How to Get Rid of Triglycerides
When you have your blood checked for cholesterol levels, the lab also measures triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood, and high amounts can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease the same way low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol does. If your triglyceride levels are high, some diet and lifestyle changes can bring them down to the normal range.
Instructions
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Lose weight if you should do so. Losing excess pounds can reduce triglycerides, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, or nearly every day. Regular exercise helps decrease triglycerides, and the Mayo Clinic notes that just a brisk daily walk is beneficial. You also can sneak in several minutes of exercise by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking far from the door and walking, or doing some sit-ups while watching television.
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Eat low-calorie meals. The body turns excess calories into triglycerides and stores them as fat, the Mayo Clinic explains. If you tend to eat more calories than you burn, this can lead to high triglyceride levels.
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Eat monosaturated oils such as olive, peanut and canola oils. Limit your intake of saturated fat, including butter and certain salad dressings, as well as partially-hydrogenated oils, typically found in commercial snack foods.
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Eat seafood high in omega-3 fatty acids, including clams, crab, halibut, herring, mackerel, oysters, salmon and tuna. If you don't care for seafood, take a fish oil capsule daily supplement. Consuming fish oil every day has been shown to reduce triglyceride levels, according to Andrew Weil, a medical doctor who writes about nutrition and alternative health care. Nutrition expert Jean Carper cites two studies in her 1994 book, "Food--Your Miracle Medicine," showing that taking fish oil supplements or eating clams or oysters every day reduced triglyceride levels by 50 percent or more.
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Eat garlic. A daily clove of garlic can lower triglyceride levels by up to 25 percent, according to "Food--Your Miracle Medicine."
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Avoid foods that can raise triglyceride levels. These include foods made with refined white sugar, white flour and high-fructose corn syrup, such as white bread, cake, crackers, cookies and soft drinks. Alcohol can raise triglyceride levels, and so can foods high in cholesterol, including non-lean beef and pork, poultry skin, egg yolks and whole milk products.
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