Finding out that your cholesterol level is through the roof may send you searching for a program or medication to get it back to normal. Your health care provider may suggest the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC diet. Designed to bring down your low-density lipoprotein level, the TLC diet is a multistep program that involves diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.
Know Your Numbers
Most annual physical exams include a test called a lipoprotein profile or cholesterol test. This test uses a small sample of blood to measure your LDL cholesterol and your high-density lipoproteins or HDL, and is most accurate after fasting. The measurements are in mg/dL, or milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood. The results will help your doctor to determine if the TLC diet is right for you.
Risk Score and Category
Before you start the TLC diet, your health care provider will first determine your heart attack risk level, based on your current cholesterol test results, your current heart disease status, whether you smoke, have high blood pressure, family history and your age. From this information, your physician will determine your risk score and your heart disease risk category, which determines your LDL goal.
Diet
Eating on the TLC plan requires that your daily intake of saturated fat be less than 7 percent of your total calories, and that your total fat intake be 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories, including saturated fat. Your daily dietary cholesterol intake should be less than 200 mg. The next requirement is adding a minimum of 2 mg daily of plant sterols and stanols, phytochemicals that stop your body from absorbing cholesterol; taking a supplement will meet this requirement. You will also need to gradually add 10 to 25 g daily of soluble fiber.
Exercise
Increasing your activity level by adding 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily is another integral part of the TLC diet. Being overweight causes undue stress on the body, particularly the heart. Losing those extra pounds will also improve your cholesterol level, by eliminating the excess fat circulating in your bloodstream.
