Diet and exercise are the two key ingredients when it comes to lowering triglyceride levels. Exercise has the ability to burn fat. Triglycerides are simple stored fat. It follows, then, that an exercise program designed to burn through the calories is an essential element of any serious attempt to lower triglyceride levels.

Hypertriglyceridemia (elevated triglyceride levels)is greatly influenced by diet. This is, in fact, good news. It means that most people have the capacity to bring their triglyceride levels under control without having to resort to medication. They can do so simply by making adjustments to what they eat. Here are some guide-lines.

Foods to Avoid: Alcohol, Sugar (pies, cakes, sweets, etc), fruit drinks, simple carbohydrates like pasta, white rice, white breads (in fact, anything made from white flour), saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats if they have been hydrogenised (i.e. margarine), high fat dairy food products, bacon, sausage and other fatty meats.

Foods to Eat: Fruit, whole grain breads, non-white rice and whole grain pastas, dried beans, flaxseed, a variety of green leafy vegetables, white meat (chicken, turkey), fish, lean red meat.