Triglycerides are a type of fat your body produces when you eat more calories than you need at that moment. The unused food energy becomes stored inside you as fat for later use. The calories in carbohydrates and fatty foods that aren't burned right away have the potential to raise your triglycerides to an unhealthy level, compromising your heart's health. Learning what these foods are is essential to maintaining your good health.
Simple Sugars
Simple sugars are foods that provide sweetness but no vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals or any other nutrients in any significant amounts. Although they contain calories, they're considered empty calories because these foods do not nourish your body, but they can add to your triglyceride storage. The family of simple sugars is large. Among the most popular of its members are sodas, candy and all natural sweeteners, including "healthy" alternatives, such as honey and molasses.
Starches
The University of Wisconsin Health Services recommends limiting your starch intake to six to 11 servings per day. This food group includes rice, pasta, cereal, breads and potatoes, which turn into sugars during the digestive process. These sugars are then stored as triglycerides if you do not use them right away. The refined versions of these foods, such as white bread, quickly break down to simple carbohydrates, providing calories but little nutrition. They raise your triglycerides level even more than their whole-grain alternatives.
Saturated Fats and Trans Fats
Saturated fats are the types that remain solid -- though they may become soft -- at room temperature. Butter, shortening and margarine are part of this group. Most trans fats are the result of a process that turns liquid vegetable oil into solid matter. Store-bought French fries, doughnuts, cakes and pastries often contain trans fats. The "Nutrition Facts" label on the packaging of food products is required to list trans fats used in their manufacturing, giving you the chance to make an informed choice at the market. When you eat foods containing either saturated or trans fats, the fat becomes triglycerides in your blood plasma, unless you burn all of it immediately. Excess fat in your plasma may cause disease in the blood vessels that carry blood to your heart.
Alcohol
According to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, alcoholic beverages, regardless of type, may raise triglycerides. In fact, the school calls it a "strong contributor" to the phenomenon. Like simple sugars, alcoholic drinks are high in empty calories, which your body converts into triglycerides for later use. The damage caused is also worse in people who are particularly sensitive to alcohol in their bloodstream.
References
- MayoClinic.com: High Cholesterol
- Cleveland Clinic: Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute: Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention
- University of Wisconsin Health Services: Eating Guidelines to Lower Triglycerides
- American Heart Association: Saturated Fats
- American Heart Association: Trans Fats
- University of Massachusetts Medical School: What You Can Do to Lower Your Triglycerides
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