Triglycerides are the most common class of dietary fats. As a group, they include saturated fat, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and trans fatty acids. High triglyceride levels often co-exist with high cholesterol, and both are risk factors for heart disease. Elevated levels may result from hereditary conditions or may be directly related to lifestyle factors, including smoking, alcohol use and lack of exercise. Proven dietary modifications exist to prevent and treat this common condition.
Heart-Healthy Diet
According to the American Heart Association, high triglycerides may result from very high carbohydrate diets, which derive 60 percent or more of their calories from refined carbohydrates, like sweets and pastries. The AHA's heart-healthy diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other high-fiber foods such as legumes, including beans, peas and lentils. If you consume animal protein, you may wish to substitute lean meats and fat-free dairy products for higher fat versions.
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy Diet
Walter Willett, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, proposes that it is not the amount of fat in the diet but the type of carbohydrates -- namely, refined carbohydrates -- that leads to high triglyceride levels. His diet relies heavily on whole-grain foods, plant oils, fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans, while minimizing the consumption of animal protein, breads, soda and sweets.
Eat to Live Diet
In his book "Eat to Live," Joel Fuhrman proposes a diet that has dramatically and consistently lowered triglycerides in the many patients he has treated. Low in empty calories like vegetable oils and high-fat animal foods, this plant-based diet reduces the amount of low-fiber carbohydrates that appear in grains -- even whole grains. It relies heavily on beans, raw vegetables and cooked greens, with plenty of sweet, whole fruits.
Other Methods
Rather than choosing a particular diet, you may wish to emphasize fruits, vegetables and beans. These foods are common threads of all of the above diets. Also, apply these strategies at your next meal. Limit alcohol intake to one daily drink if you're a woman and two if you're a man, as alcohol can raise triglyceride levels. Replace the saturated fats that occur animal products and the trans fats in bakery items with the monounsaturated fats found in whole foods like olives and avocados. Exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
References
- AHA: What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean
- MayoClinic.Com: High Cholesterol
- "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy"; Walter C. Willett, M.D.; 2005
- "Eat to Live"; Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; 2005
- AHA: Lifestyle Changes and Cholesterol
