How to Lower High Triglyceride Levels

-- through Dietary and Lifestyle Changes

1. Stop smoking if you currently smoke.
2. Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
3. Strive to attain your ideal body weight. Even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 pounds can be helpful.
4. Some people may need to reduce alcohol consumption to a few drinks per week—or possibly eliminate alcohol (wine, beer, hard liquor) altogether.
5. Reduce intake of foods high in sugars (e.g. fruit juice, regular sodas, other sweetened beverages, sweetened yogurt, cookies, desserts, candy, sugar, and honey). Fruit intake may need to be limited to 2 or 3 servings per day. One serving of fruit is a medium piece of fresh fruit (e.g. one apple), 15 grapes, 2 tablespoons of raisins or ½ cup fruit juice. Whenever possible have whole fruit rather than fruit juice.
6. Cut back on portions of starches (also called complex carbohydrates) such as rice, potatoes, pasta, bread and tortillas. Especially limit intake of refined products such as white rice and white bread. Consume whole grains—whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal and barley—in moderation. Increase intake of “non-starchy” vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach, green beans); eat smaller portions of “starchy” corn and peas.
7. Include foods rich in beneficial fats. This includes foods such as canola oil, olive oil, avocado, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and fatty fish like salmon. A word of caution: oils, avocado and nuts are high in calories so keep your portion sizes small!
8. Consume a diet low in saturated fat and low in trans fat. For most people this means limiting saturated fat to no more than 10 to 15 grams per day. This can be done by reducing intake of high fat dairy products (e.g. cheese, ice cream), high fat meats, most baked goods and pastries. To limit trans fat, avoid French fries, doughnuts and stick margarine.