The TLC Diet - Lowering Your Cholesterol

There are a number of ways your health care provider can help you to lower your LDL level enough to decrease your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack including Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) which is a special cholesterol lowering diet that includes physical activity and weight management. 

Some patients may require cholesterol-lowering drug treatment in addition to TLC.

The TLC diet is a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet that includes less than seven percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol daily. The number of calories allowed on the TLC diet is individualized based on the number of calories needed to lose weight or maintain weight while avoiding weight gain. Sometimes reducing saturated fats and dietary cholesterol is not enough to lower your LDL enough and increasing the amount of soluble fiber may be necessary. Other foods that contain plant stanols or plant sterols such as cholesterol-lowering margarines and salad dressings can be added to the TLC diet to further help boost the effectiveness of the TLC diet.

Foods low in saturated fats include:

fat free or one percent dairy products
lean meats
fish
poultry with the skin removed
fruits 
vegetables
soft margarines either liquid or in tubs--read the labels to find the ones that are low in saturated fats, as well as ones that contain little or no trans fat

Foods, high in cholesterol, that should be limited include:

liver and other organ meats
egg yolks
full-fat dairy products

Sources of soluble fiber include:

oats
fruits such as oranges and pears
vegetables such as brussel sprouts and carrots
dried peas and beans