You’ve probably heard that you need to make sure that you keep your cholesterol under control. However, do you get confused about what’s good to eat and what should not be on the menu? Do you wonder about if you’re active enough and whether you’re at the right weight?
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet was established by the National Institute of Health’s National Cholesterol Education Program. The goal of this diet is cutting cholesterol as part of a heart-healthy eating regimen. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet calls for eating plenty of veggies, fruits, breads, cereals as well as pasta and lean meats. The guidelines are broad enough so that you’ll have a lot of latitude with what you eat.
What Does The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet Prescribe?
Saturated Fat Must Be Less Than 7% Of Your Total Calories
Diets which are high in saturated fats are associated with boosted risk of coronary heart disease. Saturated fats are seen to have the most powerful cholesterol-raising potential.
Examples of foods that are high in saturated fats include:
- Fatty cuts of meat,
- Skin on chicken,
- Egg yolks,
- Lard,
- Butter,
- Whole milk dairy products,
- Palm kernel and palm oil,
- Coconut oil,
- Desserts and sweets,
- Fried foods as well as most snack foods and fast foods made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.
Saturated fats are usually solid when they are at room temperature.
Eat As Little Trans Fat As Possible
Trans fatty acids are made when a liquid fat is transformed into a solid one via a process called hydrogenation. Research shows that trans fats have the same cholesterol-raising effect as saturated fats do. Therefore you should keep your trans-fat intake as low as possible.
In order to keep your trans-fat intake down, limit you intake of foods with the following ingredients:
- Partially hydrogenated oil,
- Hydrogenated oil, as well as
- Stick margarine and shortening.
Limit how much fried foods, cakes, pies in addition to other foods containing the above. Foods containing trans fats are also solid when they are at room temperature.
Make Sure That Polyunsaturated Fats Make Up 10% Or Less Of Total Calories
Diets that are moderate in polyunsaturated fats are usually recommended. Substituting polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats will lower both total and LDL (bad cholesterol) but do have the potential of also lowering HDL (good cholesterol) levels when consumed in large amounts. That is why polyunsaturated fats should be consumed to no more than 10% of total calories each day.
Example of polyunsaturated fats include:
- Margarine,
- Soybean,
- Safflower,
- Sunflower,
- Cottonseed and corn oils,
- Pumpkin and sunflower seeds,
- Most salad dressings, as well as
- Mayonnaise
These fats remain liquid at room and refrigerator temperatures.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
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