A food blogger with high triglycerides? Surprise, surprise! Back in 2020 I had my first labs done as an adult. I was 28 at the time and hadn’t had any of my levels checked before (#AdultingIsHard). But then I got the results… my triglycerides were sky high at 352 (the “healthy” range is under 150, by the way) and I so I googlged: how to lower your triglycerides and cholesterol without medication.

Having high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol is a warning sign that should be taken seriously. If you don’t address it, things can get worse in the future. Because I like to deflect serious conversations with comedy, I thought it was natural that I should include a photo of me shoving a cream puff in my mouth in an article about how to naturally lower your triglycerides. This is an example on how not to lower your triglycerides, and probably how they got so high in the first place… because I really love to eat!

I kind of panicked and started taking the Omegas that the doctor prescribed me and then just… stopped thinking about it. I also moved, switched doctors, and didn’t have health insurance for a while and I was just hoping it would work itself out. It didn’t work itself out. When I finally had my levels checked again in 2023, some of them had gotten worse.

I wasn’t eating super unhealthy, but I wasn’t paying attention

In 2020 I was a lot more active as an “Instagram Foodie“. So, I was eating a lot of restaurant food that was focused on deliciousness and not on health. This didn’t help my triglycerides at all (but I did get some great content and enjoyed a lot of yummy food). Check out my New York City Travel Guide here for some great restaurant recommendations and things to do.

It started with exercise

Last year I decided to take running and exercising a little more seriously. I joined a running group that helped push me to go longer distances, and run more consistently. Then I joined the tennis league run by the same organization, and more recently I’ve taken up volleyball which I absolutely love. It was a slow but good lifestyle change. I really had to change my priorities and make time for all of the activities but once I did I found that I was HAPPIER (hello endorphins! Now I’m addicted).

Then I started learning more about nutrition

I started doing deep dives into learning about nutrition, I even signed up for a Holistic Nutrition Course (I’ll earn my certificate this fall!). I have read so many books about nutrition, ultra-processed food, blood sugar, and healthy eating / healthy living and that really helped me make some excellent diet changes. And it’s not “a diet”… it’s a lifestyle change in how I’ve been eating. It was daunting at first but the slow changes turned into habits.

Great news!

Now I’ve got some great news to share! Things seem to be really moving in the right direction, and my triglycerides which were crazy high are now in the “optimal” range!! I am so excited about this and I decided I would share it here about how I lowered my triglycerides and got my cholesterol back on track without any medication. During my nutrition studying I have been learning how pretty much everyone in the USA (96%) has SOME levels that are off, so I know I’m not alone. I am going to share some of the things that I did that I think made the biggest difference, to hopefully help those of you on the same journey.

My Cholesterol and Triglyceride Data

You can see where I was previously, and where I am now from the chart below. I’m thrilled with these results! Even the ones that are slightly high are just barely so, and my triglycerides are not just good—they’re GREAT! It was in 2022 that I started getting very curious about digestion and how foods affect us, and I started writing a little bit about it here: this article about digestion has been the most popular on my blog to date.

How to lower your Triglycerides and Cholesterol without medication and what I believe made the biggest difference for me:

1. Cutting back on alcohol over the past six months. (You’ve probably read how I am the leader of a wine tasting group right? Gotta cut back there for sure).
2. Eating more salads and greens and incorporating lots of fruits like berries. I bought myself a salad spinner for washing lettuce and it has really made a difference.
3. Taking walks after meals to burn off excess sugars and prevent blood sugar spikes. 10-20 minute walks after as many lunch and dinners as I can has really been adding up. Here is an article with 4 benefits of taking a walk after meals if you’re interested.
4. Adding a variety of nuts and seeds to my diet: pistachios, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. The goal to work towards is to include 30 different plant based fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and herbs, into your diet each week. I kept track of my variety for a couple weeks to see how much I got. I’m happily averaging about 28-35 different varieties lately.
5. Focusing on gut health by reading extensively on the topic and learning about the impact on overall well-being. Read my article about gut health and Sauerkraut here. Fermented food is great for your gut health and your mood. I also started making my own kombucha which has been a fun science experiment – and it’s delicious too!
6. Increasing my activity level by picking up tennis, playing more volleyball, and running regularly.
7. Reduce ultra-processed foods in my diet: These have some horrible additives (which I have written about here) that can really throw off your hormones, gut health, mental health, and more. Take them seriously one step at a time.

You’re not alone and you can do this!

You’re not alone if you too have been wondering how to lower your triglycerides and cholesterol without medication. Don’t ignore them like I did for a couple years. You CAN enjoy life while getting healthier every day. It is possible to enjoy delicious food (I ate a cinnamon role this morning) AND have good blood work. While I’ve cut back on sugars and sweets, I still indulge on special occasions.

All the reading and learning about gut health and nutrition I’ve been doing has really paid off but you shouldn’t have to study nutrition in order to do this properly. I feel like shouting from the rooftops about lowering triglycerides so everyone else can do the same! Yes, Dan Likes To Eat—but he also likes having good triglycerides. 😄

I hope this has been helpful to you. I certainly was a little freaked out when I got my first blood results back in 2020 and my doctor just prescribed Omegas and sent me on my way… no education or anything, so I had to figure it out myself (with the help of lots of books, my sisters advice, slow changes, googling, and ups and downs).

Cheers to your next blood test 🙂

Dan

P.S. I think in order to not be sued, I have to say that you should consult your doctor if you have any problems. The only problem with that is… they aren’t going to give you all this advice… they will probably try to get you on a prescription. The health care industry is a for profit industry and doesn’t want you to get better, they want you to keep needing medications. You should not blindly trust your doctor. You should also not sue me for saying so 🙂