If you get groceries from Costco, you most likely have seen their impressive grab-and-go snack selection. With so many snack options, choosing one snack that would help support healthy triglyceride levels may seem challenging. 

Some uncontrollable factors, such as family history and certain medical conditions, increase the risk of elevated triglyceride levels. And while those factors may be out of your control, there are other manageable factors. For example, research suggests that a diet high in simple carbs and saturated fats could negatively affect blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. So choosing foods higher in fiber and lower in saturated fats is a lifestyle change you could make.

We spoke with two registered dietitians to get their input on why Kirkland Signature Nut Bars with Cocoa Drizzle & Sea Salt are the best triglyceride-friendly snack to take home from your next Costco run. Here’s what they said.

Why We Chose These Bars

Rich in Fiber

Fiber helps you feel full and more satisfied. It also stabilizes blood sugar so you don’t experience a sudden rise and crash, resulting in that “hangry” feeling and desperate need to eat. More importantly, fiber could decrease cholesterol levels by reducing how much is absorbed into your bloodstream.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating at least 28 to 34 grams of fiber per day. Eating the recommended amount of fiber from various sources promotes bowel regularity and overall health. This sweet and savory snack bar has 8 grams of fiber per serving—equivalent to almost 30% of the daily recommended fiber intake—thanks to almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and chicory root fiber. That means you get a third of your daily requirement in one snack is not only tasty but convenient.

Low in Added Sugar

When choosing a triglyceride-friendly snack, Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., RD, CDECS, CDN,  a cardiology dietitian, recommends selecting a snack that’s low in added sugars, as consuming too much could increase triglyceride levels. The AHA recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6% of total calories per day. For women, that’s no more than 100 calories or 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s no more than 150 calories or 9 teaspoons. Based on these values, a snack with less than 3 grams of added sugar, or 5% of the Daily Value, could be ideal.

It’s common for snack bars to have added sugars. Manufacturers typically add sugar to snack bars to ensure the ingredients bind together and that the product is palatable and tasty. While this Kirkland nut bar variety contains 4 grams of added sugar—1 gram more than our recommended amount—this is still considered a relatively low amount per serving, especially when your goal is to follow the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations on added sugars—less than 50 grams per day. If you include this snack bar, simply choose lower-added-sugar options for the rest of the day and try to keep the total to less than 50 grams.

Low in Saturated Fat

Routhenstein’s recommendations align with those of the AHA—aiming for less than 6% of total calories from saturated fat, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. This percentage represents no more than 120 calories, or about 13 grams, of saturated fat daily.

This snack not only has less than 4 grams of saturated fat per bar but it’s also packed with heart-healthy ingredients like almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds. Routhenstein explains that nuts and seeds are nutritious foods to incorporate into the diet if you are trying to lower triglycerides because these plant-based proteins contain cardioprotective unsaturated fats and fiber. Research has shown that nuts may help increase your “good” HDL cholesterol and reduce your “bad” LDL and total cholesterol.

Other Considerations

While we recommend the Kirkland Signature Nut Bars with Cocoa Drizzle & Sea Salt as our top choice of snack to lower triglycerides, it’s vital to look at your meal patterns and lifestyle as a whole and not just focus on single foods. Cheryl Mussatto, M.S., RD, LD, a Kansas-based dietitian and author of The Nourished Brain, also emphasizes that a balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables is vital to managing high triglycerides and cholesterol. 

Depending on your lifestyle and hunger level, one to two snacks a day are sufficient for most adults. Routhenstein adds that if you become hungry or experience a midafternoon slump, grabbing a triglyceride-friendly snack rich in fiber and healthy fats and low in added sugar can combat hunger pangs and stabilize blood sugar.

It’s also essential to remember that while snack bars offer lots of convenience, making your own snacks helps you better control the sodium, saturated fat and added sugar content. Some examples of easy-to-prep triglyceride-friendly snacks include a banana and almonds, a boiled egg and fresh fruit, celery sticks paired with peanut butter or a smoothie, like our Berry-Green Tea Smoothie.

Want to make your own bars? Try our Peanut Energy Bars or Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars. Both are chockful of triglyceride-friendly ingredients, including nuts, seeds and whole grains. Make a big batch, cut into individual portion sizes and freeze for easy grab-and-go snacks.

Our Expert Take

Next time you’re at Costco, toss a box of the Kirkland Signature Nut Bars with Cocoa Drizzle & Sea Salt into your shopping cart. These almond-, cashew- and sunflower seed-containing nut bars are shelf-stable, convenient and nutrient-dense. They’re satisfying and provide protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals to support healthy triglyceride levels.