High blood triglycerides levels can increase the risk of heart disease. Your diet, lifestyle and the level of triglycerides in your blood are related; what you eat and drink can help reduce your triglyceride levels.
What can you do to help?
Foods to include in your diet:
To help reduce triglyceride levels and improve general health, choose your meals from the variety of foods listed in the following food groups.
| Food | No of serves per day | Serving Size | | Milk and Alternative | At least 2 | 1 serve is 250ml milk or fortified soy milk, 40g cheese, 200g yoghurt | | Vegetables and legumes | At least 5 | 1 serve is 1 medium potato, 1/2 cup cooked legumes or 1 cup salad | | Fruits | At least 2 | 1 serve is 1 medium apple, orange or banana or 2 apricots, plums or 1 cup canned fruit or 2 tablespoons of dried fruit | | Wholegrain, bread and cereals | At least 4 | 1 serve is 2 slices of bread, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup cooked pasta or noodles, 1 cup cooked porridge or 1 1/2 cups of cereal flakes | | Meat and alternative | At least 1 | 1 serve is 1/2cup cooked beans, lentils, chick peas, 65-100g lean meat/chicken, 80-120g fish, 100g firm tofu, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup nuts, 1/2cup seeds |
Include Omega-3 fats:
Omega-3 fats can help lower blood triglyceride levels. Try to replace or reduce saturated fats in your diet (e.g. with some foods that are high in Omega-3 fats). Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat found in foods and oils made from linseed, canola, soy, walnut, legumes, eggs, seafood, fish and some lean meats.
Limit sugars:
A high intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates can lead to increases in blood triglycerides levels. Avoid sugars and other high sugar foods, e.g. soft drinks, cordials, confectionary, cakes, pastries, jelly and chocolates.
Control your weight:
To lose weight, you need to have a balance between your energy output.
Reduce Energy Intake:
Reducing the amount of fat in your diet is essential for weight loss because fat contains twice as many kilojoules (or calories) as protein or carbohydrate. To reduce fat consumption:
- Use low fat dairy or fortified soy products
- Trim fat from meats and remove skin from chicken
- Avoid fried foods - try steaming or grilling instead of frying
- Use less butter and margarine
Be Active:
Physical activity not only burns kilojoules, but can also can reduce triglyceride levels in your blood.
- If you can, also enjoy some regular activities 3 to 4 days a week such as speed walking, netball, NRL, tennis, cricket, aerobics
- Try to be physically activity on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes a day such as walking, cycling, jogging
AVOID ALCOHOL:
Even little amounts of alcohol can lead to large changes in blood triglyceride levels. Also, alcohol is high in kilojoules and low in nutrients. Try having freshly squeezed fruit juice, vegetable juice, or plain water instead of an alcohol beverage.
See your local GP for information. |
