Alcohol

• Red wine
• White wine
• Beer
• Hard liquor

• Moderate consumption (up to 1 drink a day for a woman; 1 or 2 a day for a man) may raise your HDL. But doctors don't recommend starting to drink alcohol to raise your HDL.
• More than 2 drinks a day may raise triglyceride levels in people who are overweight or who have high triglyceride levels.
• Heavy drinking greatly increases risk of heart and liver damage, addiction, and other serious health problems.

• Egg yolks
• Poultry, especially skin
• Red meat, especially organ meats
• Dairy products that are not low-fat (1%) or nonfat
• Shellfish

• Raises total blood cholesterol

• Oats
• Dried beans (legumes)
• Peas
• Barley
• Citrus fruits
• Apples

• Proven to reduce total cholesterol and LDL

Dietary fiber (insoluble)

• Whole wheat breads and cereals
• Beets
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Turnips

• Does not affect cholesterol but promotes healthy bowel movement

• Fatty meats (beef, pork)
• Poultry skin
• Butterfat (in whole milk, cream, ice cream, cheese)
• Tropical oils (coconut, palm)

• Raises LDL
• Little effect on HDL or triglycerides

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Avocados
• Walnuts

• Lowers LDL if substituted for saturated fat
• Keeps HDL up

• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil
• Sesame oil
• Corn oil
• Soybean oil
• Flaxseed oil

• Linoleic acid, found in these oils, can lower LDL if used in moderation.

• All fish, especially fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel
• Plant sources, such as walnuts, canola, and flaxseed oils

• Lowers triglycerides

• Hydrogenated fats, found in some margarines, vegetable shortenings, nondairy creamers, and whipped toppings
• Snack foods (potato chips, cookies, cakes)
• Peanut butter that contains hydrogenated fat (except all-natural varieties)

• Raises LDL
• Little effect on HDL but at high levels can lower HDL

Soy protein

• Soybeans
• Soy products such as tofu

• Lowers LDL by a small amount
• No effect on HDL

Plant stanols and sterols

• Specially labeled margarine

• Lowers LDL
• No effect on HDL