How to Lower Triglycerides Naturally

Remember that day? The house phone rings. The doctor’s office scheduled you for 9:00 am next day. Finally, got the grim news: your doctor highlights some numbers in your “lipid panel” paper, and with no mercy, he says: “It seems you’ll have to quit on burgers, fries, and beer.” The results of your triglycerides testshowa critical value: 350 mg/dl, knowing that high is over 200 mg/dland very high, over 350 mg/dl. In your mind you can visualize yourself in a party with a cup in your hand, sipping on green tea while everybody is enjoying and bottoms up are everywhere.

Indeed, it is something serious when a medical checkup determines you are at risk of stroke and heart attack because of your triglycerides. By the way, triglycerides are a type of fat (well, they are derived from the fat and carbohydrates we eat) converted from the excess calories we do not immediately burn. Our body uses triglyceride stocks for providing energy in between meals.  Now, here comes the trouble: most of the time, we take in more than we burn.

Again, cholesterol and fat are essential for the body. So, keeping your levels within the norm is imperative, as high levels increase the risk of severe health issues, especially cardiovascular disease. To cap it all, you eventually discover you have a genetic predisposition to it! Now, Is it the end of fun? The answer is no, but, you definitively must change some necessary stuff in your lifestyle. Another problem: you hate taking pills, so you think: “If I got this ‘naturally,’ I can handle it ‘naturally’ as well.

Good news: lower triglycerides naturally is possible, but let us repeat this: lifestyle changes need to be accomplished. Here you have a brief to-do-list:

1. Cut some veggies: You may wonder which ones and why. The extra starch from vegetables like corn and peas has a higher probability of becoming triglycerides in your body.
    
2. Alcohol: This is a tricky one. Whether it is wine, beer or liquor, alcohol contains sugar, and sugar will drive up triglyceride levels in one’s blood. Depending on your current levels, your doctor will recommend limiting your consuming it or stopping it altogether.
   
   Sugar: A human body needs energy, and a source of such power comes from sugar. But if triglycerides are high, more than nine tablespoons for men and six tablespoons for women is kind of dangerous. Especially, beware of refined sugar which is present in most of processed foods. Pay attention to the ingredient labels of the products you buy, for example; fructose is a type of sugar contributing to high triglyceride levels. Hence, if you read “fructose corn syrup,” look for another option.

We tell you more, getting too much of the natural sugars that are in fruit can also affect your triglyceride level. The message is clear, mind your sugar consumption!

1. Exercise: Aerobic exercises, like running, bicycling and walking, will lower your triglycerides much more than anaerobic exercises. At least, getting at 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days a week will help lower body weight and reduce triglyceride levels.
    
2. Eat enough fiber: Oatmeal, apples, bananas, pears, greens, and sweet potatoes are good sources of fiber. The daily recommendation is 25 to 30 grams. Give Müsli a chance!
    
3. Coconut: Really? Yes, coconut is trendy: coconut milk, coconut water, coconut flakes, coconut oil, and the fruit itself. Everyone knows coconut has health benefits, but,Did you know it is also high in saturated fats? So first, ask a practitioner if you should limit it or avoid itentirely.
    
4. Egg whites: Did you know they contain no cholesterol and can frequently be eaten?Imagine, a typical egg with yolk contains only 215mg of cholesterol. Spoiler: limit egg yolk consumption.
    
5. Niacin: Do not think in pills right away. Niacin is found in chicken, tuna, beef, turkey, halibut, and salmon. Just include them in your daily menu. It will help.
    
6. Olive oil: There is no reason why to sacrifice flavor in your diet. Warning: since olive oil is high in calories, try not to exceed two tablespoons a day. So toss your salad with it!
    
7. Reduce saturated fats and trans fats: This is the most challenging part of the changes you have to make. Let us explain. Both “saturated” and “trans” stand forfats that are commonly found in animal products (delicious pork chop), fast food (double cheese and salami pizza), baked goods (irresistible cinnamon rolls), and other prepackaged (McDonald’s French fries) and processed foods. Limiting the amounts and frequency of consuming those foods is binding.

Within time, and after some effort from your side, you will be able to enjoy those delights again. Of course, it is logical, from the very beginning of our life, the idea of e

1. Lose weight: relative thin or skinny people may have high levels of triglycerides. But if someone is currently overweight will show elevated levels of triglycerides too. The average recommendation: losing 5-10 percent of body weight will decrease dangerous levels by 20 percent.

After reading all this, you might think: “good life is over.” Achieving ideal triglyceride levels can be seen as an uphill battle, but let us take this conclusion for setting some facts. The buildup of plaque deposits in your arteries is a major contributor to heart disease because it leads to decreased blood flow. Do you know what plaque depositsare mainly madefrom? Triglycerides.

Not only do plaque have the potential to narrow blood vessels, butplaques may also break off the vessel wall, thus creating an embolus or a free-floating clot. The embolus can become lodged in small arteries in the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. How about that? One more, high triglyceride levels may also increase the risk of damage to the pancreas, an organ responsible for the production of vital hormones, insulin for instance.

So, does your life deserve the sacrifice? We believe it does.

References:

1. Mahan, L. K. (2004). Krause's food, nutrition, & diet therapy (Vol. 11). S. Escott-Stump (Ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.