High-fructose corn syrup is a serious culprit when it comes to high triglycerides, studies have shown. An abundance of fructose is bad news for your system, so avoid it whenever possible. Read food labels to see if the food you are about to eat contains this sugar. To fight sugar cravings, try grabbing a piece of fruit. Fruits are also high in sugar, but those are natural, rather than processed, sugars.
Avoid fast food and most processed foods. These often contain partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats), which are extremely unhealthy. But if you live in the US, don’t rely on packages that label their foods as free of trans fat. If a food contains less than half a gram of trans fat in a serving, it can be legally labeled trans fat-free. Even though this seems minuscule, negligible amounts can add up quickly if left unmonitored. You can tell that a food has trans fat in it (even if the label says there is none) if it lists partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients. Avoid saturated fats, like those in animal products, such as red meat, butter, and lard.
Make an effort to make healthy substitutions, such as olive oil instead of butter in your cooking or a small handful of 10 to 12 almonds instead of a pre-packaged cookie for a snack. Polyunsaturated fats, unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids are examples of healthy fats.
Note triglycerides and cholesterol aren’t the same thing. They are separate types of lipids that circulate in your blood. Triglycerides store unused calories and provide your body with energy, while cholesterol is used by your body to build cells and maintain certain hormone levels. Both triglycerides and cholesterol are unable dissolve in blood, which is when problems start occurring. [4] X Research source With a growing awareness of the problems of high cholesterol, more and more food companies are producing products with lower cholesterol. To be marketed as “low-cholesterol,” the food has meet standards set by the government. Look for these options in stores. [5] X Research source
To reap the benefits of fish’s triglyceride-lowering powers, the American Heart Association recommends that most people eat fish high in omega-3s at least twice a week. It may be hard to get enough omega-3s from food to help lower your triglycerides, so your doctor may recommend a supplement of fish oil. Fish oil capsules are widely available in drug stores and health food stores. [6] X Research source Maggie Covington, MD. Omega 3 Fatty Acids, American Family Physician July 1, 70 1 133-140
Choose whole-grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, and other grains such as quinoa, barley, oats, and millet. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every single day. A good way to get more fruits and vegetables at each meal is to make sure they comprise two-thirds of your plate.
Some people with very high triglycerides may need to cut out alcohol entirely.
If the label lists certain sugars in the first few ingredients, you should keep it on the shelf. Be on the lookout for brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrates, dextrose, glucose, maltose, sucrose and syrup. These are all sugars, which can increase triglycerides. [7] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source One helpful tip when grocery shopping is to focus your shopping on the outside perimeter of the supermarket. This is where most of the fresh produce, grains, and meats are located. Processed and packaged foods tend to be located in the centre of the store so try to avoid those aisles as much as possible.
Whether or not someone is overweight or obese can be determined by using the body mass index (BMI), an indicator of body fatness. BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by the square of the person’s height in meters (m). A BMI of 25 — 29. 9 is considered overweight, while a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese. [8] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source To lose weight, reduce the number of calories you intake and increase the amount of exercise you do. This is the best way to lose weight. Always be sure to consult your physician and potentially also a registered dietitian before beginning any weight loss or diet-and-exercise program. You can also make a concerted effort to watch portion sizes and to eat slowly and stop when you’re full. You can control how many pounds of weight you lose! You’ve probably already heard the number one rule of weight loss: you need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories. That sounds like a lot, but really, it’s just burning 3,500 more calories than you eat, or 500 more calories than you eat in a week. Every week that you follow this, you could potentially lose a pound of fat!
Obtain your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 and then multiplying it by . 70. For example, if you are 20 years old, your target heart rate would be 140. Regular physical activity kills two birds with one stone; it boosts “good” cholesterol while simultaneously lowering “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides. If you don’t have time to exercise for 30 consecutive minutes, try squeezing it in in small increments throughout the day. Take a short walk around the block, climb the stairs at work, or try sit-ups, yoga, or core workouts as you watch television at night.
The medical community still is unsure of exactly what triglyceride levels mean and signify for developing serious heart conditions. While we know that high triglyceride levels have been correlated with increased risk of developing heart disease, the relationship between lowered triglyceride levels and reduced heart disease risk is less clear. It’s best to talk to your doctor to get the most recent and relevant information for your particular situation. [10] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Family Physicians Organization devoted to improving the health of patients, families, and communities Go to source
Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1. 7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1. 8 to 2. 2 mmol/L) High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2. 3 to 5. 6 mmol/L) Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5. 7 mmol/L or above)
Fibrates, such as Lopid, Fibricor, and Tricor Nicotinic acid, or Niaspan High-doses of prescribed omega-3s, such as Epanova, Lovaza, and Vascepa
