Although triglycerides and cholesterol serve different purposes in your body, they share some similarities. Your doctor uses the same test to detect them in your blood -- a lipid panel. They both cause the same life-threatening medical condition when levels are too high -- heart disease. Perhaps the most important, though, is your ability to lower either of them with simple changes to your diet.
Function
Triglycerides are an energy source your body receives from the foods you eat, primarily carbohydrates. They are the chemical form of fat in your body and in most foods, according to the American Heart Association. Immediately after eating a meal, your body converts any unused calories into triglycerides, which your body stores in fat cells. Hormones regulate the release of stored triglycerides between meals when energy is needed; triglycerides build up, increasing your risk for heart disease, when you do not burn stored amounts.
Significance
The main treatment for high triglycerides is lifestyle changes, primarily dietary. Food plays the largest role in high triglyceride levels, especially foods high in calories and sugar. Following a diet reducing your consumption of certain products can lower your triglycerides, along with your risk of developing coronary artery disease.
Calories and Carbohydrates
MayoClinic.com points out that reducing your caloric intake prevents a buildup of unused calories for your body to convert into triglycerides. Speak to your doctor and ask what your daily caloric needs are -- follow this each day. Read food labels as well, remembering that the amount of calories are per serving. Although a food might only contain 50 calories, this is per serving, which can be as little as 1 tbsp. Alcohol is particularly high in both calories and sugar -- reduce your intake as much as possible.
Avoid as many refined sugars and simple carbohydrates as possible. Simple carbs such as soda, white bread, pasta, white rice and whole-fat dairy contain sugars that your stomach breaks down rapidly. Your body is quick to store these sugars as fat; reducing your intake of these products can lower your triglycerides, according to MayoClinic.com.
Trans Fats
Liquid oils -- hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated -- are the primary ingredient in trans fats. Triglycerides are basically the liquid fat in your body and food, therefore consuming anything with trans fats increases your levels. The most common sources of trans fats are commercially baked goods like cookies, cakes, pastries, snack foods and crackers. Fried foods are typically cooked in oil chock full of trans fats. Eliminating these foods plays a large role in lowering your triglycerides.
Protein
Protein is an important aspect of your diet, but to lower your triglycerides, you need to choose the right protein source. Meats such as lamb, steaks, hamburger and organ meats are all high in fat, hence detrimental to your triglycerides. The American Heart Association recommends choosing fatty fish such as lake trout, herring, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. Although they contain fat, it is a healthy fat--omega-3 fatty acids. They not only reduce your triglyceride levels, they also protect you from heart disease.
Considerations
Visit your doctor regularly so he can monitor your triglyceride levels with a blood test; this allows him to determine if your dietary changes are effective alone or require medication as well.
Include physical activity into your lifestyle changes, at least 30 minutes a day. This only enhances your efforts and improves your health.
