In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Are Triglycerides?The Best Canned Foods for TriglyceridesTips
In This ArticleView All
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In This Article
What Are Triglycerides?
The Best Canned Foods for Triglycerides
Tips
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Photo:Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
“Shop the perimeter of the grocery store” is a well-intentioned food rule, but it ignores all the healthy foods you can find in the center aisles. That includes whole grains,nut butters,sparkling water—and canned foods.
Canned foods offer a similar nutrient profile as their fresh counterparts, so they can support your heart health in a variety of ways. It’s important to note that canned foods can be high insodiumand some options might have added sugars. When selecting canned items, opt for varieties that are labeled as no-salt-added or low sodium and aim to limit options that have added sugars. Certain canned foods, like beans and lentils, can be rinsed to reduce the sodium content. If lowering your triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease) is a priority for you, read on to find out the best canned foods for lowering triglycerides, according to dietitians.
What Causes High Triglycerides?
In addition to cholesterol and blood pressure, monitoring your triglycerides is important for keeping your heart in tip-top shape. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. Having high triglycerides—known as hypertriglyceridemia—can contribute to the thickening of your artery walls, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Factors that can raise triglyceride levels include consuming more calories than are burned—especially from high-carbohydrate foods—being overweight, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, certain medications and some genetic disorders,” saysWan Na Chun, M.P.H, RD,owner of One Pot Wellness.
Fortunately, high triglycerides can be addressed with diet changes, such as eating morefiberandomega-3 fatty acids, while limiting excess dietary fat and added sugars. And that’s where canned foods can come in clutch with their high nutrition and loads of convenience.
The 7 Best Canned Foods to Lower Triglycerides
1. Canned Fish
Canned fish is a budget-friendly and convenient protein option to keep stocked in the pantry for low-effort mealsandlower triglycerides. “Canned fish like canned tuna, salmon, sardines or mackerel have been shown to reduce triglyceride levels and heart disease risk due to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids” saysErika Barrera, M.P.H., RDN, owner of Leafe Nutrition.
In fact, a review of studies that looked at fish intake and cholesterol found that eating fish—particularly oily fish— is associated with reduced triglycerides in both healthy and unhealthy folks, likely due to seafood’s omega-3s.To optimize your intake of these healthy fats, the American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fatty fish per week.All the more reason to keep your pantry stocked!
2. Canned Beans
Beans offer a variety of nutrients, including protein, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, in a small package. Fiber, in particular, is one nutrient that can combat high triglyceride levels—and beans are packed with it. “Beans are high in fiber, which slows carbohydrate absorption and effectively reduces triglyceride levels,” explainsVeronica Rouse, RD, CDE, owner of The Heart Dietitian. In particular,beansare rich in a type of fiber called soluble fiber, which decreases fat absorption in the intestines, lowering triglycerides, she says.
What’s the Difference Between Insoluble and Soluble Fiber, According to a Dietitian
3. Canned Spinach
4. Canned Lentils
If you’re looking to incorporate moreplant-based proteinsinto your diet, canned lentils are worth a try. “Canned lentils are great for lowering triglycerides because they are rich in fiber,” says Chun.A half-cup portion of canned lentils provides a little over 7 grams of fiber, nearly 30% of your daily fiber needs.
5. Canned Pumpkin
Although most of us start cooking with pumpkin in the fall, canning means we can enjoy this veggie all year round. Use canned pumpkin in a variety of dishes from sweet to savory (likeTurkey Pumpkin Chili)—just make sure to buy pumpkin unseasoned pumpkin, with no added sugar or salt. We love this veggie for heart health since a ½-cup serving of canned pumpkin clocks in at fewer than 50 calories and provides 3 grams of triglyceride-lowering fiber.
6. Canned Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in an antioxidant called lycopene, which research suggests may lower your risk of heart disease. What’s more, cooked tomatoes, like those found in a can, have higher levels of this heart-healthy antioxidant.Although lycopene doesn’t tackle high triglycerides directly, canned tomatoes make it easy to add more fiber to a dish, which can help lower triglycerides. A ½-cup portion of canned tomatoes packed in juice with no added salt has just 20 calories and 2 grams of fiber.
The #1 Underrated Canned Food You Should Be Buying, According to a Food Writer
7. Canned Artichoke Hearts
How to Incorporate Canned Foods into your Routine
Keeping your pantry stocked with a variety of heart-healthy staples can make it easy to put together a nourishing meal. Here’s how to make the most out of the canned foods in your pantry:
The Bottom Line
If you’re trying to lower your triglycerides, it may be as simple as stocking your pantry with dietitian-recommended canned foods, such as beans, vegetables and fish. These options are rich in nutrients that may help lower triglycerides. Plus, they make preparing heart-healthy meals at home a little faster and a little easier.
EatingWell.com, August 2024
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Karanchi H, Muppidi V, Wyne K.Hypertriglyceridemia. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.McMullan JE, Yeates AJ, Allsopp PJ, et al.Fish consumption and its lipid modifying effects - A review of intervention studies.Neurotoxicology. 2023;99:82-96. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.003American Heart Association.Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids.Hannon BA, Thompson SV, Edwards CG, Skinner SK, Niemiro GM, Burd NA, Holscher HD, Teran-Garcia M, Khan NA.Dietary Fiber Is Independently Related to Blood Triglycerides Among Adults with Overweight and Obesity. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Nov 28;3(2):nzy094. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzy094U.S. Department of Agriculture.Lentils, from canned.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Pumpkin, canned, without salt.Collins EJ, Bowyer C, Tsouza A, Chopra M.Tomatoes: an extensive review of the associated health impacts of tomatoes and factors that can affect their cultivation.Biology (Basel). 2022;11(2):239. doi:10.3390/biology11020239U.S. Department of Agriculture.Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, no salt added.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Artichoke hearts.
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Karanchi H, Muppidi V, Wyne K.Hypertriglyceridemia. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.McMullan JE, Yeates AJ, Allsopp PJ, et al.Fish consumption and its lipid modifying effects - A review of intervention studies.Neurotoxicology. 2023;99:82-96. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.003American Heart Association.Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids.Hannon BA, Thompson SV, Edwards CG, Skinner SK, Niemiro GM, Burd NA, Holscher HD, Teran-Garcia M, Khan NA.Dietary Fiber Is Independently Related to Blood Triglycerides Among Adults with Overweight and Obesity. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Nov 28;3(2):nzy094. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzy094U.S. Department of Agriculture.Lentils, from canned.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Pumpkin, canned, without salt.Collins EJ, Bowyer C, Tsouza A, Chopra M.Tomatoes: an extensive review of the associated health impacts of tomatoes and factors that can affect their cultivation.Biology (Basel). 2022;11(2):239. doi:10.3390/biology11020239U.S. Department of Agriculture.Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, no salt added.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Artichoke hearts.
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Karanchi H, Muppidi V, Wyne K.Hypertriglyceridemia. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.McMullan JE, Yeates AJ, Allsopp PJ, et al.Fish consumption and its lipid modifying effects - A review of intervention studies.Neurotoxicology. 2023;99:82-96. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.003American Heart Association.Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids.Hannon BA, Thompson SV, Edwards CG, Skinner SK, Niemiro GM, Burd NA, Holscher HD, Teran-Garcia M, Khan NA.Dietary Fiber Is Independently Related to Blood Triglycerides Among Adults with Overweight and Obesity. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Nov 28;3(2):nzy094. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzy094U.S. Department of Agriculture.Lentils, from canned.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Pumpkin, canned, without salt.Collins EJ, Bowyer C, Tsouza A, Chopra M.Tomatoes: an extensive review of the associated health impacts of tomatoes and factors that can affect their cultivation.Biology (Basel). 2022;11(2):239. doi:10.3390/biology11020239U.S. Department of Agriculture.Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, no salt added.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Artichoke hearts.
Karanchi H, Muppidi V, Wyne K.Hypertriglyceridemia. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
McMullan JE, Yeates AJ, Allsopp PJ, et al.Fish consumption and its lipid modifying effects - A review of intervention studies.Neurotoxicology. 2023;99:82-96. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.003
American Heart Association.Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids.
Hannon BA, Thompson SV, Edwards CG, Skinner SK, Niemiro GM, Burd NA, Holscher HD, Teran-Garcia M, Khan NA.Dietary Fiber Is Independently Related to Blood Triglycerides Among Adults with Overweight and Obesity. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Nov 28;3(2):nzy094. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzy094
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Lentils, from canned.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Pumpkin, canned, without salt.
Collins EJ, Bowyer C, Tsouza A, Chopra M.Tomatoes: an extensive review of the associated health impacts of tomatoes and factors that can affect their cultivation.Biology (Basel). 2022;11(2):239. doi:10.3390/biology11020239
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, no salt added.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Artichoke hearts.
