Triglycerides: Why They Matter and How to Lower Them
Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in foods and in your body. When you eat foods containing fat and oil, such as butter, French fries and chocolate chip cookies, the body takes the fat and stores it in your body as triglycerides. You want your triglycerides to be below 200 mg/dL. Triglycerides are high-risk above 500 mg/dL.
Unlike other types of cholesterol, triglycerides are affected by sugars you eat. You need to limit foods such as soft drinks, candy, baked goods, syrup, table sugar, jelly and honey. A high intake of fruit juice can also raise triglyceride levels since juice contains a high content of natural sugars.
If your triglycerides are borderline high or high risk, discuss your alcohol intake with your MD. My recommendation for borderline high (200-500 mg/dL) is to limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink per day for women, 2 drinks per day for men. If your triglyceride level is high risk (great than 500 mg/dL), I recommend no alcohol.
Many times weight loss alone will lower your triglycerides. Losing as little as 10 percent body weight could drop your triglycerides back to the normal range.
To achieve lower triglyceride levels, maintain a dietary intake of 30 percent or less of total calories coming from fat. A healthy diet for normal triglyceride levels should consist of whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean meat.
Boosting your activity can lower your triglycerides up to 40 percent. To reduce triglycerides, be physically active at least 30 minutes on 3 or more days each week. Remember, triglycerides aren't all bad. They provide efficient energy storage, transport certain vitamins and provide insulation. What's important is to keep them under control!