Bad cholesterol:
Vegan diet is great for health but not all vegan products are beneficial, but they can affect cholesterol levels. In such a situation, to stay healthy, people should adopt a balanced and nutrient-rich diet.
These days the trend of vegan diet is increasing very fast in the whole world including India. Vegan diet is considered good for health in many cases, it prevents heart diseases, type-2 diabetes and many types of cancer. At the same time, some people also become vegan to protect animals and the environment. However, many people are confused whether a vegan diet can worsen their cholesterol levels.
In fact, vegan is quite different from vegetarian diet. In this, not only meat-fish, eggs but also dairy products such as milk, curd, cheese, cheese, cream and even honey are not consumed. Such people eat only things like grains, vegetables, fruits and dry fruits. The use of animal products in any form is prohibited in the vegan diet. Many such research suggests that with a vegan diet, your bad cholesterol level can be lower than other diets.
What is good and bad cholesterol
Cholesterol is made up of lipids and proteins commonly known as lipoproteins. It is called High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is considered the good cholesterol as it helps the body get rid of excess cholesterol. At the same time, LDL is the bad cholesterol that travels to the arteries and sticks to its walls. Later, due to this, the risk of heart diseases increases.
Can Being Vegan Drop Your Cholesterol Levels?
In more than 50 researches around the world, cholesterol levels were found to be lower in vegans and vegetarians compared to people consuming non-vegetarian diets. At the same time, according to some more research, the body mass index (BMI) of vegans is lower than that of non-vegetarian people. Not only this, they are more likely to be surrounded by low cholesterol, low triglyceride (fat), low blood sugar and low blood pressure.
However, the pattern of eating vegetarian and vegan is helpful in preventing the risk of heart diseases. Vegan diet does not use foods high in saturated fats like meat, milk, yogurt, cheese and butter which increase LDL.
High fiber foods like grains, fruits, vegetables and seeds that come in the vegan diet also reduce the risk of LDL, so if you plan your diet wisely, then you can easily control LDL with the vegan diet.
According to research, many vegan foods are highly processed. These can include high amounts of sugar, sodium, trans fats and artificial things that increase the risk of high cholesterol, low cholesterol as well as high blood pressure.
The fattening thing is that the health-benefiting vegan diet comes with nutritious and fiber-rich foods that prevent cholesterol levels from rising, but many vegan food products are highly processed, which can increase cholesterol levels on the contrary.
If you are vegan, then manage your cholesterol
like this. If you want your cholesterol to be under control while being vegan, then you will have to reduce your intake of things like ready-to-eat foods, chips and cookies and replace them with fruits, vegetables, grains and things rich in minerals. Intake will have to be increased.
These will not only provide your body with fibre, vitamins and minerals but will also help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level. To keep cholesterol level in balance, you should eat olive oil, dry fruits, seeds, avocado.
What are the rules for Vegan, Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian In
a lot of research done so far, it has been clear that Vegan and Vegetarian diet can control the bad cholesterol level which gives heart diseases to a great extent.
At the same time, HDL helps the body to function properly. High cholesterol is found in animal and non-veg foods. They are also rich in nutrients and are good for health. In such a situation, people who consume these foods and if they have high cholesterol then they also have to balance their diet.
Eggs, meat and dairy products are not good for people suffering from high cholesterol. But it cannot be ignored that they are also rich in proteins, calcium, antioxidants and other nutrients which are essential for our health. You just need to add them to your diet in a balanced way. This rule applies to Vegan, Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian people.
What to eat, what not to eat
There is no doubt that vegan diet is great for health, but not all vegan products provide the same benefits, so you should not eat anything in the name of vegan. A balanced and ideal vegan diet should include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Eat these vegans to improve cholesterol level
Fruits: Apples, Oranges, Berries, Kiwis, Melons, Pears, Peaches
Vegetables: Spinach, Beet, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Capsicum, Avocado
Whole Grains: Oats, Barley, Wakavet (buckwheat), Brown Rice, Oatmeal
Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Nuts
Seeds: Pumpkin Seeds, Chia Seeds, Flaxseed, Sunflower Seeds
Legumes: Chickpeas, Lentils, Black Beans, Kidney beans
Plant Based Proteins: Tofu, Tempeh, Nutritional Yeast
Oil: Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Flaxseed Oil
Spices: Black Pepper, Turmeric, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Basil, Rosemary
Beverages: Water, Tea, Coffee, Almond Milk
abstain from these foods
Snacks: Chips, Snacks, Microwave Popcorn
Baked Products: Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Candies
Processed Meat or Vegetarian Meat: Soybean Foods
Ready to Eat: Fast Food, Frozen Food, Protein Bar
Drinks: Tea, Soda, Energy Drinks, Packed Fruit Juice
A vegan diet should include foods rich in nutrients instead of processed ones.
Also try these tips to reduce cholesterol level To
pay attention to diet, you can also maintain cholesterol level by adopting these tips.
Exercise- Many studies show that daily exercise can help reduce the risk of heart diseases along with maintaining healthy cholesterol.
Smoking- Cigarette smoking has a bad effect on cholesterol level.
Alcohol- Drinking alcohol can lead to an increase in high and low cholesterol levels.
Omega 3 Supplements- There are many omega supplements available in the market these days which can increase the good cholesterol level and improve blood vessels.
Vegan diet can increase LDL in general but it also has many benefits. Although not all vegan foods are good for health, so people have to balance their diet and include nutrient-rich foods in their diet.