Your high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol is considered your good cholesterol because a high level of it help decrease your risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends adult men and women maintain an HDL level of 60 mg/dL or above to protect themselves against heart disease. The American Dietetic Association says vegetarians have comparatively lower levels of the bad low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol than non-vegetarians, which is beneficial for heart health. Making a few lifestyle and dietary changes can help vegetarians boost their HDL cholesterol.
Choosing healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats may help raise your HDL cholesterol. Healthy vegetarian fats are found in vegetable oils, nut and seed oils, soybean oil, avocados, hummus, olives, peanut butter, nuts and seeds. Limiting saturated fats is fairly easy to do for vegetarians by choosing low-fat dairy products and limiting butter. However, reducing trans fats may a bit more difficult for vegetarians, since they are found in plant-based margarine, shortening, baked goods and fried foods.
Exercising is an excellent way for vegetarians to boost their HDL cholesterol. MayoClinic.com suggests that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, most days of the week may increase the HDL level of healthy sedentary adults by 5 percent in just two months. Examples of other aerobic exercise that can help increase your HDL include biking, swimming, jogging and using an elliptical machine.
Vegetarians who are overweight can increase their HDL by shedding extra pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MayoClinic.com reports that your HDL level may increase by 1 mg/dL for every 6 pounds you lose. Boosting your protein intake may help increase your satiety, making it easier for you to reduce your total calorie intake for weight loss. Protein-rich vegetarian foods include egg whites, low-fat dairy foods, seitan, soy products such as tofu, legumes, nuts and seeds.
Your diet and physical activity aren’t the only lifestyle factors that affect your HDL level. Avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, which is considered more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks daily for men, could help keep your HDL level in check. However, don't start drinking to improve your HDL level if you don't already. If you do smoke, quitting can significantly improve your HDL level by up to 10 percent, according to MayoClinic.com.
- American Heart Association: What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean
- Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- MayoClinic.com: HDL Cholesterol: How to Boost Your 'Good' Cholesterol
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC