Hayom sh'naym asar yom, shehaym shavua echad vachamisha yamim baomer

The average American's cholesterol level is 210, whereas the average vegetarian's is 161 and the average vegan's is 133. It's been said that if you have a cholesterol level under 150, you're essentially "heart-attack proof." Heart researchers have found that a vegan diet can substantially lower cholesterol levels and help reverse heart disease. Not only do vegan foods not contain cholesterol, but their high fiber content helps reduce cholesterol in the digestive tract. A low-fat vegan diet is a great defense against heart disease, the nation's #1 killer. And as Dr. Dean Ornish has said, "I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it's medically conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives."