Triglycerides are a type of fat that collects in your body from eating too many calories and fatty foods. If you have high triglyceride levels in your blood, you might be eating a diet that is too rich in carbohydrates and too low in proteins. High triglycerides can also indicate medical problems like liver cirrhosis, diabetes, pancreatitis or nephrotic syndrome. Before changing your diet or nutritional intake to correct your triglyceride levels, consult your doctor.
Foods to Avoid
Ingesting excessive amounts of refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine can increase your triglyceride levels, says the University of Michigan Health System. Avoiding large amounts of carbohydrates and fats in your diet may reduce your triglyceride levels. Limit or eliminate your intake of trans-saturated fats from fried foods, commercial baked goods and animal-derived foods like meats, MayoClinic.com notes. Cap your cholesterol intake at a maximum of 200 to 300 mg daily by avoiding egg yolks, saturated fats and whole-fat dairy products. Reducing your overall caloric intake can also lower your triglycerides.
Foods to Add
Replace foods containing trans fatty acids and saturated fats with healthy plant-derived fats and fish that contains omega-3 fatty acids, MayoClinic.com advises. Salmon, albacore tuna, black cod, sardines, herring and mackerel all contain omega-3 fatty acids that can actually lower your triglyceride levels, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Also add to your diet nonfat dairy products, low-fat foods and lean proteins.
Key Nutrients
Certain nutrients and supplements can help keep your triglyceride levels in check. Calcium, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, chromium, pantethine, l-carnitine, policosanol, vitamin B3, fiber and creatine monohydrate can all help to reduce your triglyceride levels, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Fiber from your diet or supplements like psyllium and fenugreek may lower both your triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Other natural triglyceride-lowering supplements include guggul, garlic, red yeast rice, maitake mushrooms and green tea. Vitamin B3 in the form of niacin and omega-3 fatty acids are also the active ingredients in certain conventional medications used to treat high triglycerides, MayoClinic.com notes. Talk with your physician before you take any type of supplement or mediation to control your triglyceride levels.
Considerations
You may need to alter your diet or other lifestyle factors or take certain medications if your triglyceride blood levels are more than 150 mg/dL, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Normal levels are below this amount, while borderline high levels are 150 to 199 mg/dL. You have high triglycerides if your levels are 200 to 499 mg/dL and very high triglycerides if your levels are 500 mg/dL or higher. Keep in mind that exercising, quitting smoking and controlling your body weight can all contribute to reduced triglyceride levels, notes the University of Michigan Health System. In fact, losing just 5 to 10 lbs. can lower your triglycerides if you're overweight or obese, MayoClinic.com says.
Warning
High triglyceride levels in your blood increases your risks for developing heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke, MayoClinic.com warns. High triglycerides often accompany health issues like obesity, high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome. In addition to serious cardiovascular problems, very high triglycerides can lead to spleen or liver enlargement and xanthomas, a condition involving fatty deposits beneath the skin, cautions the University of Michigan Health System.
