Cholesterol is considered a silent killer, and having high cholesterol is a concern among numerous adults. A survey stated that almost 40% of adults suffer from high cholesterol. The best way to avoid this is by sticking to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet or TLC diet plan.
Unlike other diseases, high cholesterol has no specific symptoms, and most people are unaware of it until and unless it becomes lethal. To combat this situation, doctors often prescribe statins to decrease cholesterol levels. However, it is essential to change your lifestyle if you want to lead a healthy and stable life.
Having a proper diet will let you live long and, at the same time, will enable you to combat many life-threatening diseases. Adapting yourself to the TLC diet plan will assist you in controlling your cholesterol levels with an extraordinary effect.
The TLC diet plan is specially formulated for individuals suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The National Institute Of Health has designed this diet plan. The central aspect of TLC is to emphasize nutrition and moderate exercise—the combination of the two acts as a prevention against chronic diseases.
Many health specialists consider the TLC diet plan one of the finest methods for shrinking cholesterol by exterminating harmful health.
The TLC Diet Guidelines include the following:
- Proper diet
- Exercise / Physical activities
- Weight Management
Improving health conditions starts with lowering the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) responsible for triggering metabolic diseases, chronic heart diseases, and other severe health conditions.
TLC Diet Meal Plan: How It Works
Improving your lifestyle involves cutting down on the consumption of oily junk foods and sticking to the TLC diet food list that consists in eating:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Low-fat dairy product
- Whole grains
- Fish
- Lean meat
- Skinless Poultry
The TLC diet menu is limited and involves a fixed portion of servings from each food group.
These may involve eating:
- 6 servings of whole grains per day
- Almost 2-4 servings of fruits per day
- 3-5 servings of vegetables
- Approximately 5 oz or fewer servings each day
- 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy each day
Now, if you are willing to try out the meal plan for the TLC diet, it is vital that you
- Limit your sodium intake to almost 2300 mg each day
- Limit the consumption of the total number of calories from saturated fats and keep it restrained to nearly 7%
- Consume approximately 5-10 gms of soluble fibers each day
- Restrict your calorie count to 1,800 calories
TLC Diet For High Cholesterol
 When you follow the TLC diet plan, you take one step forward in preventing yourself from developing high cholesterol. Let us now explore some of the best steps involved in the TLC diet –
- Be Careful About Consuming Hydrogenated Fats
Hydrogenated or saturated fats are usually solid at average temperatures and can be found in animal products such as red meats and other products like milk, oil (coconut), and butter.
- Stop Consuming Unsaturated Fats
Unsaturated or trans fats are fatal for human health and are primarily found in artificially processed foods. Unsaturated fats are manufactured by solidifying liquid vegetable oils into solids through chemical processing.
- Dietary Cholesterol
This type of cholesterol is mainly found in animal tissues. A few of the significant sources of dietary cholesterol include shrimp, meat (beef and pork), poultry, egg yolk, dairy products (cheese and butter)
As per the TLC diet to lower cholesterol levels, consuming these kinds of food must be stopped immediately. You should focus more on the food items that help boost your immunity and health.
Benefits Of the TLC Diet
The benefits of the TLC diet are immense. It helps you develop healthy eating habits and at the same time, it impacts your daily activities to boost your overall well-being.
The sole purpose of adapting to the TLC diet plan is to tactfully lower the cholesterol level in your bloodstream through proper nutrition, exercise, and hydration. Focus on eating legumes, brown rice, yogurt, and low-fat/fat-free products (cheese, milk, sour cream).
Reducing the consumption of unsaturated fats and junk foods reduces the chances of gaining excess weight and obesity. This, in turn, helps you to keep your LDL levels in check and stops you from succumbing to high blood pressure, chronic heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Losing weight stops you from developing triglycerides, and doing moderate exercise daily enables you to control your LDL levels.
TLC Diet For Diabetes
Diabetes is life-threatening, and your eating habits can make a huge difference. Eating foods that add value to your health can be beneficial and will also allow you to maintain your blood sugar levels. Therefore, if you are looking for a TLC diet food list for diabetes, try incorporating these items into your diet:
- Brown rice
- Fruits and Veggies
- Beans and Peas
- Bran Foods
- Whole grains
 The Bottom Line…
The main idea of the TLC diet plan is to bring about a change in your overall behavior that promotes your well-being.
In this rat race where we all are stuck with a nine-to-five job, we often overlook our health and may start developing several diseases. These diseases might not be fatal and can be cured with simple medicines and good practices. However, if left unchecked, these can turn out to be incurable.
The TLC Diet can be your answer to many issues, including obesity and high cholesterol levels.
But, if you look forward to trying out the TLC diet plan, consult your dietitian once before trying it out.
