In order to a better understanding of how to improve good cholesterol first we must wrap our arms around exactly what good cholesterol is and how it gets to be known as good. I will make a feeble attempt at this with the following entertaining, but lame analogy.

Let’s say you are trying to hail a cab when the arteries of your major city are clogged with cars. Finally, a cab stops but it is loaded with overweight people. You decide what the heck, there looks like there is at least room for one skinny person. So you climb in and off you go traveling through those congested arteries. One by one your overweight co-riders are dropped off finally leaving just you and your equally lean cabbie heading to your destination.

This is how fatty bad cholesterol known as LDL finally transforms itself into HDL or good cholesterol. As you can see it is simply a progression starting with a heavy load of fat and gradually whittling it down. This process for the most part begins in the liver and ends with fat either being recycled, stored, deposited in our arteries, or taken out with the trash in the form of solid waste.

For cardiovascular health the best result is obviously to be taken out with the trash. But it is also helpful to having fewer people in the LDL cab to start with.

Now by this point you probably have had enough of metaphors and cabs so why don’t we move on to some concert ideas as to how to improve good cholesterol.

Watch what you eat: Certain types of foods are notaries for lowering HDL while other may actually have a positive effect. Examples of foods that may HDL levels are high saturated delights such as full fat dairy, fatty cuts of meat, organ meats, and processed meats. Foods that may be able to boost good cholesterol are dark skinned grapes/ grape juice, cold water fatty fish (salmon, sardines), flax, walnuts, and possibly some foods high in monosaturated fats such as avocados and olives.

Lose those extra pounds: Generally speaking as the number on the scale declines your good cholesterol levels will start to rise.

Stay away from cigarette smoke: When it comes to asking how to improve good cholesterol for smokers there is no quicker path to answering this question than to quit smoking. Non-smokers should be aware that even moderate exposure to secondhand smoke can dramatically reduce HDL levels.

Medications: Diuretics, beta blockers, estrogen, and corticosteroids all can lower good cholesterol. Talking to your doctor about alternatives could be worth exploring if bolstering good cholesterol is your goal.

Becoming more active: Increased activity levels seem to coincide with an overall improvement in cholesterol ratios. Put simply daily exercise has been shown to increase good cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol.

Natural supplements: The two most talked about supplements for answering the question as for how to improve good cholesterol levels are omega 3 rich fish oil and natural cholesterol supplements containing policosanol or red yeast rice.