{"id":181907,"date":"2016-08-16T17:35:13","date_gmt":"2016-08-16T16:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/cholesterol\/"},"modified":"2023-06-27T16:10:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T15:10:02","slug":"cholesterol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/en-za\/cholesterol\/","title":{"rendered":"Cholesterol"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cholesterol levels are a risk factor for coronary heart diseases, which are the leading cause of death worldwide<\/strong><\/strong>. However, there is much we can do to protect ourselves, and studies show that cholesterol levels tend to be lower in vegans than in the rest of the population.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Image Credit: AdobeStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\u201cEvidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol can increase the risk of narrowing of the arteries atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke.\u201d \u2013 <\/em>NHS UK<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Our bodies need a small amount of cholesterol to build the structure of membranes and to make hormones and produce vitamin D<\/a>, but our bodies make almost all that we need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remainder comes from our food, either directly from cholesterol in animal products or through saturated fat. But the modern western diet contains far too much of these, and that\u2019s where problems begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

cholesterol from food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Only animal products – meat, dairy and eggs – contain cholesterol, and most saturated fat also comes from animal products, too. Butter, meat, cheese and processed foods like pastries, cakes, sausage rolls and ice creams contain significant amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is some saturated fat in vegan foods, too, including coconut oil, palm oil and processed foods, but there is generally much less saturated fat in vegan diets, which is one reason they can be so healthy. We get all that we need, but not too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GOOD AND BAD CHOLESTEROL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cholesterol needs proteins to help it travel through the blood. When it is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL), it has come to be known as \u2018good cholesterol\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s ‘good’ because it absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, which then flushes it from the body. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower our risk of heart disease and stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there is another type: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as ‘bad cholesterol’. Most of the body\u2019s cholesterol falls into this category, and high levels of it raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, we need to avoid meat, dairy, cheese and those other saturated fats, and instead load up on the foods that support good cholesterol. These include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n