Community » Get Advice » Diet and Nutrition » Lowering Triglycerides

600 is scary. I sincerely wish you the best in getting this back down into a reasonable range.

Question - were you tested for diabetes, do you know if you have it? High triclycerides and diabetes often go hand in hand (or so I understand from the research I've read).

Anyway - fiber - more fresh veggies and fruits will help with this, as well as beans. Berries and green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, kale, spinach, cabbage, brussel sprouts, turnip greens etc. Try steaming your veggies and then eat them just plain or with a little sea salt (much lower sodium content than reg table salt even though it tastes saltier), fresh squeezed lemon juice (lemon is my secret ingredient for many many things - makes all flavors brighter) - and/or a little melted butter (real butter only - you want to 100% avoid transfats which are in margarines and all the butter substitutes).

Another option is to sautee veggies in a wok with a little bit of olive oil - wok is much better than a skillet or frying pan b/c you don't need to use much oil at all and it's fast and you're less likely to burn things. Probably the easiest healthy meal to make is stir fry - just cut up some chicken breast, lean beef tips, or extra firm tofu and sautee in the wok and then add whatever fresh veggies you have on hand and saute the whole bunch w/ some olive oil and low sodium soy sauce....garlic, onion, ginger, snap peas, bok choy (chinese cabbage), broccoli, green onions, carrots, cauliflower, etc. Serve over rice or pasta - brown rice or non-gluten pasta will make it even healthier (wheat is processed so much more than other grains and tends to have lots of additives....the more you can avoid wheat products the healthier you'll be). Grilled veggies are also quite yummy and summer is right around the corner! Try asparagus, colored peppers, onion, corn, squash, eggplant on the grill - just toss in a bowl with a little olive oil (to keep from drying) and sea salt before you put them on the grill. Pair with a tuna steak, salmon filet, lean chicken or lean pork chop. Tuna is super easy to grill - just brush with olive oil and soy sauce---but eat it fresh, it doesn't keep well (as goes for most fish). Canned tuna and salmon are also easy ways to get those awesome fish oils and protein into your diet (if you can stomach them). My husband loves canned tuna over fresh spinach leaves for a snack at work.

If you are a burger kind of guy - try bison burgers, they are much leaner than beef and I hear they're quite tasty (being a vegetarian I can't attest to this personally)!

One of my favorite quick snacks for high-protein is greek yogurt - I get 0% fat plain, it's very thick and around 40g protein per cup....I usually eat half a cup and throw in some fresh fruit like blueberries or strawberries to sweeten it a bit and get some fiber. Also has no no cholesterol!

Last note - eating more good (plant-based) fats and less animal-based fats will lower your tri-count and cholesterol. Good fats = olive oil, avacado, nuts and seeds. Eggs and low-fat dairy are the least bad of the animal fats...avoid full-fat dairy and try to choose lean meats and fish for your meats...passing on processed meats like hotdogs and sausages. Avoid transfats like the plague! Check ingredients - if you see hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated leave it on the shelf. Also not buying/eating things that have sugar (or glucose or anything ending in -ose) listed as an ingredient will cut down a lot on your carbs and total calorie count.

I recently foung out that my triglyceride count was 420. I was shocked. I do suffer from diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. I know both cause elevated tryglyceride counts, but it was still shocking to knwo my number was that high. I am now on a cholesterol medication and am working hard with diet and exercise to lower my number. Good luck SMHarris83. You can do it!