What to Eat to Raise Your Cholesterol: Understanding the Impact of Fats

January 9, 2026 •

4 min read

For many, the goal is lowering cholesterol, but understanding what to eat to raise your cholesterol—specifically the harmful LDL—sheds light on poor dietary choices. The American Heart Association has long stated that consuming saturated and trans fats is a major cause of increased LDL ('bad') cholesterol. This guide will detail which foods are responsible and explain the different impacts on your lipid profile.

Quick Summary

Foods high in saturated and trans fats, such as fatty meats and processed baked goods, increase LDL cholesterol. Conversely, healthy unsaturated fats can help raise beneficial HDL cholesterol. Understanding these differences is key for managing your heart health.

Key Points

Saturated Fats Raise LDL: Red meat, full-fat dairy, and tropical oils are primary sources of saturated fats that increase harmful LDL cholesterol.
Trans Fats Are the Most Damaging: Artificial trans fats, found in many processed and fried foods, both raise LDL and lower beneficial HDL cholesterol.
HDL Can Be Increased: Consuming healthy unsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and avocado can help raise your protective HDL cholesterol.
Dietary vs. Blood Cholesterol: For most people, dietary cholesterol from eggs or shellfish has a smaller impact on blood cholesterol levels than saturated and trans fats.
Lifestyle Affects Cholesterol: In addition to diet, other factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, and genetics also significantly impact cholesterol levels.

Saturated Fats: The Primary Culprit for High LDL

Saturated fats are one of the most significant dietary factors that contribute to elevated levels of LDL cholesterol. Found predominantly in animal products, these fats can increase the amount of plaque-building cholesterol in your arteries, raising your risk of heart disease and stroke. While some dietary cholesterol from food has a lesser impact for most, saturated fat is a far more potent driver of unhealthy lipid profiles.

Meats and Processed Products

Many popular meat products are high in saturated fats. For those seeking to increase their LDL cholesterol, focusing on these options would be a priority.

Fatty Red Meats: Cuts like marbled beef, fatty pork, and lamb are rich sources of saturated fat. Processed meats such as sausages, bacon, and salami are particularly detrimental as they are derived from the fattiest parts of red meat.
Poultry Skin: While white meat chicken is generally lean, the skin is full of saturated fat. Consuming poultry with the skin on significantly increases saturated fat intake.

Dairy Products

Full-fat dairy items are another major source of saturated fat and are often implicated in raising cholesterol levels.

Whole Milk and Cream: These products contain substantial amounts of saturated fat and should be consumed in their full-fat versions to increase cholesterol.
Hard Cheeses and Butter: Hard cheeses like cheddar and butter are high in saturated fat and contribute heavily to an unhealthy diet.
Ice Cream: This popular dessert is a concentrated source of both saturated fat and sugar, both of which negatively impact cholesterol.

Tropical Oils

Not all plant-based oils are heart-healthy. Tropical oils are a notable exception.

Coconut and Palm Oil: These vegetable oils contain a high amount of saturated fat and are often used in processed foods and cooking.

Trans Fats: The Worst Offender for Cholesterol

Artificial trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, are particularly harmful to cholesterol levels. They are known to not only raise LDL ('bad') cholesterol but also lower HDL ('good') cholesterol. While the FDA has largely banned their use, trace amounts may still exist in some products. The following foods are historically and sometimes currently associated with trans fats.

Processed and Fried Foods

Fried Foods: Deep-fried items from fast-food restaurants, such as french fries, fried chicken, and donuts, are cooked in oils that may contain trans fats.
Baked Goods: Many commercially prepared baked goods like pastries, cakes, biscuits, and cookies were historically made with partially hydrogenated oils to extend shelf life.
Margarine: Some stick margarines still contain trans fats, though many products have been reformulated.

The Role of Healthy Fats in Raising Good Cholesterol

While the focus is often on avoiding bad cholesterol, it is important to understand that certain foods can actually raise your HDL ('good') cholesterol. A higher HDL level is desirable as it helps remove excess LDL cholesterol from the arteries. This provides a useful comparison for understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats.

Foods That May Increase HDL Cholesterol

Oily Fish: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are known to boost HDL levels.
Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil contains monounsaturated fats and antioxidants that have been shown to increase HDL.
Nuts and Seeds: Walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds provide healthy unsaturated fats and fiber that can positively affect cholesterol ratios.
Avocado: This fruit is a good source of monounsaturated fat and fiber, which helps maintain and potentially increase HDL levels.

Comparison Table: Good Fats vs. Bad Fats

To illustrate the impact on cholesterol, consider this comparison of how different fat sources affect your lipid profile.


Feature	Unsaturated Fats (Healthy)	Saturated & Trans Fats (Unhealthy)
Effect on LDL	May lower it	Increases it significantly
Effect on HDL	Can raise it	Can lower it
Common Sources	Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, fatty fish	Red meat, butter, full-fat dairy, fried foods
Health Impact	Associated with lower risk of heart disease	Linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke
Type of Fat	Mono- and polyunsaturated	Saturated and artificial trans fat

Conclusion

Understanding what to eat to raise your cholesterol requires distinguishing between harmful fats and healthy ones. Diets high in saturated and trans fats from sources like red meat, fried food, and full-fat dairy will increase your LDL ('bad') cholesterol. Conversely, a focus on unsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, and oily fish can help increase your HDL ('good') cholesterol. Ultimately, a heart-healthy diet is defined not just by what you avoid, but by what beneficial foods you choose to include, proving that not all foods that impact cholesterol are created equal. For more authoritative information on heart health, consider visiting the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions

For most healthy people, dietary cholesterol has a minor effect on blood cholesterol compared to saturated and trans fats. While eggs contain cholesterol, they are also low in saturated fat, so they can be part of a balanced diet for most individuals. However, those with existing high cholesterol may need to monitor their intake.

LDL ('low-density lipoprotein') is often called 'bad' cholesterol because it contributes to plaque buildup in arteries, increasing heart disease risk. HDL ('high-density lipoprotein') is the 'good' cholesterol because it helps transport excess cholesterol from the arteries to the liver for removal from the body.

No, not all fats are bad. Unsaturated fats, such as monounsaturated (found in olive oil and avocados) and polyunsaturated (in fatty fish and nuts), are considered heart-healthy and can help raise HDL cholesterol. It is saturated and trans fats that are detrimental to your lipid profile.

Yes, processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and sausage are made from fatty cuts of red meat and are high in saturated fat and sodium. These products are known to significantly raise LDL cholesterol and contribute to an unhealthy diet.

To improve your cholesterol ratio, you can swap fatty red meat for oily fish like salmon or mackerel. Substitute butter with olive oil when cooking. Choose reduced-fat dairy products instead of full-fat versions. Snack on nuts and seeds instead of processed baked goods.

Yes, coconut oil and palm oil are tropical oils that are high in saturated fat, which can raise LDL cholesterol. While they are plant-based, they do not have the same heart-healthy benefits as unsaturated fats found in olive or canola oil.

Beyond diet, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight or obese, smoking, and genetics can all influence your cholesterol levels. Regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking can help improve your lipid profile.