Managing High Cholesterol and Triglycerides

During my heath project last month I was able to help a client rehabilitate their diet. I had complete control over her diet and was able to take her cholesterol from 245 to 234 and her triglycerides from 252 to 241! That’s astonishing but lets take a moment to understand what that means and why those numbers are important.

Triglycerides are fats that are floating around in the blood. When we eat foods but do not use the energy that food contains, they become triglycerides. The body packages them up for future use and turns them to fat. Excessive triglycerides in the blood can be a warning sign you may be a risk for heart disease. Above average triglyceride levels are basically telling you that you are consuming more food than you are using.

Cholesterol on the other hand is something your body naturally makes, it makes all the cholesterol it needs. Animals also make cholesterol and consumption of animal meat and animal products can cause the cholesterol levels to increase. Although some people naturally have high cholesterol levels due to genetics, excessive consumption of cholesterol in the diet certainly doesn’t help this problem. When we have high cholesterol levels we are prone to arteriosclerosis. The excessive cholesterol deposits on our artery walls and leads to heart disease.

So how did I alter her blood levels? First of all, portion control. What triglycerides and cholesterol have in common is excessive consumption. Instead of giving her the whole tub of hummus to snack on, I gave her three tablespoons. We must realize that our bodies are only designed to have so much food. Additionally, we must make sure that food is nutritionally dense and able to give us the micro- and macro- nutrients we need. That leads me to the second aspect of how to lower these levels: choosing your food properly. Instead of using chips with the hummus, choose carrots to dip. Instead of choosing refined, white bread, get whole grain or sprouted bread. Instead of having chocolate cake for dessert, choose a handful of antioxidant rich berries.

This client is a diabetic so our focus was choosing foods that would not spike her insulin levels. You can look up a foods glycemic index. Look and nutrition labels. Look for low sugar levels, low carbohydrates levels, while also looking for high nutrients, high fiber, and natural ingredients. Preserved food, processed food, and convenience food has many added sugars and fats added in for taste. These will contribute greatly to increased triglyceride levels. For cholesterol, curb the meat intake, while substituting plant based proteins into your diet.

There is certainly a method to this natural approach of correcting our blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and I would love to help you on that journey.

Every pivot towards good health is a step in the right direction, no matter how big or how small. Please call to schedule your complimentary initial consultation and sample 1 on 1 eating for health consultation.

Call or text: 407-205-7488