Article: Too many simple carbohydrates can keep triglyceride levels elevated, so you can lower levels by avoiding sweets. This includes sugary soft drinks, candy, cookies, and other processed foods with too much sugar. You should generally cut back on carbohydrates to help reduce your triglyceride levels. However, you should not try to cut them out of your diet entirely, as this can lead to health complications, including heart disease. Instead, avoid refined carbohydrates in favor of complex carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates include items made from white flour or semolina, including white rice, white bread, and many pastas. Complex carbohydrate options include whole wheat pasta, grain breads, quinoa, brown rice, oats, and other whole grain foods. This step is closely related to the last since complex carbohydrates tend to be a good source of fiber. In addition to whole grain foods, beans, fruits, vegetables, and seeds are all excellent sources of fiber. Try replacing your sugary snacks with pumpkin seeds, raspberries, or applesall of which are great sources of fiber. You should aim to consume 25 to 30 grams (0.88 to 1.1oz) of fiber each day. Most Americans consume closer to only 10 or 12 grams (0.35 or 0.42oz) each day. Increased fiber will also have an effect on digestion and keeping you regular. You can increase fiber slowly to avoid discomfort. You should also ensure you drink enough water to help soften your stool. You can avoid trans fats by keeping away from foods that say "hydrogenated vegetable oil" on the list of ingredients. When it comes to saturated fats, this means fried foods, dressings, and sauces that are rich in butter, shortening, or lard. Foods that commonly contain trans fats are processed meats (such as hot dogs and lunch meat) and fatty snack options. When cooking at home, use olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, or canola oil to cook foods. These are much better options than butter, margarine, or lard. This is a fundamentally simple but critical step in lowering triglycerides. Even the healthiest of foods can be made unhealthy by cooking them in oils that are saturated or trans fats. You may have heard about the "good" fats found in fish. This refers to omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower your triglycerides. In addition to fish, you can also find these nutrients in flaxseed, legumes, soy products, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. The American Heart Association suggests that you eat 2 servings of fish each week. Healthy options include salmon, tuna, trout, and mackerel. When you do eat red meat, opt for grass-fed sources as they contain more omega-3 and omega-6 fats.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Cut sweets out of your diet. Choose complex carbohydrate foods. Increase your fiber intake. Avoid trans fats and saturated fats. Choose healthier options for cooking oils. Eat foods with omega-3 fatty acids.