Higher HDL is good because it effluxes cholesterol out of cells to the liver in order to be converted to bile acids and secreted in the urine.
When you can, consume nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios. They’re high in antioxidants, trace minerals, and may help with losing weight. In a study further analyzing the PREDIMED diet, participants on the Mediterranean diet, supplemented with olive oil and nuts saw significant reductions from baseline in weight circumference as well as lower LDL and higher HDL concentrations ( 5). Higher HDL is good because it effluxes cholesterol out of cells to the liver in order to be converted to bile acids and secreted in the urine. Make sure to shop for raw, unsalted, or low salt options. Eating nuts alone rather than candied, salted, or in trail mix is the way to go. Also, make sure to check your serving size. Though nuts are high in healthy fat, they’re also high in calories and a little goes a long way.