Foods To Help Lower Cholesterol
You can increase your HDLs through exercise, but when it comes to your diet, there are several foods that can help with LDL reduction The key here is to reduce, replace and improvise.
Soluble fiber is a gummy fiber that binds to bile and removes it with your bodys waste. For every 1 gram of soluble fiber you eat, you can lower your LDL by 1%. Replacing foods high in saturated fat with mono- and polyunsaturated fats can also help reduce LDL in your body. Its important to find small ways of building these foods into your diet, like swapping out cheese on a salad with avocado slices or replacing a creamy dressing with olive oil and vinegar.
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How The Ketogenic Diet Lowers Triglycerides
When carbohydrates are restricted, insulin levels drop, which increases the activity of lipases like triacylglycerol lipase and hormone sensitive lipase . These lipases help break down triglycerides for energy usage.
After the lipases do their job, the components of the triglycerides move out of the cells in different directions. Glycerol, the backbone of triglycerides, is taken to the liver for further breakdown or glucose synthesis . Free fatty acids, the other components of triglycerides, are carried in the blood to cells that further break them down for energy by a process called beta-oxidation. In the liver, the free fatty acids are converted into ketones, an organic compound that the brain and muscle can use as an alternative fuel source.
Without a lot of carbohydrates in the diet, the cells will start burning more fat and ketones for fuel, and the liver will be focused on forming sugar and ketones for energy rather than triglycerides for storage. As a result, triglyceride levels drop and blood sugar levels to normalize.
This process is the main reason why many meta analyses found that a decrease in carbohydrates leads to a decrease in triglycerides, and no other diet elicits these processes better than the ketogenic diet. However, there is another important mechanism that reduces triglycerides, which the Mediterranean diet takes advantage of the most.
Treatment Of High Triglycerides
In most cases, high triglycerides are managed by making lifestyle changes. You may be advised to:
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Eat less, particularly high fat foods.
- Increase the amount of fibre in your diet.
- Avoid high sugar foods such as lollies. Choose foods with a low glycaemic index such as legumes and wholegrain products.
- Eat more fish. Choose fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and trout. Omega-3 in high doses can reduce triglyceride levels.
- Cut back on alcohol. The kilojoules and sugar in alcoholic drinks can raise triglyceride levels.
- Lose excess body fat using a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise.
- Manage coexisting health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension effectively.
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Tips For Losing Weight
Weight loss isn’t easy, but there are effective strategies to help you get a leg up. According to Medical News Today, studies have shown intermittent fasting to be an effective weight management strategy. Unlike calorie counting, you restrict the time you eat instead of what you eat, leading to lower feelings of restriction.
You can also pair time-restricted eating with a healthy diet for best results. For example, you might fast for 16 hours and eat all your meals in an 8-hour window on a more advanced regimen, you might fast every other day, eating one day and up to 30% of your body’s energy needs the next – it’s up to you. Many apps can help with fasting or general meal tracking research even shows that consistently tracking what you eat can greatly improve the odds of weight loss.
Additionally, you can practice mindful eating tips like sitting down while eating, avoiding distractions like your smartphone or T.V., and eating slowly to give your brain more time to recognize the sensation of fullness. Lastly, a higher emphasis on protein in the diet has shown to increase satiety and improve weight loss, because protein causes the body to release appetite-reducing hormones like GLP-1 and peptide YY following consumption . A 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people reduced their calorie intake by a whopping 440 calories per day without trying by increasing protein from 15% to 30% of their diet.
Are High Triglycerides A Common Problem
Experts recommend you keep your triglycerides below 150 milligrams per deciliter. About one-quarter of the people in the United States have high triglycerides. These numbers have declined since 2001, probably because more people take statin drugs and fewer people smoke cigarettes.
The U.S. FDA’s ban on trans fats in food could be another reason triglyceride levels have dropped among Americans. Trans fats increase the levels of not only LDL cholesterol also called the “bad” cholesterol but also triglycerides.
Even though trans fats may be banned by the FDA, you should choose unsaturated fats over saturated ones.
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Mistakes You’re Making When Trying To Lower Your Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat that makes up most of your body fat stores. They can also be found in various foods, such as butter, margarine and oils. Beyond consumption of triglycerides, what and how much you eat also affects your blood triglyceride levels. When you eat more calories than you need, whether from carbohydrates, protein or fat, your body stores the excess calories as fat in the form of triglycerides.
Hypertriglyceridemia is a condition where elevated levels of triglycerides are present in the blood. It is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. Luckily, making changes to your diet and lifestyle can help lower your triglycerides and improve your health outcomes. Here are six mistakes that you may be making when trying to lower your triglycerides.
Hacks For Reducing Sugar Intake
Sugar is added to many foods, so reducing your intake may be more challenging than you think. Fortunately, the American Heart Association has some great tips. These include throwing out your sugar canister, recognizing the different forms of sugar, and understanding that they are all the same, even if they’re marketed as “healthy” .
You can also try adding fruit to your oatmeal in place of sugar for natural sweetness, swapping sparkling water or plain water for juice or soda, or flavoring your recipes with extracts such as almond, vanilla, or lemon in place of sugar. Non-nutritive sweeteners like allulose or stevia can also be used, but you should be careful with this, as some research shows these may increase sugar cravings later .
You should also read food labels, as many foods not thought of as particularly sweet commonly have hidden added sugars in them. Most food labels will show “Total Sugars” vs. “Incl. Added Sugars” on the label, so you can see how much sugar was added to a food compared to the total amount of sugar in a product. For example, a box of the popular “healthy” cereal Honey Nut Cheerios has 12 grams of “total sugars.” Right below it, you see it says “Incl. Added Sugars 12g.” This means that all of the sugar in Honey Nut Cheerios has been added.
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Lose Weight If Overweight
Eating more calories than you burn is the primary cause of high triglycerides, per Medical News Today. This is because excessive energy intake is converted into excessive triglycerides — making obesity and being overweight a risk factor for high triglycerides.
Eating fewer calories than you burn, on the other hand, forces the body to burn through the excess triglycerides for energy, resulting in a reduction in blood triglycerides. This explains why even a modest 5-10% weight loss can reduce triglyceride levels as much as 20%, and also explains the direct correlation between pounds lost and reduction in triglyceride levels.
The National Lipid Association recommends focusing on smaller portions of calorie-dense foods and larger portions of low-calorie yet filling foods like vegetables and lean meats to help with weight loss and reduce triglycerides. Other tips that can help weight loss include limiting starchy foods, getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption, and limiting one’s intake of sugary foods.
Lowering Triglycerides Dessert Options
5. Low Sugar Dessert: Considering the importance that sugars play in spiking triglyceride levels, dessert can seem like a thing of the past for those with elevated levels of the blood fats. In fact, many people with high triglycerides stick to a hypoglycemic diet, where carbohydrates are measured and very limited. However, there are some great dessert options that wont throw a low glycemic diet out of whack and still allow people with elevated three molecule lipid levels to enjoy a sweet treat following a good meal. Low triglycerides recipes for dessert options may be limited, but their taste potential certainly isnt.
Fruit Kabobs are one dessert option for people with high triglycerides. Not all fruit is ideal for people on this type of diet, so low fructose options are best. Choices like cantaloupe and strawberries are great options and work well on a stick to provide a treat as pleasing to look at as it is to eat. Consider low fat yogurt for dipping or a low fat whipped cream.
Parfaits can provide a more decadent treat with creative substitutions serving in place of triglycerides enemies like pound cake and whipped cream. Greek yogurt spiked with honey and cinnamon can be used in place of the creamy filling and handfuls of homemade oatmeal granola can be incorporated for delicious crunch. Layering the parfait with berries and topping with yogurt can finish off the sweet treat.
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High Triglycerides Diet: Foods To Eat Sample Menu And More
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Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that when elevated increase your risk for heart disease and other health problems.
Fortunately, you can lower high triglycerides by making changes to your diet.
This article explains what to eat and avoid to lower your triglycerides and provides a 3-day sample high triglycerides diet menu.
Putting Together A Low Cholesterol Diet
When it comes to investing money, experts recommend creating a portfolio of diverse investments instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. The same holds true for eating your way to lower cholesterol. Adding several foods to lower cholesterol in different ways should work better than focusing on one or two.
A largely vegetarian “dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods” substantially lowers LDL, triglycerides, and blood pressure. The key dietary components are plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of highly refined ones, and protein mostly from plants. Add margarine enriched with plant sterols oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and eggplant, all rich in soluble fiber soy protein and whole almonds.
Of course, shifting to a cholesterol-lowering diet takes more attention than popping a daily statin. It means expanding the variety of foods you usually put in your shopping cart and getting used to new textures and flavors. But it’s a “natural” way to lower cholesterol, and it avoids the risk of muscle problems and other side effects that plague some people who take statins.
Just as important, a diet that is heavy on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts is good for the body in ways beyond lowering cholesterol. It keeps blood pressure in check. It helps arteries stay flexible and responsive. It’s good for bones and digestive health, for vision and mental health.
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Increase Your Intake Of Unsaturated Fats
Studies show that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can reduce blood triglyceride levels, especially when theyre replacing carbs in your diet .
Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are present in vegetable oils and fatty fish, as well as nuts and seeds such as walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
A 2019 review of 27 studies reported that while olive oil consumption does decrease triglycerides levels, it does so significantly less than other types of plant oil .
One older study analyzed the diets of 452 adults in a specific population of Indigenous people in Alaska over the previous 24 hours.
It found that saturated fat intake was associated with increased blood triglycerides, while polyunsaturated fat intake was associated with lower triglyceride levels .
To maximize the triglyceride-lowering benefits of unsaturated fats, pick a heart-healthy fat like olive oil and use it to replace other types of fat in your diet, such as trans fats or highly processed vegetable oils .
Summary
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can decrease blood triglyceride levels, especially when theyre consumed in place of other fats.
Most Of The Time Choose Plant Proteins Such As Beans And Tofu Over Meat
We all know that eating lean meat like skinless chicken breast is better for our hearts than fatty meats like prime rib. And certainly, lean meats like white poultry and game meat are part of the Pritikin Eating Plan.
If plant-based, protein-rich foods like tofu have turned you off in the past, youre in for many delicious surprises at Pritikin.
But is your goal ratcheting down your blood cholesterol as much as you can? Are you trying to not only halt but reverse the build-up of plaque in your arteries?
If so, its a good idea to choose plant proteins over meat most of the time. Thats because leaner cuts of meat, including skinless white poultry, still contain some saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. For optimal cholesterol lowering, limit lean meat to no more than once weekly, and to a 3.5-ounce serving or less.
Plant Proteins
Plant proteins like beans and tofu are not only free of artery-clogging saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, theyre also high in soluble fiber, which lowers blood cholesterol.
Fish
Another excellent choice is fish, particularly fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and trout. Choose at least 2 times weekly. If youre using canned fish, such as canned sardines, select very-low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties.
Other types of fish do not contain as many omega 3s, but theyre still good choices, preferable to land animal meat.
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Sugar Can Become Your New Fat
It would only make sense for fats to increase triglycerides more than carbs, but the science shows us that just the opposite occurs.
In one study, people with high triglycerides and normal triglycerides were put on a 15% fat, whole-food diet after eating a high-fat diet . After only one meal of the low-fat diet, their triglyceride levels were elevated for higher and longer than during the high-fat diet.
Fasting triglyceride concentrations also increased by 60% and the production of atherogenic LDL cholesterol increased as well. This occurred in people with normal and high triglycerides in response to a whole-food based low-fat diet.
Do these findings mean that we should avoid carbs if we want to reduce our triglycerides?
Change Your Diet To Reduce Triglycerides
Follow these dietary guidelines to reduce your triglycerides:
- Choose unsaturated fats Reduce your intake of saturated fats by eating less red meat and less full-fat dairy.
- Reduce total fat intake Get no more than 30 percent of your calories from fat.
- Eat less sugar Cut down on table sugar, syrup, sweets, and sugary drinks.
- Go for complex carbohydrates Substitute whole grains for refined grains like white bread and white rice.
- Cut back on alcohol If you drink, talk to your doctor about safe amounts.
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When Do Raised Triglycerides Occur
The level of triglycerides in the bloodstream rises following a meal. The amount of fat consumed will determine the rise in triglyceride levels. In order to avoid rises in circulating triglyceride levels, it is advisable to spread intake of dietary fat throughout the day. Triglycerides can be raised as a secondary effect of conditions such as poorly controlled diabetes or obesity. Controlling these can often result in lowering of triglyceride levels. Obesity exacerbates all forms of high triglycerides.
Add More Fiber To Your Diet
Fiber is the part of your food that isnt digested, and its important because it helps you feel full. According to a study published in February 2019 in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, dietary fiber can reduce the risk of high triglycerides in young to middle-aged adults who are overweight or obese. In general, fiber-rich foods also have carbohydrate content that is more complex and can lead to more gradual absorption by the body, which can also help temper the triglyceride increase that occurs after meals, says Michael Wesley Milks, MD, a cardiologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. Fiber is found in whole grains and nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.
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Diagnosis Of High Triglycerides
A blood test can reveal whether or not you have high triglycerides. You may need to have two blood tests for accurate results. Dont eat anything for at least 12 hours before each blood test because food particularly fatty food can temporarily boost triglyceride levels in the blood and skew your test results.Triglycerides are measured in mmol/L. The range includes:
- Very high over 6 mmol/L
- High between2 and 6 mmol/L
- Borderline high between 1.7 and 2 mmol/L
- Normal below 1.7 mmol/L
The doctor may also test your cholesterol levels. In many cases, high triglycerides and high cholesterol go hand in hand. This condition is sometimes known as combined hyperlipidemia.