Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet for high cholesterol
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet for high cholesterol
People have varying degrees of success in lowering their
cholesterol by changing their diets. People who have
high cholesterol because they eat too many fatty foods may be able to lower
their cholesterol 10% to 20% with diet changes alone, while others may only
achieve a 5% to 8% reduction. Those who are most successful using diet changes
to lower their cholesterol are those who lose excess weight. Diet changes are
usually the first step in lowering cholesterol before medicines are
added.
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet is recommended
by the National Cholesterol Education Program of the U.S. National Institutes
of Health. The diet's main focus is to reduce the amount of saturated fat you
eat, because saturated fat elevates your cholesterol. You can reduce the
saturated fat in your diet by limiting the amount of meat and milk products you
consume. Choose low-fat products from those food groups instead. Replace most
of the animal fat in your diet with unsaturated fat, especially monounsaturated
oils, such as olive, canola, or peanut. Monounsaturated fat lowers
LDL ("bad") cholesterol if it is substituted for
saturated fat and keeps
HDL ("good") cholesterol up.
The TLC diet
calls for less than 7% of your daily calories to come from saturated fat and
for eating no more than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol a day. But the diet
allows 25% to 35% of daily calories from fat, mainly from unsaturated
fat.1 Most of the fat should be monounsaturated, and
only 10% should be polyunsaturated fat. Your diet should include only enough
calories to maintain your desired weight and avoid gaining weight.
5 ounces maximum per day of lean meat,
poultry, or fish
Substitute ¼ cup dry beans or peas for 1 ounce of
meat.
Eggs
No more than 2 yolks a week
1 whole egg. Egg whites or substitutes are not
limited.
Low-fat milk and milk
products
2-3 a day
1 cup nonfat or 1% milk
1 cup
nonfat or low-fat yogurt
1 ounce nonfat or low-fat cheese (3 grams
of fat or less per ounce)
Fruits
2-4 a day
1 piece fruit, such as apple, orange, or ½
a banana
½ cup canned fruit
1 cup berries or
melon
¾ cup fruit juice
Vegetables
3-5 a day
1 cup raw leafy greens
½ cup
cooked or raw vegetables
¾ cup vegetable juice
Bread, cereals, pasta, rice, and other
grains
6-11 a day
1 slice of bread
½ hot dog or
hamburger bun, bagel, or English muffin
1 ounce cold
cereal
½ cup cooked pasta, rice, noodles, or other grains
Fat and oils
6-8 a day
1 teaspoon monounsaturated oil, such as
canola, olive, or peanut
1 teaspoon polyunsaturated oil, such as
corn or safflower
1 teaspoon soft margarine (one that does not
contain hydrogenated oils)
1 tablespoon salad
dressing
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nuts or
seeds
Sweets and snacks
Within calorie limit
Choose snacks that are low in fat or are made
with unsaturated fat.
Adapted from MyPyramid to help you plan a diet that is
low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Citations
Grundy SM, et al. (2001). Executive summary of the
third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel
on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults
(Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA, 285(19):
2486-2497.
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Grundy SM, et al. (2001). Executive summary of the
third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel
on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults
(Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA, 285(19):
2486-2497.
