Diet for Reducing Elevated Triglycerides
Purpose
Triglycerides are a type of fat which circulates in your blood and are stored in the fat tissue. By reducing the triglycerides in your blood you will decrease your risk of heart disease.
Guidelines:
- Achieve and/or maintain ideal body weight.
- Reduce your intake of saturated fat. Saturated fat is found in all animal products and in a few vegetable fats including coconut oil, Palm oil and cocoa butter.
- Limit your intake of cholesterol. Foods high in cholesterol include egg yolks, liver, sausages and luncheon meats.
- Limit your intake of carbohydrates (sugar and starch), especially concentrated carbohydrates. This includes refined sugars and foods high in sugar (also sucrose, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup) such as cakes, cookies and candy.
The following lists of Foods Allowed and Foods To Aviod (or use sparingly) should help you follow these guidelines.
| Food Group | Foods Allowed | Foods To Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy | Skim milk, non-fat dry milk, buttermilk made from skim milk, low-fat yogurt; cheeses made from skim milk including cottage cheese (low fat), Farmer’s cheese, Mozzarella, pot cheese |
Chocolate milk, whole milk, 2% milk, regular buttermilk, condensed milk, half and half, sour cream, regular yogurt, non-dairy cream substitutes, other cheeses |
| Beverages | Coffee, tea, coffee substitutes, low calorie carbonated drinks, unsweetened fruit juices, vegetable juices | Hot chocolate, regular milkshakes, eggnog, regular soft drinks, fruit flavored drinks and fruit juices with sugar added |
| Meats | Chicken (no skin), turkey (no skin), fish, tuna, salmon, shellfish, veal, peanut butter, nuts, textured vegetable protein. Limit to 9 oz. per week of lean and trimmed beef, lamb, pork or ham fish packed in water or vegetable oil. | Fried meats, duck, goose, heavily marbled and fatty meats, ribs, mutton, frankfurters, sausage, regular ground beef, bacon, luncheon meats, kidney, brains, heart, sweetbreads, liver. |
| Eggs | Three egg yolks a week, egg whites as desired, cholesterol-free egg substitutes | More than three egg yolks a week, sauces, baked products and other foods high in egg yolks |
| Vegetables | All vegetables, raw or cooked | Those in sauces made with egg or cooked with meat fat |
| Fruits | All fruits, fresh, dried, canned or frozen (limit to 4 servings per day), e.g., one serving = a small apple or ½ cup of orange juice | Avocado; fruits canned in syrup; dried fruit with sugar (except pancake mix), snack items such as corn chips |
| Breads | Commercial loaf bread, French, Italian hamburger buns, rolls, saltines, melba toast, English muffins, pretzels, biscuits and muffins (homemade with vegetable oils). Limit bread to 4 servings per day e.g., one slice of bread = one serving |
Commercial biscuits, muffins sweet rolls, waffles, mixes |
| Cereals | All hot or cold except as noted | Natural cereals with coconut or nuts; pre-sweetened cereals |
| Potatoes/ Substitutes | Potatoes, rice, spaghetti, noodles, macaroni, all seasoned with margarine or vegetable oil (count ½ cup as a bread serving) | French fries, potato chips, any potato substitute with animal fat or vegetable shortening, egg noodles. |
| Fats | Polyunsaturated fats including margarine with liquid vegetable oil, oils made from corn, soybean, safflower, cottonseed, mayonnaise and salad dressing made with allowed oils |
Butter, regular margarine, palm and coconut oil, solid shortening, lard, bacon fat, regular gravies, salad dressings with cheese |
| Desserts | Fruit – fresh or canned in its own juices | Refined sugar and all foods high in sugar including honey, syrup, jam, jelly, pies, cakes, cookies, pastries, sherbert, ice cream, ice milk, pudding, candy |
| General |
Salt, seasoned salts, pepper, herbs, imitation butter flavoring, lemon, nuts, especially walnuts, catsup(limited) | Cashews, macademia nuts, creamed soups, frozen dinners, olives, chocolate, coconut, fudge, commercial popcorn |
| Alcohol | Limit to two servings per day with your provider’s approval. One serving = 1 oz. gin, rum, etc. 1 ½ oz. sweet wine, 5 oz. beer, 2 ½ oz. dry wine |