According the the American Heart Association, your lifestyle can greatly affect your triglyceride levels. Inactivity, excess weight and smoking can all lead to an increase of these lipids in your bloodstream. Even alcohol consumption can elevate your numbers. Luckily, changing your lifestyle often helps improve this condition, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. However, talk to your primary health care provider before making dietary changes or staring a fitness program. Your current health could preclude any one of these standard changes.
Step 1
Cut your caloric intake to limit the amount of unused calories converted to triglycerides. Any calories your body doesn't burn in a day are converted into this type of lipid, notes the Mayo Clinic. This is one of the best ways to improve triglyceride levels.
Step 2
Lose any excess weight you're currently carrying. Cutting your calories often leads to a caloric deficit, which results in weight loss. Shedding just 5 to 10 pounds can reduce these lipids in your bloodstream, asserts the Mayo Clinic.
Step 3
Swap sugar-sweetened foods for organic fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are complex carbohydrates, which are less apt to raise triglyceride levels than foods made with added sugar.
Step 4
Replace refined grains with organic whole grains. Breads, cereals, pastas and other foods made with refined grains tend to negatively impact triglyceride levels. Switching to foods made with whole grains can combat this effect.
Step 5
Exchange standard snack foods for organic varieties. Standard chips, crackers and cookies typically contain trans fat, which can elevate triglyceride levels. Organic varieties of these foods tend to be prepared differently and don't usually contain trans fatty acids. Check food labels, and avoid hydrogenated oils.
Step 6
Take a combination of garlic and fish oil supplements. A study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," as reported on OilofPisces.com, indicates that 900 mg of garlic, coupled with 12 g of fish oil, can lower triglyceride levels by as much as 34 percent. However, continue with other dietary changes to ensure improvements.
Step 7
Bike, swim, walk, hike or take part in other athletic pursuits for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. Even with dietary changes, it's important to increase your level of physical activity to improve your triglyceride levels.
Tips and Warnings
- The American Heart Association recommends keeping your triglyceride level at 150 milligrams of triglycerides per deciliter of blood, or mg/dL.
