Triglycerides are a necessary form of fat found in the blood. They’re required as an energy storage and transport molecule, but can lead to cardiovascular problems if they are in excess. This means anything over the normal range of 0-1.70 mmol/L can be damaging your heart and blood vessels, leading to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Why are they high? Several factors can contribute to elevated levels including genetics, certain conditions like diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, and kidney disease, but the most common reason for high triglycerides is having a less-than-ideal diet. While you might require medications to reduce triglyceride levels, diet is also one of the most effective treatments. As an added benefit, following dietary recommendations for high triglyceride levels with benefit your overall health.

Reduce Intake of Refined Carbohydrates

Consuming carbohydrates, particularly ones that quickly elevate blood sugar levels, serve as the biggest indicator of triglyceride levels in the blood, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, a physician and integrative medicine expert. These foods cause the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin, which can contribute to excess production of triglycerides and storage of glucose as fat. It is strongly recommended to cut back on carbohydrates that lead to blood sugar spikes. For a list of foods to avoid, see below.

Watch General Carbohydrate Intake

While the aforementioned refined carbohydrates prove the most problematic, you must generally watch your intake of all carbohydrates, particularly starchy foods, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Starchy carbohydrates include breads, pastas, potatoes, corn and peas. If you have high triglyceride levels, aim for low carbohydrate vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, onions, tomatoes, beets, asparagus, cucumbers, and cabbage, to name a few.

Reduce Alcohol Intake

Put simply, alcohol elevates triglyceride levels. Weil notes that beer might be the worst culprit. If you cannot fully eliminate it, cut back as much as possible. He notes that even small amounts can negatively impact levels.

Reduce Saturated and Trans Fat

Reduce these as much as possible. Foods rich in saturated fat include full fat dairy, red meat, pork, duck and chicken and turkey with the skin on. You will find trans fats in fried foods, fast food, shortening, margarine, donuts and many commercially-prepared snack foods. Do not buy products that list partially hydrogenated oils among their ingredients.

Increase Intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Just like carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and trout, walnuts, flax and hemp, positively influence triglyceride levels. In lieu of eating fish, Weil recommends taking 1 to 2g of fish oil daily. However, do not use fish oil supplements if you take blood-thinning medications.

Triglyceride Diet Quick Facts:

1. Sugar and alcohol are the two dietary factors associated with high blood levels of triglycerides.
2. Milk contains a natural sugar called lactose. For adults wanting to control their triglyceride level, milk consumption should be limited to two cups (16 ounces) per day.
3. Fruits contain natural sugars, and a maximum daily intake of three one-half cup portions of unsweetened fruit and fruit juice is recommended.
4. Whole grain breads, cereals, crisp breads and homemade, sugar free cookies are recommended in place of similar refined products.
5. It is essential to achieve and maintain ideal body weight. Triglyceride levels will increase if weight is gained.
6. Avoid a large evening meal. Three well-spaced meals, each containing approximately the same nutrient value are recommended. Snacks may be necessary

FOODS TO AVOID:

• Alcoholic beverages, beer, wine
• Candy, chewing gum, carbonated beverages
• Commercial cookies, cakes, pies, chocolate syrup
• Dehydrated starchy snacks (pretzels, chips, etc.)
• Dried Fruits, sweetened, canned fruit, sweetened gelatin desserts, granola
• Honey, molasses, golden syrup, treacle, ice cream, ice milk, sherbet

THE FOLLOWING SUBSTITUTES ARE SUGGESTED FOR OCCASIONAL USE

Unsweetened or water packed fruits, unsweetened carbonated beverages (sparkling mineral water), jams, jellies, gelatin desserts.

Target Your Triglycerides

With a few months of concentrating on your food and beverage intake, you can make large shifts in your triglyceride levels and reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and its related conditions. This can mean one less medication, one less heart attack, more years of healthy living, all with some simple but important diet changes.

References

• Weil.com:Triglycerides Too High?
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation: Dietary Guidelines for Reducing Triglycerides
• org Triglyceride diet

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/232619-diet-tips-to-lower-triglycerides/#ixzz2LXuhqt1p

This is part 2 of a 3-part series on cholesterol: how to understand your levels, and more importantly, how to fix them if they’re troublesome. Part 1 introduced some lifestyle and diet modifications that are helpful for managing high levels. Part 3 sheds some light on cholesterol’s shady past. 

But some people feel that changing your diet can be tough. Below is an easy-to-use reference chart of foods to include (and recommended servings) and foods to avoid, as well as a complete one-week diet plan for reducing harmful cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol-managing reference guide

One-Week Complete Diet Plan for Lowering Cholesterol

This is part 1 of a 3-part series on cholesterol. Part 2 gives a comprehensive diet plan for managing cholesterol levels. Part 3 sheds some light on cholesterol’s shady past.

The Skinny on Cholesterol

Cholesterol levels have become known as being dangerous for the heart and blood vessels, but it is also a very important substance in the human body. Cholesterol is needed for strong cell walls, as a precursor for hormone production, and as a coating around nerves.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as saying it’s healthy or not. What makes cholesterol either “good” for us or “bad” for us is the types of cholesterol we have, the amounts, and the ratios between the different types.

Cholesterol Measurements

A general rule is that, like anything else, cholesterol can create a problem when total levels (all types together) in the blood are too high; generally, high total cholesterol is defined as levels that are greater than 5.2 mmol/L (measured as 200 mg/dl in the US).

HDL cholesterol (i.e., high-density lipoprotein) is considered to be beneficial – it works to carry cholesterol away from the blood and back to the liver where it can be processed and removed from the body. Generally, more is better. Healthy ranges in the blood are considered at or above 1.0 mmol/L for men and above 1.3 mmol/L for women (above 40mg/dL and 50mg/dL, respectively in the US). HDL can be even more protective at higher levels, up to 1.6 mmol/L (60 mg/dL in the US).

LDL cholesterol (i.e., low-density lipoprotein) is generally thought to be more harmful to the body – it is one of the “bad” types that carry cholesterol into the bloodstream and can place it into the lining of the arterial walls, thereby promoting plaque formation and heart disease. Generally, less is better, although there is such a thing as going too low as well. Blood levels should generally be under 2.6 mmol/L (below 100 mg/dL in the US).

A new measurement being added to routine blood work is the non-HDL cholesterol, which measures everything that is considered cholesterol that is NOT the protective type, HDL. This is in fact a better marker for risk of heart disease than LDL alone because it takes into account other damaging types of cholesterol. These levels should be kept low, below 3.4 mmol/L (130 mg/dL in the US).

A final number that is being looked at is the ratio between total cholesterol and HDL (TC/HDL ratio) and can tell you how good your cholesterol is overall by looking at what percentage of the total amount is the good type. TC/HDL ratio numbers should be no more than 3.5 (ie. total is no more than 3.5x the protective HDL).

It may sound like alphabet soup, but the good news is that these numbers don’t have to spell heart disease for you. Nor must you take the infamous “Statin” drugs that carry their own significant risks (muscle pain and damage, liver damage, increased risk of developing diabetes, and neurological damage, and memory loss, to name a few).The best way to measure your risk of heart disease is actually with the Framingham Risk Calculator, which you can read about here.  Simple lifestyle, dietary, and supplement recommendations can make all the difference to your numbers, and to your heart.

LIFESTYLE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Regular aerobic/moderate exercise
  • Regular exercise contributes to higher levels of HDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease
• Yoga or qigong for relaxation and improved blood circulation
• Minimize stress
• Get adequate amounts of daily sunlight – a lack of sunlight has been shown to adversely affect cholesterol levels
• Weight reduction (if appropriate)

DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Eat a high fiber, medium-fat diet
• Reduce animal products and other sources of saturated fats if you are consuming a great deal of them– e.g., red meats, eggs, dairy products, palm oil, coconut oil. Saturated fats should be no more than 10% of the daily calorie intake. For more information about fats (the good, the not-so-bad, and the really bad), click here
• Increase fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes
• *Reduce sugar and salt intake
• Calorie percentages for reducing cholesterol should be as follows:
  • 40-45% complex carbohydrates – e.g., brown rice, oats, millet, beans
  • 15-20% protein – e.g., tofu, beans, fish
  • 30-40% fat – e.g., fish, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds
• Consider occasional short fasts
  • e.g., once a month, fast for 24 hrs on juices or 1 tbsp Spirulina and lemon water. *Consult a medical professional before beginning fasts and any kind of Spirulina supplement; these interventions can interact with medications and autoimmune diseases.

Therapeutic Foods and Supplements

• Oat bran and brown rice bran – these are the best foods for lowering cholesterol
• Apples, bananas, carrots, grapefruit, celery, dried beans (especially navy, pinto, and kidney beans), garlic, olive oil, and cold water fish (salmon, herring, mackerel) – these are also cholesterol-lowering foods
• Barley, beans, flax seeds, brown rice, fruits, and oats – such foods contain water-soluble fiber, which is beneficial in reducing cholesterol
• Ground Flax Seeds
  • Grind whole seeds in coffee grinder (cleaning grinder well each time) and add to cereal, yogurt or smoothies
  • 2 Tablespoons provides adequate fibre per day
• Spirulina
  • Spirulina is a form of blue-green algae that is rich in beta-carotene, iron and B complex vitamins.
  • When taken on a daily basis, Spirulina has been shown to decrease cholesterol levels but can increase auto-immune conditions and cause upset stomach and potentially liver damage if used long term in high doses.
• Raw unsalted almonds
  • Almonds are rich in the amino acid arginine which has been shown to decrease cholesterol within a four-week period. Eat 1 serving (1/4) cup daily.
• Green tea
  • regular intake of green tea has been shown to decrease LDL and total cholesterol levels while increasing HDL
  • For maximum benefits, one should drink at least 3 cups daily of whole leaf green tea

Other beneficial foods include:

• Omega 6 fatty acids – evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil (also contains omega 3 fatty acids), black current oil, and other vegetable/nut/seed oils
• Liquid chlorophyll, alfalfa sprouts, buckwheat, watercress
• Onions, beans, legumes, soy, ginger, yogurt
• Fresh juice made with any combination of the following: carrot, beet, celery, pineapple, parsley, alfalfa, spinach, asparagus, chlorophyll and honey. Note: Carrot juice helps to flush out fat from bile in the liver and this helps to lower cholesterol.

Supplements

• Niacin
  • Niacin is well established as being effective in the treatment of high cholesterol levels – specifically, it reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while increasing HDL
• Guggullipid
  • Guggullipid is the standardized extract of the mukal tree (Commiphora mukal) which is native to India
  • Several clinical studies have confirmed its ability to lower both cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • Typically, total cholesterol will drop 14-27%, LDL by 15-35%, triglycerides by 22-30%, and HDL will increase by 16-20% with 12-36 weeks of supplementation
  • The effect of guggullipid on cholesterol and triglyceride levels is comparable to that of lipid-lowering drugs but without the side-effects
  • Mechanism of action: guggullipid increases the liver’s metabolism of LDL
  • Other benefits: it has been shown to prevent the formation of atherosclerosis and aid in the reversal of atherosclerotic plaques in animals
• Policosanol
  • Balances cholesterol levels by impacting both excessive manufacture and impaired breakdown of cholesterol levels.
  • Policosanol has been shown to reduce both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, also shown to effectively decrease cholesterol levels in tissues like the heart, liver and fatty tissue.
  • Policosanol can be used as an alternative to aspirin as an anti-platelet agent. Policosanol is also a powerful antioxidant.

You can manage your cholesterol

Cholesterol doesn’t have to be big and scary- it’s very manageable with a good naturopathic approach. See Cholesterol part 2 for a perfect sample diet plan you can follow to help move your cholesterol levels in the right direction.

References:

1. Textbook of Natural Medicine by Pizzorno & Murray. Churchill Livingstone: 1999;
2. Textbook of Nutritional Medicine by Werbach. Thrid Line Press, Inc: 1999
3. Make sense of your cholesterol tests, Harvard Health, https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/making-sense-of-cholesterol-tests
4. Statin side effects; weigh the benefits and the risks, Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013
5. Mediterranean diet guidelines https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y
6. Spirulina information https://legionathletics.com/spirulina/
7. Fats, good and bad,. Harvard, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good

Cholesterol’s Shady Past

Up until 2013, Medical Doctors were trained to keep an eye on risk of heart disease by monitoring cholesterol levels. The instruction was straightforward: keep total cholesterol below a certain number to be safe. At first, it was below 6.2mmol/L, then 5.2mmol/L. Doctors would use lifestyle or pharmaceutical interventions and thought it was all the same to the body. As long as the lab numbers were good, it was thought the person was protected from heart disease.

Then in 2013 a big change happened, in light of new evidence on the real impact of this medical approach. Statistical analysis showed clearly that total cholesterol didn’t matter as much as we thought. Target levels were not as protective as doctors were trained to think and, in fact, lowering cholesterol with pharmaceuticals can often be harmful in other ways that offset the benefit of using them.

A 2013 New York Times blog article by Harlan M. Krumholz, MD stated, “Studies over the past several years have shown that improving your lab profile with drugs is not equivalent to lowering your heart risks. Drugs have thousands of effects on the body, and a drug’s effect on an individual lab test cannot necessarily predict its overall effect on you”.

New guidelines were needed for doctors, and new goalposts had to be created for patients. What would keep patients safe, and how could doctors help them achieve it? A strong reconsideration of statins was called into order from many in the conventional and complimentary medical fields. It wasn’t a heart disease wonder cure- and their use still remains in question among many medical professionals.

New Guidelines

First, drug treatment is still recommended for people at high risk – people with lots of factors that would make it more likely for them to suffer heart disease. These factors include one or more of the following: high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyerides, high blood sugar, a smoker, first-degree family members with heart disease, little to no exercise, high stress lifestyle or job, or having had a previous heart attack. Having many of these factors is so risky for further cardiovascular issues that it is considered medically worth the tradeoff to temporarily use statins to lower risk. Of course, this decision is up to the patient, once they are fully informed of the risks involved on both sides of the equation.

But for other people with only some of these factors, new guidelines were created by breaking down heart disease risk into a range of measurements of health. New parameters were discovered to more closely represent a person’s risk of heart disease, such as high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high non-HDL cholesterol, and other overall health measurements such as blood glucose levels, triglycerides, Hemoglobin A1c, hip:waist ratio, and others.

But if we learned anything from the former days of targeting lower cholesterol, we should not focus solely on lowering specific parameters. The best way to guide treatment is to calculate your overall cardiovascular risk using the Framingham Risk Calculator , and make decisions from there, using individualized medicine for the patient. If a person has significant risk, doctors now target their highest risk factors to reduce their chance of heart disease and stroke. Naturopathic doctors excel in individualized medicine and take into consideration the risks and benefits of all treatments, offering treatments with low adverse effects.

It’s the best time of the year for outdoor get-togethers. What better way to relax, have fun, connect with friends and have something to eat? But how can you get the most out of BBQs without letting your health go up in flames? This article series will break down foods commonly chosen for BBQs and offer healthier alternatives. Learn how to make healthier choices for yourself and your kids this BBQ season so you can feel good about these outdoor get-togethers.

#1: The Meat

Hot Dogs

The bad news is that the classic grocery-store hot dog wieners served at most soccer team parties and end-of-year gatherings all over North America are nearly unfit for human ingestion. Ingredients in regular hot dogs include: “pink beef slime”, antibiotics, artificial flavour, MSG, sodium erythrobate, and sodium nitrite. If you think chicken hotdogs are better, they contain many of the same ingredients and include low-grade mechanically separated chicken parts. All beef hotdogs are not 100% beef either. These are made from what is called a “meat slurry” and can include pork bits and other animal parts. Hot dogs also have a very high concentration of sodium leading to dehydration, headaches, hypertension and other health problems for kids and adults.

Hamburgers

Hamburgers tend to be better for you than classic hotdogs, but still can hide some scarily unhealthy ingredients. Non-organic, non-grassfed beef can contain all sorts of antibiotics, hormones and steroids. If not a high-quality brand, they are also often made with “pink slime” . Fillers are used to bulk up hamburgers, and can be anything from wheat to starches and non-digestible fibers. Also, processed meats like hamburgers are notorious for having pathogens like E.coli and salmonella, and so are filled with ammonia to kill them off, while of course having negative effects on the human body as well. These negative effects include chronic gut and lung irritation, osteoporosis, and damage to the heart.

The good news is that there are alternatives to the classic processed factory BBQ meats. Higher-quality meat products are superior because they typically use real meat, and will often tell you if the animals were local and grass-fed or not. It is important to purchase grass-fed beef hamburgers because these are much less inflammatory and higher in nutrients than conventional corn- and grain-fed beef. Check that the ingredients don’t list preservatives like sodium EDTA, sodium nitrite, or erythrobate. Preservatives like these have effects like increasing asthma-related sensitivity, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and blood sugar dysregulation. Check salt and additive levels by looking at the nutritional information label.

Hamburgers are naturally high in protein and saturated fat (and that is ok!) and unless they are packed with fillers, they should be low or completely lacking in carbohydrates and sugars. One source of decent patties is Kitchen Bytes: https://kitchenbyte.com/best-frozen-hamburger-patties/

Veggie Burgers

Of course another option is a veggie burger! These can sometimes be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, meaning that they pretend to be healthy when they’re not, unless you know what to avoid. To start, these can contain even more sodium than meat options, and the same number of preservatives. They can also be very low in protein, so it becomes more like a carbohydrate sandwich- carbs in carbs on carbs. If there is soy used in the burger, ensure it is organic because non-organic soy processing uses hexane, which is one of the most toxic substances found in food. For an excellent guide on veggie burger choices, see https://www.eatthis.com/veggie-burgers/.

Dr. Michael Mason-Wood, ND makes an amazing mushroom burger that he freezes and then takes out for BBQ season.

#2: Meat charring

A very important final note about BBQs is about the carcinogenic effect of charring your meat. If you grill any meat at all at very high temperatures, it will naturally produce what are called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs are cancer-causing, period. A good rule of thumb is: if you are charring your food (ie getting that thick black crust developing from the flames), it is creating dangerous HCAs. This only applies to meats because they contain the building blocks of HCAs, whereas vegetables do not. In fact it’s important to note that grilling vegetables on an open flame is better than protecting them using aluminum foil, which can leach chemicals and metals into your food (especially if there is lemon. pineapple, or another acidic substance on your food).

Protect yourself when grilling meat by turning down the heat a touch, grilling your meats a little slower, and keeping them out of the direct flames. Always remember to scrape your grill clean in between grilling sessions to minimize leftover charring as well.

#3: The Bun

Now that we’re past the meat, the bun is the next most important ingredient. Of course buns are carbohydrates which turn to sugar in the body, but there are ways to make this a healthier carb choice than the classic white hamburger and hotdog buns. The first way is to go whole-wheat. This at least keeps some of the fiber in the bread so that it is broken down more slowly in the body, resulting in less of a bread-induced sugar high (and later, sugar crash). Include seeds and whole grains in buns to increase fiber and nutrient content even higher.

Another option is to go paleo for your BBQ and skip the bun altogether. Wrap your burger or hot dog in beautiful leafy lettuce, or eat it on top of other greens and salads. The protein and fat from the meat is what will help you feel satisfied and full for longer than you might think when you remove the bread.

Next week is the second part of this 2-part series on healthy summer barbecuing, with some of the best advice on how to really get the most out of your food and your whole summer!

References

1. Pink Slime, Ingredients in Hot Dogs https://grist.org/article/2010-01-05-cheap-food-ammonia-burgers/
2. Hamburger fillers http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E16.htm
3. Negative effects of ammonia https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=9&tid=2
4. Health effects of preservatives https://www.nature.com/news/food-preservatives-linked-to-obesity-and-gut-disease-1.16984
5. Meat charring and carcinogenic HCAS: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13850/heres-how-to-avoid-carcinogens-when-youre-grilling.html
6. Aluminum foil on the grill http://greenexaminingroom.com/the-health-risks-of-grilling-on-aluminum-foil/ 

Summer is here! It’s what so many people wait for. But how do you enjoy your favourite tastes of summer without hurting your health? Dr. Michael Mason-Wood, ND loves to cook, and this is one of his favourite healthy summer recipes to cook up, and even make ahead and freeze to have ready for the next hot summer get-together.

Mushroom Veggie Burger Recipe

This mushroom burger recipe is adapted from “Lisa’s Mushroom Burger” from
www.weheartfood.com.

To call it a veggie burger doesn’t do it justice. Veggie burger recipes tend to be bland and boring, but this meaty mushroom burger is anything but!

Makes 4 Large or 6 Smaller Mushroom Veggie Burgers
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb mushrooms, roughly chopped (combination of crimini, shiitake, and Portobello)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in large saucepan. Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic over
medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid boils off, and the mushrooms
begin to saute.
In large bowl, add mushroom mixture to oats, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley,
oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well. Allow to sit for 15 minutes to develop the flavors.
Shape into patties. Heat 2 tbsp oil in large non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Fry
patties, cooking about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Serve with your favourite burger toppings.

Look out for the Natural Terrain blog series on the definitive How-To for healthy summer BBQs!