TLC Diet to Lower Cholesterol
Are you familiar with the TLC diet? I was not, so when I saw this treatment plan to lower cholesterol I was interested to see what it was all about. Below I’ve shared a summary of the diet plan and a link where you can access more information.
TLC stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and consists of a three part program of diet, physical activity, and weight management.
Diet
Diet changes focus on reduces saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol in your daily intake. If you are overweight, you would also work to reduce your daily calorie intake.
Here are goal levels for nutrients on the TLC diet:
- Less than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat
- Less than 200 mg a day of cholesterol
- 25–35 percent of daily calories from total fat
- Diet options you can use for more LDL lowering
- 2 grams per day of plant stanols or sterols
- 10–25 grams per day of soluble fiber
- Only enough calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight
Physical Activity
Leading a sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for heart disease. The TLC Diet also stresses the importance of increasing physical activity. You should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week. An example of moderate intensity activity would be brisk walking.
Weight Management
Carrying around excess weight places increased stress on the body and increases your risk for having elevated LDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. Being overweight or obese also increases your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.
By making changes to your dietary intake and physical activity level while following the TLC diet you will promote weight loss.
Summary
Overall, this looks like a very realistic and effective option to promote heart healthy cholesterol levels and weight loss. If you look at the plan further, you’ll receive good tips on communicating with your physician and it also works if you are currently using cholesterol lowering medication. If you are taking medication the goal is to reduce the medication dosage to the lowest level possible.
If you implement this diet plan remember that it is not intended to be short term fix. It’s a new way of living that you stick with from her on out. You will not see results overnight, but as you do achieve your goal levels they will be long lasting as long as you stick with the plan.
Here is a link to more information – Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes.
You may also be interested in the free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps at http://lowercholesterolwithlisa.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
https://lisanelsonrd.com
