It might seem odd to take on a high cholesterol diet and the term is actually quite confusing. It doesn't mean eat food that will make your cholesterol high and should really be termed a diet for high cholesterol. For some reason the name “high Cholesterol diet” just caught on and now people refer to it in this way in books and on the Internet.
There are many types of high cholesterol diets out there that can help you lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol. One of the more successful diets is called the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. It is also referred to as the TLC diet. People using the diet have had great success in reducing their cholesterol score that will help to prevent the risks of high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
The diet was first published in 2001. The premise of the diet is to limit the intake of saturated fats and cholesterol.
The guidelines for the diet include :
limiting the amount of calories to a number that achieves or maintains a healthy weight for the size, sex and age of the person on the diet.
- Limiting the amount of salt in the diet.
- Only 7% of calories can come from saturated fats
- Only 20-30% of calories can come from fats
- No more than 2000 mg of dietary cholesterol can be consumed a day.
The person taking on the diet can work around these guidelines to create a meal plan or they can consult a dietitian who can formulate a plan for the person.
Many people first work with a dietitian. Once they understand many of the ways to determine how to stick to the plan they can create their own meal plans and experiment a bit. As you can see the diet is not that restrictive and you can make some exciting and tasty meals that adhere to the diet.
Ultimately you want to consume fresh food - notably food with little processing and fruit nd vegetables. Eating the white of the egg is also advised.
