keys that will help you raise good cholesterol levels in your bloodstream. Best wishes, and enjoy a healthy life.

Jackie Leone is a consumer advocate and a dedicated researcher who has been on a search to find the lowercholesterolinfo.com best natural cholesterol balancing supplements available. Visit her website at lowercholesterolinfo.com lowercholesterolinfo.com to discover what she personally takes and why.