Home Treatment

Diet and lifestyle changes can help lower your triglycerides. For example:

• Stay at a healthy weight. Triglycerides are stored as fat in your tissues and muscles.
• Eat fewer calories. Excess calories are converted to triglycerides.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet. Limit high-calorie foods and carbohydrate, especially high-sugar foods such as cookies, soda, and fruit juices.
• Limit unhealthy fats in your diet, especially saturated fat. Choose a diet like the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. For more information, see:
  • Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet.
  • Sample menu for the TLC diet.
  • Tips for success with the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet.
• Limit alcohol, which has a strong effect on triglycerides.
• Be more active. Try activities-such as brisk walking-that raise your heart rate. Aim for at least 2½ hours of moderate exercise a week. For more information on walking, see:

  Fitness: Walking for wellness.

• Stop smoking. See the topic Quitting Smoking for information on how to quit.