Best Frozen Food at Costco to Lower Your Triglyceride Levels

Shopping at Costco means stocking up on oversized packages of grocery essentials. That’s also true for the frozen food section, which is packed with everything from single ingredients like frozen fruits and vegetables to complete meals that are ready to heat and eat. 

If you’re searching for a frozen food that helps you keep your triglycerides in check, there are many options to choose from. To help you hone in on the right options for you, we spoke to multiple registered dietitians and asked about the best frozen foods in Costco to help lower your triglycerides.

Nutrients to Consider for Lowering Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat in the bloodstream. “High triglycerides can be caused by several factors,” says Mackenzie Burgess, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices. “These factors include obesity, high intake of sugars and unhealthy fats, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, certain medications and medical conditions like diabetes and hypothyroidism,” she explains.

When it comes to what you eat, experts recommend consuming a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. However, there are certain nutrients to limit and others to eat more of that help manage your triglyceride levels. Here’s what to do:

Increase Total Fiber

Fiber is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. The two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble, are both important for long-term health. However, soluble fiber may have the most significant impact on lowering triglyceride levels, as this type of fiber may affect the absorption of triglycerides. Foods like oats, nuts, some seeds such as chia seeds, and certain fruits like apples and berries are considered good sources of soluble fiber.

Boost Intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids play a significant role when it comes to managing blood lipid levels. “It’s important to include sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as olive oil, avocados, fatty fish, walnuts and hemp seeds, when working to lower triglyceride levels,” says Maxine Yeung, M.S., RD, owner of The Wellness Whisk.

If you have high triglycerides, the American Heart Association also recommends considering taking an omega-3 supplement prescribed by a doctor. Your provider can recommend an omega-3 supplement, as well as the right dose for you. 

Decrease Added Sugar

One nutrient to reduce in the diet when you have high triglycerides is added sugar. “Someone with high triglycerides should try to greatly reduce their sugar intake from sweets, drinks and other processed foods,” says Vanessa Imus, M.S., RDN of Integrated Nutrition for Weight Loss.

Added sugar can be found in everything from baked goods to condiments. The only way to know for sure if a food contains added sugar is to check the nutrition label and ingredients list. Limit foods with added sugar and aim to keep total added sugar to less than 10% of your calorie intake per day.

The Best Frozen Food at Costco to Lower Triglycerides

There are many frozen foods at Costco that can help to lower triglyceride levels when incorporated as part of a balanced diet. However, we found one that stands out as one of the best options from the Costco frozen food section and that’s the Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend.

The Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend contains a mix of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Eating berries has been associated with improvements in blood lipids–including reducing triglyceride levels. This berry blend makes it easy to eat more berries because the frozen fruit requires zero prep before eating. (No washing required.) Since they’re frozen, you don’t have to worry about them going bad or getting moldy, and storing them in your freezer means you’ll have berries always available to add to your meals and snacks.

“I often recommend the frozen three berry blend to my clients because berries are very high in fiber and taste great,” says Lauren Mardeusz, RD of Salt + Honey Nutrition. “Adding these to smoothies or oatmeal is a fantastic way to increase fiber intake and reduce triglycerides,” she says. A one-cup serving of the berry blend packs 5 grams of fiber, making it a good source of this heart-healthy nutrient.

In addition to the high fiber, the Kirkland Three Berry Blend is naturally sweet–but it contains no added sugar. This is especially good when you have high triglycerides and are looking to reduce added sugar intake in your diet.

The Bottom Line

If you shop at Costco, don’t forget to visit the frozen food aisle to load up on your favorite triglyceride-lowering foods, especially the Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend. You won’t regret having delicious, naturally sweet frozen berries to add to your favorite recipes.