Cut Back on Sugar, Lower Triglycerides

Limiting sugar intake is essential if you are working to lower triglycerides. Sugar has a direct impact on triglyceride levels. Here are 5 tips to cut back your daily sugar intake: 1. Gradually cut back. If you eat a high level of sweets daily it’ll be very difficult to cut them out “cold turkey”. Gradually wean yourself off the sugar. If you have 2 cans of soda daily, cut back to 1. If you enjoy dessert with lunch and dessert, cut back and limit dessert to one meal only. Continue to wean yourself down until the sweets are an occasional treat. 2. Use sugar substitutes when baking. Applesauce and fruit purees are a great option to replace half the sugar in a recipe without impacting the quality of your baked dish. You can also use them to replace the fat in recipes. 3. Watch ingredient lists. Sugar can be easily “hidden” in food just because you don’t know how to pronounce half the words in the ingredient list let alone understand what equals sugar. Here are some common terms for sugar - brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, high-fructose corn syrup, galactose, glucose, honey, hydrogenated starch, invert sugar maltose, lactose, mannitol, maple syrup, molasses, polyols, raw sugar, sorghum, sucrose, sorbitol, turbinado sugar, and xylitol. 4. Switch to all-fruit spreads. All-fruit spreads are a great alte ative to jams and jellies. They are just as sweet and flavorful, but with much less added sugar. Check you grocery store to see your options next time you shop. Goes well on toast, mixed with plain yogurt, and slightly heated to drizzle on pancakes and waffles in place of syrup. 5. Evaluate your breakfast cereal. Check the label of your breakfast cereal. Does it provide less than 8 grams of sugar per serving? If not, consider making a switch to an unsweetened cereal and use berries to add a little sweetness instead.