Lowering Cholesterol with "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes" (TLC)

TLC is a set of things you can do to help lower your LDL cholesterol. The main parts of TLC are:

• The TLC diet. This is a low saturated fat, low cholesterol eating plan that calls for less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 200 mg. of dietary cholesterol per day. The TLC diet recommends only enough calories to maintain a desirable weight and avoid weight gain. If your LDL is not lowered enough by reducing your saturated fat and cholesterol intakes, the amount of soluble fiber in your diet can be increased. Certain food products that contain plant stanols or plan sterols (for example, cholesterol lowering margarines and salad dressing) can also be added to the TLC diet to boost it's LDL-lowering power.

• Weight Management. Losing weight if you are overweight can help lower LDL and is especially important for those with a cluster of risk factors that includes high triglycerides and/or low HDL levels and being overweight with a large waist measurement (more than 40" for men and more than 35" for women).

• Physical activity. Regular physical activity (30 minutes on most, if not all, days) is recommended for everyone. It can help raise HDL and lower LDL and is especially important for those with a high triglyceride and/or low HDL levels who are overweight with a large waist measurement.

Foods low in saturated fat include:
fat free or 1% dairy products
lean meats, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods
fruits and vegetables

Look for soft margarines (liquid or tub varieties) that are low in saturated fat and contain little or no trans fat (another type of dietary fat that can raise your cholesterol level)

Limit foods high in cholesterol such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks and full fat dairy products.

Good sources of soluble fiber include oats, certain fruits, (such as oranges and pears) and vegetables (such as Brussels sprouts and carrots) and dried peas and beans.