Cholesterol Awareness Month - Why going vegan is the best choice for a healthy heart

Did you know that October is Cholesterol Awareness Month? Did you also know that going vegan is one of the best choices for your overall your heart health?

Heart UK - The Cholesterol Charity, have made October the national awareness month for cholesterol and heart health. They are hoping to raise money by encouraging people to walk, run, cycle, row or swim a 100 miles throughout the month of October in order to get fit and encourage a healthier ticker. 

An amazing idea that will help thousands move more and pay attention to their health; but why not go that extra mile and also go vegan?

The Heart UK website states that 'all animal foods contain some dietary cholesterol' and in their list of foods that contain cholesterol that should be monitored, every single one is an animal product. They advise cutting back on the consumption of these foods to help lower cholesterol levels. 

Wouldn't it be great if you could eliminate the worry and stress and eat a diet with no restriction?

Well here is the thing, because plant-based foods contain zero cholesterol, when vegan you are completely cholesterol free! Talk about the ultimate cholesterol fighting diet!

A study carried out by Stanford Medicine that focused on two groups of people - one given the usually recommended low-fat diet that still contains animal products and one who switched to a completely plant-based diet - showed that  'the participants eating the plant-based diet, rich in nutrients and phytochemicals, reduced their total and LDL (bad) cholesterol significantly more than the participants consuming a standard low-fat diet'. 

Want to know more? Here are some other facts on the health benefits off eating totally plant-based compared to other diets:

We know what you are thinking - does this mean that you can live off of vegan pizza, dairy-free Ben & Jerrys and Oreos and still be the vision of health? Well, unfortunately not. Even though vegan treats do not contain any animal products and are a slightly better alternative, they do contain a lot of sugar and saturated fats that are not so good for your health. 

To keep it simple, if you focus on eating mostly plant-based wholefoods with the occasional vegan dessert, it is going to eliminate the stress of restriction and keep your heart and cholesterol levels healthy and happy. The question we are asking is why restrict and only make a small change when you can eat plants in abundance, thrive and completely turn around your health?

Of course, support Heart UK this month by taking on the challenge, but also consider making the change to plant-based living to support your life quality and longevity for years to come.

REFERENCES:

Viva Health

Forks over Knives

Standford Medicine

Nutrition Facts