DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
To reduce fat and cholesterol in your diet, here are some
suggestions:
- Eat fewer calories if you are overweight.
- Eat fewer high-fat foods.
- Limit cholesterol to 200 milligrams (mg) or less per day.
- Decrease trans fatty acids as much as possible
- Decrease the total amount of fat you eat to 20-35% or less of
your total daily calories. Decrease saturated fat to 7% or less per
day.
For a person eating 2000 calories a day, this would be an average
of 65 grams or less total fat and 16 grams of saturated fat allowed
per day. - Substitute unsaturated fat for saturated fat. Unsaturated
fat comes from plants and is liquid at room temperature (olive oil,
canola oil, corn oil). Saturated fat is solid at room temperature
and its sources include animal fats and some tropical oils
(including palm and coconut oil).
- Reduce saturated fat by eating fat-free dairy products. Choose
lean meat and poultry (without the skin), up to 6 ounces per
day.
- Increase omega-3 fatty acid foods:
-- ground/milled flaxseed
-- cold water fish: mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, tuna, salmon
-- nuts: walnut, almonds
-- grapeseed
Here are some suggestions to reduce sugar and alcohol in your diet:
- Exercise to burn excess calories and maintain or achieve a
healthy body weight: 30 minutes to lower disease risk, 60-90
minutes to maintain a healthy body weight.
- Eat less sugar and fewer sugar-containing foods such as
desserts, candy, sweetened carbonated beverages, lemonade, fruit
drinks or large amounts of juices. Instead, substitute artificially
sweetened beverages that are labeled sugar-free, or other
non-alcoholic drinks.
- Follow your doctor's advice on alcohol. (Alcohol
increases triglyceride levels for some individuals). Generally,
we recommend decreasing alcohol intake. If you are including red
wine as part of a heart-healthy regimen to lower your risk of heart
disease and you have high triglycerides, you may need to decrease
the amount of wine to 5 ounces per day or eliminate it
entirely.
MEDICATIONS
People who have high triglycerides and low HDL or high LDL levels
may require medications as well as diet modifications. Patients
with triglycerides in the very high range (over 500 mg/dL)
generally will require medications, because triglyceride levels
this high may cause an acute inflammation of the pancreas.
Is it possible to combine a triglyceride-lowering diet with a
heart-healthy style of eating?
Absolutely! Modifying a heart-healthy eating style to reduce
alcohol and sugar intake is simple, and it's also smart. Like
a heart-healthy diet, a reduced alcohol, reduced-sugar diet,
coupled with physical activity and a healthy body weight, are good
goals for everyone.
This information is not intended to replace the medical
advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your
health care provider for advice about a specific medical
condition.