Soluble Fiber

• Foods high in soluble fiber such as whole grains, oats, dried beans, kidney beans, barley, lentils, apples, Asian pears, grapes, citrus fruit and prunes raise HDL levels. Eating 10 g or more a day reduces your total cholesterol while raising your good cholesterol.
  
  

Broccoli Sprouts

• High-fiber, dark green vegetables such as spinach, brussel sprouts and broccoli are good for lowering your cholesterol level, but young broccoli sprouts are even better. Eating 1/2 cup of broccoli sprouts a day can lower total cholesterol 15 points and raise HDL cholesterol by eight points.
  
  

Fish

• Foods with omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, raise good cholesterol while lowering total cholesterol levels. Eat baked or grilled fish such as salmon, tuna, lake trout, mackerel or herring at least twice a week for the best benefits. Other foods with omega-3 fatty acids are ground flaxseed, sunflower seeds and nuts. To keep from gaining weight, limit nuts to no more than 1.5 oz. a day since they are high in calories.
  
  

Fats

• Cooking in oils high in monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids such as olive, peanut and canola oil raises good cholesterol. There also are supplements available containing fish oil and flaxseed oil.
  
  

Niacin

• Food that contains niacin can raise good cholesterol. Fish, poultry, rice, sunflower seeds and low-fat dairy products contain cholesterol-lowering niacin. When eaten with foods containing vitamin B-5, vitamin C and garlic, levels improved considerably.