Lifestyle choices, such as diet, greatly influence many aspects of your health. If you have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends following the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. This plan also encourages other therapeutic lifestyle changes, like weight loss and exercise.
Daily Calorie Needs
The TLC diet does not restrict you to a specific number of calories. The program recommends adjusting caloric intake to facilitate weight loss and/or maintain your desired weight. Websites such as that of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, offer calculators where you can input information like height, weight and activity level to help determine daily calories. Your doctor can offer guidance as well. It is important to figure out daily intake so you can determine proper intake of fat and other nutrients.
Fat and Cholesterol Intake
One of the most important aspects of the diet involves sticking to the recommendations for fat and cholesterol intake. The TLC program advises you to limit intake of saturated fat to no more than 7 percent of your total calories. As for dietary cholesterol, keep it under 200mg daily. Recommended total fat intake falls between 25 and 35 percent of total calories. The American Heart Association explains that if you have diabetes or another condition where you need to limit carbohydrate intake, you can lean towards the higher end of the recommendation; otherwise, stay closer to 25 percent.
Tips for Fat and Cholesterol Consumption
Limit intake of foods highest in saturated fat and cholesterol such as full-fat dairy, red meat and egg yolks. Poultry like turkey and chicken and fish tend to have less saturated fat and cholesterol but the NHLBI advises you to limit intake of all animal proteins to no more than 5 oz. daily, as all contain saturated fat and cholesterol. Keep egg yolks to no more than two a week --- a single egg yolk contains 213mg of cholesterol.
Substituting plant proteins such as soy products and beans can also help. They will give you adequate protein without all the fat and cholesterol. Beans also contain fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.
The majority of your fats should come from unsaturated fats. The AHA recommends 20 percent from monounsaturated fats and 10 percent from polyunsaturated fats. Rich sources of monounsaturated fats come from olive oil, canola oil and avocados; examples of polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils like sunflower and safflower.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
The TLC program advises you to consume carbohydrates as your primary energy source. This will account to about 50 to 60 percent of your total calories. Good choices include whole grains, like brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat, fruits, vegetables and beans. Following these guidelines will also help you increase your fiber intake, an important part of lowering cholesterol. Adding 2g of plant sterols to your diet daily can also help. This substance, derived from plant foods, has been shown to lower cholesterol. You can find healthy margarines and other foods fortified with sterols.
The program also gives an option to add 10 to 25g daily of a soluble fiber supplement to further cholesterol-lowering efforts. Talk to your doctor about this option before taking supplements on your own.
Exercise
The TLC program encourages regular physical activity. It recommends taking part in daily physical activity that will burn at least 200 calories. If you have not previously engaged in regular exercise, talk to your doctor before starting any program.
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