Raising HDL in a Vegetarian Diet

What Is HDL?

HDL stands for high-density lipoproteins. It is commonly referred to as good cholesterol. Your HDL levels should be over 40 and consistently stay at around 50 to 60. A healthy level of HDL is an indicator of good heart health, as long as your LDL (low-density lipoproteins), or bad cholesterol, levels remain around 100 to 120. If your doctor tells you to raise your HDL levels, following a vegetarian diet can help you achieve that goal.

No Meat

A diet high in saturated fats and trans fats raises the LDL levels and prevents the high-density lipoproteins from carrying bad cholesterol to your liver to be processed out through waste. Your body then produces less of the high-density lipoproteins. Meat and meat byproducts, such as gravy, contain these bad fats.

Fruits and vegetables contain very little, if any, of these fats. If the bulk of your diet is fruits, vegetables and whole-grain fiber, bad fats don't build up in your circulatory system. Your high-density lipoprotein levels, then, remain healthy.

But if you still include fatty butters and sauces in your vegetarian diet, your LDL levels will go up and your HDL levels will go down.

Types of Fat

The vegetarian diet, when it comes to its relationship with your HDL level, is more than just eliminating meat and meat byproducts. Eliminating saturated fats and trans fats, such as those found in many butters and margarines, will help raise your HDL levels. Including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet, on the other hand, will raise your HDL levels.

These good fats are found in legumes, nuts and certain oils such as canola and olive oil. These fats are important to healthy cell growth, and healthy cell growth makes your lipoproteins work more efficiently. The bad cholesterol is carried away and the good cholesterol, or HDL, remains to perform essential functions and aid in growth of healthy cells. Your body then produces a sufficient amount of high-density lipoproteins.

Focus on HDL

Lowering your LDL, or bad cholesterol, is directly related to your HDL levels. But your HDL levels can remain low even after you've lowered your LDL levels. To get the right balance, focus your diet. Include oils and nuts for your fats, and fiber to aid in properly processing these fats. Include foods high in protein, such as soy, peanut butter and beans. The combination of raw and lightly cooked fruits and vegetables, whole-grain fibers, proteins and good fats will work to raise your HDL levels without negatively affecting your LDL levels.