How To Regulate Triglyceride Levels To Maintain Healthier Blood Pressure

Almost half (47%) of US adults have high blood pressure. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood, and if your triglycerides levels are too high, it can cause high blood pressure.

What Are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a type of fat. You get them from the food we eat, and they are carried around the body by your blood.

Your body converts any excess calories you consume into triglycerides, which it then stores in your fat cells. You will later use this as an energy source to keep your body functioning. 

If you don't need those triglycerides as energy later (usually because you eat more calories than you are burning), you will store them as fat. This can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Reducing High Blood Pressure by Lowering Triglyceride Levels

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to naturally reduce the triglyceride levels in your blood. Some simple diet and lifestyle changes can help you lead an easier and healthier life. 

Try some of these changes if you want to reduce your triglyceride levels:

Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Overeating is the leading cause of high triglyceride levels. If you manage your weight, you will be less likely to put on fat.

Managing your weight means consuming the same amount of calories as you burn. You can use a calorie calculator to determine how many calories your body requires to function. You can then add any calories you burn through exercise.

If you want to maintain a certain weight, keep the number of calories you burn and consume the same. If you're going to lose weight, you'll need to use a calorie deficit. This means you eat fewer calories than you burn.

Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Reducing higher blood pressure can be as simple as reducing excess sugar in your diet. Many of us consume too many calories from sugar on a daily basis.

Added sugar is in many food products, and often we don't realize there's so much added sugar in everyday items. Ready meals, pre-prepared sauces, baked goods, and drinks all have high sugar levels. If you eat excess sugar, it's likely your body will turn it into triglycerides.

Reduce your sugar intake by drinking fewer sodas, eating less pre-prepared food and fast food, and skipping the sugary snacks, sweets, and chocolate. 

Take Regular Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure. When you exercise regularly, it helps maintain a healthy weight and maintain healthy triglyceride levels.

Try to aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise every week. Your health will improve, but it will also boost your mood and overall happiness.

Replace Trans Fats With Unsaturated Fats

We need fat for our bodies to function efficiently. Our brains are made up of 60% fat, after all!

However, the type of fat we consume is essential. If you eat only trans fats found in meat, dairy, processed foods, fried foods, and oils, you will increase the triglycerides in your blood.

Replace processed fat and excess meat and dairy with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat sources. You'll find these in food like nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish.

Eating plant-based foods such as nuts and seeds will also increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Eating plenty of fiber is essential for keeping your blood pressure and triglycerides low. Fiber can help slow down the absorption of fat and sugar in your body.

Increase Your Omega 3

Omegas can help reduce the level of triglycerides in the body. Eating at least two servings of fatty fish such as salmon or tuna a week can help increase your omega 3 levels.

You can also take omega 3 supplements and eat more flax seeds and soy products.

Try Supplements

Natural supplements can also aid you in reducing your blood pressure.

Care for your health by taking supplements that complement your lifestyle. Vitamin D and curcumin are both great supplements associated with reducing triglyceride levels.

Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption

We all know alcohol plays havoc with our health, especially in excess. It's high in calories and has excess carbohydrates and sugar. Drinking too much can cause your body to store excess fat and therefore elevate triglyceride levels.

Try to minimize your alcohol consumption to the recommended healthy levels. This is no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks for men.

Eat Less Refined Carbohydrates

White bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes are all carbohydrates converted to sugar in your body. It's easy to overeat these foods, which will then become triglycerides that get stored as fat.

Reduce the number of refined carbohydrates in your diet, and you'll reduce your triglyceride levels. Replace white carbs with complex carbs such as brown rice, wholewheat bread, and pasta.

Take a 360 Approach to Maintain Your Blood Pressure

Now you know some specifics for how you can have healthier blood pressure, take a look at the areas of your life where you can make improvements.

There's no quick fix for maintaining a healthy level of triglycerides in the blood. You need to adopt a 360 approach to looking after your overall wellbeing.

If you want support with making small, sustainable long-term lifestyle changes, get involved with one of our wellness courses.