Triglycerides and Whole wheat carbs
About 3 months ago I had my Blood drawn and I was told that my triglycerides were 675 and I was asked to exercise, take omega-3 pills, and lower my carbohydrates. A week ago I had blood drawn again and it went down to 467.
Again, I was told to exercise, take omega-3 pills and lower my carbohydrates. I understand that fruits and bread are a source of carbohydrates, but I would like to know if it makes a difference to eat whole grain foods that are carbohydrates. Can I eat the same amount of bread if it is whole wheat?
Hi Mayan302,
Great job lowering your triglycerides by over 200 points! You received the same instructions to keep exercising, supplement omega 3's, and lower carbohydrates because what you are doing is working. It just takes time to get the number back in a healthy range. Stick with it.
Yes, select whole grain breads with a minimum of 2 grams of dietary fiber per slice. You can find breads with up to 5-6 grams per slice, so do some shopping around. Same with pastas, choose whole grain spaghetti noodles, penne pasta, etc. Lowering triglycerides does not mean you need to eliminate carbohydrates, but you do need to eat them in moderation and balance them with high fiber and protein. Protein helps slow the breakdown of carbohydrates, preventing blood sugar spikes. So, if you have toast in the morning for breakfast, choose whole grain toast (extra fiber) and top with peanut butter (protein and omega 3 fatty acids).
Whether you can eat the same amount of bread or not, depends on how much you were eating to begin with. Moderation is the bottom line.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
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Your triglycerides are still very high which concerns me because it might be due to metabolic syndrome or familial hypertriglyceridemia. Do another 3 months and fully commit to proper diet and exercise. Keep doing this until they go down to ~100. If you have commited to these changes, have a BMI between 19-25, and still have elevated tryglycerides you need to be evaluated by a doctor for some sort syndrome like the ones I mentioned above (if your doctor won't look into it, then get a new one).
As far as carbohydrates and triglycerides go...
Carbohydrates should be limited to 30-50% of total calories and need to be from unrefined grains (oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and beans). The whole wheat, whole grain bread/pasta is more or less bullshit because the grains still get ground up which increases raises their glycemic index above 50 which is bad. Also excess carbohydrate intake is automatically converted to triglycerides by the liver.
For omega-3's/fat, the pills are okay but you need to be eating fish, nuts, and canola oil with fat intake being 20-30% of calories (completely eliminate beef, pork, and anything with soybean/partially rehydrogenated oil/trans fat).
Make sure you at a healthy body weight (21-23 BMI) and eating a balanced diet of good fat (mono and poly), clean protein (egg white, chicken, tofu, salmon), and unrefined carbs in equal ratios (each ~1/3rd of total calories).
Look up Dr. Ornish's spectrum diet book or anything by Jack Lalanne.
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