Triglycerides are not nice. They put us at a higher risk for all kinds of nasty diseases like heart disease. Your doctor can tell you if your Triglycerides are too high with blood test.
Normal triglycerides = less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
Borderline high triglycerides = 150 to 199 mg/dL.
High triglycerides = 200 to 499 mg/dL.
Very high triglycerides = 500 mg/dL or higher.
Mine were 540 recently. That was not a fasting test, and I had just eaten a large meal, but non-fasting results that high are bad news as well. In fact non-fasting results can tell you additional information about your body . A high non-fasting result that is high is an indicator of increased risk for stroke according to some studies. BTW I am not going to quote studies and sites on my blog. For someone with A.D.D. it is just too much. And besides, I know you all know how to Google. If something I say on here does not sound right, Google it please, and let me know if I got it wrong. I am most certainly capable of error!
Something I learned that changes the way I think about what I put in my mouth, is what your body does with the foods you eat in regards cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL. I discovered it in an article when I was researching the cholesterol in shrimp and it’s impact on health. (BTW shrimp are okay, just leave off the butter and/or sweet coatings.) Okay, back to what your body does with stuff.
Three different cholesterols are made in your body in response to foods you eat:
LDL (bad stuff) comes from eating saturated fats. You know, like from that double meat cheeseburger or that 16 oz steak? If it says moo it’s bad for you. In fact all animal products including whole milk products contain saturated fat. That is why these things should be eaten in moderation and lower fat versions should be chosen over full fat. So trim the fat and see where you are at.
HDL ( good stuff) comes from foods high in unsaturated fats, mostly plants. Like nuts and avocados and peanut butter and olive oil . Yaaaaa! SO now you can go out and gorge yourself on those things right? Wrong. Here’s why: If you are over weight and have a high reserve of fat in your body you are increasing your unhealthy state. Fats of any kind are dense in calories which contributes to being overweight. Get the weight off first and figure out how much you can eat with your exercise level and then you will know how much unsaturated fat you can have without problems. So like if you ride a bicycle 500 miles a week up hill both ways, you can gorge yourself on these foods. Otherwise moderation is key.
Triglycerides (not nice at all) comes from eating foods high in sugar and foods with refined carbs causing your glucose levels to spike. So back away from the Twinkie and listen up. There is no sweet treat more important than your health. The next time a piece of gooey chewy sweet treat heads in the direction of your mouth, think about them turning into little cholesterol wax monsters that swim through your arteries until they hit a curve or something and then they start piling up and making a clump and building a little dam across your artery. You can guess what happens next. Yep, shuts off blood flow and then things get ugly. Same goes for white stuff like bread and pasta. Better get a little brown if you want to stick around!
I’ll be back later to add some nifty images. Right now I have to go eat the wonderful supper my husband has prepared!
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