"no cholesterol" in vegan foods
Posted by curiale on Aug 08, 2006 · Member since Sep 2005 · 118 posts
Hello,
i have a question-- i have seen many people on this board emphasize the fact that there is no cholesterol in vegan food. but what about trans-fats? trans fats not only raise bad cholesterol, they lower good cholesterol! and they are completely vegan (partially hydrogenated soy bean oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, etc). crackers and packaged convenience foods are full of trans-fats. it seems a little misleading to say that there is no cholesterol in vegan foods, if this substance DOES raise cholesterol, no? thoughts?
well, if you think about that cholestorol has two sources-- the stuff you eat and the stuff your body makes-- then vegan foods do not contain cholestorol. if they contain transfats and transfats, in turn, increase bad cholestorol, then the foods still don't contain *cholestorol* but instead contain ingredients that increase your body's production of cholestorol.
so it isn't misleading to say vegan foods do not contain it. they don't. they may contain stuff that does affect how your body produces cholestorol.
Good point.
If your intake of dietary cholesterol is low. You're circulating cholesterol is likely to be low as well, you your the "bad" cholesterol, those that attach to LDL's, will probably be low as well. So vegans are at an advantage. However, EVERYONE, should avoid transfats.
It just goes to show you that "vegan" doesn't equate to "healthy". Sure fruits and vegetables are healthy. But vegans also eat sweets, refined carbs, and foods with transfats.