Several everyday foods can meaningfully lower triglycerides when eaten consistently as part of a broader dietary pattern. Triglyceride levels below 150 mg/dL are considered normal, while 150 to 199 is borderline high, 200 to 499 is high, and anything above 500 is very high. The foods below work through different mechanisms, from changing how your liver processes fat to improving how quickly your bloodstream clears it.
1. Salmon and Other Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is the single most well-supported food for lowering triglycerides. The omega-3 fats in salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, and albacore tuna reduce the liver’s production of triglyceride-rich particles and speed up their removal from the blood. A review of 23 studies covering nearly 44,000 people found that omega-3s from fish reduce triglycerides by about 15 percent. Federal dietary guidelines recommend at least 8 ounces of seafood per week, prioritizing varieties high in omega-3s.
2. Walnuts
Walnuts stand out among nuts because they contain a plant-based omega-3 fat alongside fiber and unsaturated fats. A pooled analysis of 25 clinical trials published in JAMA found that nut consumption reduced triglycerides by about 20 mg/dL (roughly 10 percent) in people who started with elevated levels of 150 mg/dL or higher. In people whose triglycerides were already normal, the effect was minimal. A small daily handful, around 1 to 1.5 ounces, is the typical amount used in studies.
3. Almonds
Almonds deliver a different nutritional profile than walnuts but contribute to the same triglyceride-lowering pattern seen across tree nuts. Their combination of monounsaturated fat, fiber, and plant protein makes them especially useful as a replacement for refined carbohydrate snacks, which are one of the biggest dietary drivers of high triglycerides. The key is what almonds replace in your diet, not just that you add them on top of everything else.
4. Olive Oil
Replacing butter, lard, or other saturated fats with olive oil can lower both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. The monounsaturated fat in olive oil changes the way your liver packages and exports fat into the bloodstream. This isn’t about drizzling olive oil on top of an otherwise unchanged diet. The benefit comes from using it instead of saturated fat sources: cooking with it in place of butter, using it as a salad dressing base, or dipping bread in it rather than spreading on cream cheese.
5. Avocados
Avocados are rich in the same type of monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, packaged alongside fiber and potassium. Like olive oil, avocados lower triglycerides most effectively when they displace saturated fat or refined carbohydrates in your meals. Half an avocado on toast replaces butter. Guacamole replaces cheese dip. The swap matters more than the addition.
6. Flaxseed
Ground flaxseed is one of the richest plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid, a short-chain omega-3 fat. Data from the NHLBI Family Heart Study, which included over 4,400 people, showed that higher dietary intake of this omega-3 was associated with lower triglyceride levels. One intervention study found an 18 percent drop in triglycerides with high-dose intake over six weeks, though results across studies have been inconsistent. Ground flaxseed (not whole, which passes through undigested) can be stirred into oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies. Two tablespoons a day is a common starting point.
7. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds share flaxseed’s omega-3 content and add a thick, gel-like soluble fiber when mixed with liquid. That gel slows digestion and blunts the blood sugar spikes that trigger your liver to ramp up triglyceride production. Chia pudding, made by soaking the seeds in milk overnight, is one of the easiest ways to eat them regularly. They also blend invisibly into smoothies or can be sprinkled over salads.
8. Beans and Lentils
Legumes combine plant protein, soluble fiber, and slow-digesting carbohydrates in a way that helps stabilize blood sugar after meals. That blood sugar stability is directly relevant to triglycerides because your liver converts excess blood sugar into triglycerides for storage. When you eat lentils or black beans instead of white rice or bread, you produce a smaller, slower glucose response, which means less raw material for triglyceride production. Eating legumes several times a week as a replacement for refined grains or processed meats gives you the biggest benefit.
9. Berries
Blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, and similar deeply pigmented fruits contain anthocyanins, a class of plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that influence lipid metabolism. These pigments appear to reduce the oxidative stress and inflammation that can drive up triglyceride production. Berries are also low in sugar relative to most fruits, which matters because excess fructose is one of the fastest dietary routes to elevated triglycerides. Your liver processes fructose through a pathway that bypasses the normal rate-limiting steps of fat production, essentially giving it a fast lane to become triglycerides. Berries deliver sweetness and flavor with far less fructose than fruit juice, dried fruit, or tropical fruits like mangoes.
10. Leafy Greens and Cruciferous Vegetables
Spinach, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts don’t contain a specific compound that targets triglycerides directly. Their value is structural: they fill your plate with volume and nutrients while containing almost no sugar or starch. When vegetables take up more space on your plate, they naturally crowd out the refined carbohydrates and added sugars that drive triglyceride levels up. They also provide folate and magnesium, nutrients involved in the metabolic pathways your body uses to process fats.
What Raises Triglycerides the Most
Knowing what to eat matters more when you also know what to cut back on. Added sugar, particularly fructose, is the most potent dietary trigger for high triglycerides. Your liver converts fructose into fat through a metabolic shortcut that bypasses the usual regulation, meaning fructose flows almost directly into triglyceride production. Sodas, sweetened coffee drinks, candy, and baked goods are the biggest sources for most people.
Alcohol is the other major driver. In one study, just two standard drinks raised fasting triglycerides by 53 percent within six hours in people with normal levels. If your triglycerides are already elevated, even moderate drinking can keep them stubbornly high. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, white pasta, and white rice behave similarly to sugar once digested, flooding the liver with glucose that gets repackaged as triglycerides.
How Exercise Fits In
Diet changes work best alongside regular physical activity. The National Lipid Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming, to lower triglycerides. For more significant reductions and weight loss, aiming for 200 to 300 minutes per week is more effective. Exercise helps your muscles pull triglycerides out of the bloodstream for fuel, which is a separate mechanism from anything diet can do. The combination of dietary changes and consistent movement typically produces larger drops than either one alone.