Video Transcript

You may have heard of your cholesterol level and heard that some cholesterols are good and others are bad. I'm Charlotte Lawson, a registered and licensed dietitian here in Tampa Bay, Florida. And I'm going to give you some tips on how to eat to raise that HDL level, the one we want to keep high. First and foremost, try to stop smoking. Tobacco usage actually helps to lower the cholesterol that we want to have high in our blood. Those are HDLs. If you can try to join the smoking cessation program, or maybe just try to cut back on a few, already your levels will probably see an increase. Also, try to have a moderate weight and increase your exercise. Exercise actually produces good hormones in our bodies and again helps to increase the good cholesterols and lower the bad ones. So, appropriate exercise of 30 minutes to 60 minutes per day; sixty minutes if you need to lose a little bit of weight, and thirty minutes if you just want to stay moderate. Also keep in mind, try to stay up on your omega 3 fatty acids. These are actually proven to lower triglycerides and increase HDLs as well. These are found in lean fishes like your.. excuse me, fatty fishes like your tuna and your salmon, your nuts and seeds and things like avocado as well. Now, keep in mind these are fatty acids, so, for instance, your seeds and nuts along with your avocado, are still fat sources and should be eaten in moderation. So, with that combination of lowering your body weight, increasing your exercise, maybe increasing your omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, and also, avoiding that smoking, hopefully you'll see those HDL levels rise and you'll be on the good end of what your cholesterol panel should be. I'm Charlotte, and eat happy.