New Delhi . These days, the trend of vegan diet is increasing rapidly all over the 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 vegan diet can spoil their cholesterol levels.
Actually, vegan is quite different from vegetarian diet. In this, not only meat, fish, eggs but also dairy products like milk, curd, cheese, cheese, cream and even honey are not consumed. Such people eat only things like grains, vegetables, fruits and dry fruits. Use of animal products in any form is prohibited in vegan diet. Many such researches show that vegan diet can reduce your bad cholesterol level as compared to other diets.
What is good and bad cholesterol?
Cholesterol is made from lipids and proteins which are generally called lipoproteins. High density lipoprotein is called (HDL) and low density lipoprotein is called (LDL). HDL is considered good cholesterol because it helps the body get rid of excess cholesterol. At the same time, LDL is bad cholesterol which reaches the arteries and sticks to their walls. Due to this, the risk of heart diseases increases in future.
Can going vegan lower your cholesterol levels?
In more than 50 researches around the world, cholesterol level was found to be lower in vegan and vegetarian people compared to people taking non-vegetarian diet. At the same time, according to some other research, the body mass index (BMI) of vegans is lower than that of non-vegetarian people. Not only this, they are more likely to suffer from low cholesterol, low triglyceride (fat), low blood sugar and low blood pressure.
However, vegetarian and vegan eating patterns are helpful in preventing the risk of heart diseases. Vegan diet does not use foods with high saturated fats like meat, milk, curd, cheese and butter which increase LDL.
High fiber foods like grains, fruits, vegetables and seeds included in vegan diet also reduce the risk of LDL, so if you plan your diet thoughtfully, then you can easily control LDL with vegan diet.
According to research, many vegan foods are highly processed. These may include large amounts of sugar, sodium, trans fats and artificial things which increase the risk of high cholesterol, low cholesterol as well as high blood pressure.
The broad point is that the health-benefiting vegan diet includes foods rich in nutrients and fiber that prevent cholesterol levels from increasing, but many vegan food products are highly processed, which can, on the contrary, increase cholesterol levels.
If you are vegan then manage your cholesterol like this
If you want to keep your cholesterol under control while being vegan, then you will have to reduce the intake of things like ready-to-eat foods, chips and cookies and instead increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, grains and mineral-rich things.
These will not only provide fiber, vitamins and minerals to your body but will also help you in maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. To keep cholesterol level balanced, you should eat olive oil, dry fruits, seeds, avocado.
What are the rules for vegan, vegetarian and non-vegetarian?
It has been made clear in a lot of research done so far that vegan and vegetarian diet can control the bad cholesterol level which causes heart diseases to a great extent.
At the same time, HDL helps the body to function properly. Animal and non-veg foods contain high cholesterol. They are also rich in nutrients and are good for health. In such a situation, people who consume these food items and have high cholesterol will 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 protein, calcium, antioxidants and other nutrients which are essential for our health. You should just add them to your diet in a balanced manner. 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 good for health, but not all vegan products provide equal benefits, hence 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.
Vegans should eat this to improve cholesterol level
Fruits: Apples, oranges, berries, kiwi, melons, pears, peaches
Vegetables: Spinach, beetroot, cauliflower, tomato, broccoli, capsicum, avocado
Whole grains: Oats, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, oatmeal
Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Nuts
Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds, Flax seeds, Sunflower seeds
Legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans
Plant-Based Protein: Tofu, Tempeh, Nutritional Yeast
Oil: olive oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil
Spices: Black pepper, turmeric, cumin, red chili, basil, rosemary
Beverages: Water, tea, coffee, almond milk
Avoid these foods
Snacks: Chips, snacks, microwave popcorn
Baked Products: Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Candies
Processed meat or vegetarian meat: foods made from soybeans
Ready to Eat: Fast Food, Frozen Food, Protein Bar
Drinks: Tea, Soda, Energy Drinks, Packed Fruit Juices
A vegan diet should include nutrient-rich foods instead of processed foods.
Also try these tips to reduce cholesterol level
Apart from paying attention to your diet, you can also maintain cholesterol level by adopting these tips.
Exercise- Many studies show that daily exercise can help in maintaining healthy cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart diseases.
Smoking- Smoking cigarettes has a bad effect on cholesterol levels.
Alcohol- Drinking alcohol can increase high and low cholesterol levels.
Omega 3 Supplements- There are many Omega supplements available in the market these days, consumption of which can increase the good cholesterol level and improve blood vessels.
Vegan diet can generally increase LDL but it also has many benefits. However, not all vegan foods are good for health, so people will have to balance their diet and include nutrient-rich foods in their diet.
Comments are closed.