How To Lower Triglycerides
With all the limelight focused on the negative effects of having too much cholesterol in the body, it is easy to overlook that high triglycerides levels are also a cause of heart disease and death. It has recently come to light that elevated blood levels of triglycerides increase our risk of strokes and heart attacks by sixty percent. So what are these triglycerides?
Triglycerides are a type of fat, and in fact, are the most common type of fat in the body. One of the main causes of high triglycerides in the body is consuming too many calories and these surplus calories get converted by the body into triglycerides. Cholesterol and triglycerides together are the only kinds of fat that exist in our blood.
The main contributors to high triglycerides levels are the health condition diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, low physical activity levels and too much alcohol. Excess blood cholesterol levels is also a major risk. The good news is that there are natural way to lower triglycerides.
If you have been tested and found out that you have high triglyceride levels then the most important change to start with is your diet. Cutting back on the carbohydrates and especially sugar, sugar should actually be eliminated all together, is the best way to start lowering triglycerides naturally. 1/3 of a triglyceride molecule is actually made up of sugar, so by cutting out sugar we make a big step in the fight against high triglycerides.
Complex carbohydrates are the best carbohydrates to eat, good examples include oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain breads and beans. Refined carbohydrates should be toned down considerably because they have a similar effect in the body as sugar. Alcohol, which is very sugary, turns readily into triglycerides and needs to be cut down to no more than 5 drinks per week and even better – none!
Eating a lot of foods rich in saturated fats contribute heavily to high triglycerides. More than half of the fat in saturated fat is triglycerides. So it is important to cut down on foods high in saturated fats like red meats and dairy products and instead eat foods high in unsaturated fats.
For healthy monounsaturated fats (which have been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides naturally) olives, olive oil and avocados are a great choice. For heart healthy polyunsaturated fats, fatty fish is the way to go. The AHA (American Heart Association) promotes regular intake of fatty fish as a great way to lower our triglycerides.
Besides eating less sugar and refined carbohydrates, drinking less alcohol and increasing one’s intake of unsaturated fats, the other key lifestyle change for lowering triglycerides naturally is exercise. The more calories we burn by exercising the less chance they have of turning into triglycerides. A combination of lifting weights and cardiovascular exercise like jogging and cycling is the way to go.
For some more great informtion about natural methods for reducing triglycerides then we recommend checking out How to Lower Your Triglycerides.
August 31 2010 01:32 pm | natural remedies