Triglycerides are fat in your blood, and their purpose is to provide your body with energy. However, when these fats become too high -- 200 mg/dL or more -- your risk for developing heart disease increases. You can lower your triglycerides a number of ways, including dietary and lifestyle changes, and medication if necessary.
Reduce Calorie and Sugar Intake
Calories from the foods you eat are used by your body for energy. Any calories your body does not burn convert into triglycerides, which your body then stores in fat cells until you need them for energy. When you consume more calories than you need, triglycerides build up, resulting in dangerously high levels. Ask your doctor how many calories you need each day. He will base this on your current weight, age, gender and level of physical activity.
Sugars, like unused calories, convert into triglycerides. Although calories are used for energy, carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source. They contain two types of sugar -- simple and complex. The simple sugars break down quickly upon digestion, entering your bloodstream rapidly. Examples include white bread, cookies, pastries, snack crackers, soda and high-sugar cereals. Replacing these with whole-grain products and high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, and oats helps slow the breakdown of these sugars, preventing the conversion of sugar into triglycerides.
Devise a Weight-Loss Plan
Obesity is a common factor for unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Since triglycerides store themselves in your fat cells, losing weight reduces your triglyceride levels as you reduce your fat cells. Every person approaches weight loss differently. You might find that using meal replacement shakes is more convenient for your lifestyle, while another might find using meal delivery diets that portion and package meals works better. It is a matter of finding a diet you can adhere to and stick with long term.
Make Exercise a Daily Ritual
As you exercise, your hormones release stored triglycerides to provide you with the energy you need. Begin with 30 minutes a day of some type of aerobic exercise. This is anything that increases your heart rate, such as walking, biking or hiking. Start slowly if you have been inactive. Three 10-minute sessions each day, on most days of the week, reap the same benefits as one 30-minute session. For maximum benefits, aim for 45 to 60 minutes each day. Be sure you can carry on a conversation while exercising; if you are too winded to do this, slow your pace until you can.
Slow Down on Alcohol Consumption
The Mayo Clinic emphasizes the negative effects of alcohol on your triglycerides. High in both sugar and calories, alcoholic beverages can increase your triglycerides quickly. Eliminating it from your life completely could improve your health tremendously.
Medications
Various medications work to reduce these stored fats in your body, the most effective being fibrates, explains the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. The average reduction is between 20 and 50 percent, with side effects being few. The most serious are the development of cholesterol gallstones and an increase in the effects of blood-thinning medications.
