Triglycerides: The silent killer

|
  • 1

Triglycerides: The silent killer

Saturday, 09 February 2019 | Swati Bathwal

Prevention is always better than cure, we have learnt this proverb while growing up and many of us have practiced it.

Our ancestors did not experience an influx of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart issues, obesity, pcod and many more to add to that.

 Our lifestyle has changed over decades, centuries and so on. The most common health symptoms of a busy lifestyle are stress, lack of sleep, irritable bowel syndrome, weight gain, lack of exercise.

When we say lifestyle disorder, it means we have the ability to manage it.

Triglycerides are fats which are found in our blood affected mostly with what we eat and drink. Like other lifestyle disorders, even triglyceride can be reversed without medication in early stages. Have you got your triglycerides checked? I am sure this article will get you thinking. Some causes of high triglycerides include:

  • diet rich in fats or calories.
  • overweight or obesity.
  • heavy alcohol consumption ( drinking more than the required alcohol limit in a day).
  • uncontrolled diabetes.
  • diet rich in sugars or sweet foods.

Things you can do to avoid high triglycerides are as below:

1. Reduce alcohol intake – Guidelines suggest not drinking more than one to two standard drinks a day. For some people drinking even one standard drink can cause high triglyceride levels. One standard drink includes

  • 340ml bottle of (5%) beer, cider or cooler.
  • 140 ml glass of (12%) wine.
  • 43ml shot of (40%) spirit.

2. Cut down on sugars- Avoid all sweets like candies, toffees, tetra packed fruit juices, soft drinks, sodas, desserts, like cakes, buiscuits, cookies, mithai's specially syrup based desserts like gulab jamun, rasgullas, jalebi Also, reduce all bakery products like croissants, muffins, sweet breads, fruit buns.

 

3. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Aim to dance, cycle, brisk walk or do yoga everyday. Get yourself moving. Move as much as you can. Do 10,000 steps every day.

4. Aim for 5%-10% weight loss. Learn to manage to lose weight and maintain it. An initial weight loss of 5%-10%  will show improvements in lowering triglycerides.

5. Use healthy fats in the diet like extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, walnuts, pecans, avocadoes and ghee.

6. Sprinkle sesame seeds on vegetables, walnuts on salads.

7. Cut down on added sugars like in teas and coffees and fruit juices. Swap to herbal teas and fresh fruits instead.

8. Avoid all fried foods like pooris, kachori, pakoras etc.

The above advise is simple and easy to follow. Do not let your mind rule your taste buds and keep yourself moving. Reversing lifestyle disorder in in our hand.

Swati Bathwal is a Dietitian, Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator from Ranchi based in Australia and New Zealand. She can be reached at info@swatibathwal.com and www.swatibathwal.com

Sunday Edition

CAA PASSPORT TO FREEDOM

24 March 2024 | Kumar Chellappan | Agenda

CHENNAI EXPRESS IN GURUGRAM

24 March 2024 | Pawan Soni | Agenda

The Way of Bengal

24 March 2024 | Shobori Ganguli | Agenda

The Pizza Philosopher

24 March 2024 | Shobori Ganguli | Agenda

Astroturf | Lord Shiva calls for all-inclusiveness

24 March 2024 | Bharat Bhushan Padmadeo | Agenda

Interconnected narrative l Forest conservation l Agriculture l Food security

24 March 2024 | BKP Sinha/ Arvind K jha | Agenda