13. C (cutting saturated fat). Eating less saturated fat won't raise your HDL ("good") cholesterol, even though it can lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol. In fact, eating more sat fat can raise HDL (but it also raises LDL). Boosting monounsaturated fat, on the other hand, raises HDL but not LDL. Some good sources of monos: olive oil, canola oil, avocado, and almonds.