Whole grains: 6 servings per dayVegetables and beans or peas: 3–5 servings per dayFruit: 2–4 servings per dayLow-fat dairy: 2–3 servings per dayMeat or fish: 5 or fewer ounces (oz) per day
Other guidelines include:
Limiting sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg) or fewer per dayHave no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women and two for menGet less than 7 percent of your total daily calories from saturated fat. (If you’re on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 13 g of saturated fat total per day.)Limit dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg per dayEat 5 to 10 grams (g) per day of soluble fiberMen should consume 2,500 calories a day, women 1,800 per day. If weight loss is a goal, men would reduce that to 1,600 calories a day, and women would eat 1,200 calories a day.
Limiting saturated fat is a cornerstone of the TLC diet, and yet the merits of limiting saturated fat are controversial, especially with the recent popularity of diets high in healthy fats. “There are several types of saturated fats in food, and not all are the same,” says Jill Weisenberger, RDN, an author and the creator of the guide Can I Eat That With Prediabetes? “We don’t have an easy way of looking at our food and determining what type of saturated fat is within, so we take the viewpoint that if you lower all of them, you also lower the harmful ones.”
Cons of the TLC Diet
It can be tough to wrap your head around the specific serving sizes and portions recommended, all while counting saturated fat and calories. “The idea of having to count grams of fat and calories long-term is very tedious and an enormous turnoff for some people,” Weisenberger says. If you are looking to make this diet work for you, she suggests taking the basic principles of the plan without rigidly counting every bite. You can take the first few days as a learning experience to understand what foods are higher and lower in saturated fat and what fits into your daily 7 percent saturated fat limit (or what 5 oz of meat looks like) and then use that as a guide moving forward. In addition, if you’re accustomed to eating out, this will represent a complete change in how you eat. Of course, you can eat out when following the TLC diet, but you don’t always know the ingredients in the dish — and the portion sizes are really large, adds Stoler. You’ll need to make a lifestyle change to start committing to cooking and eating more food at home and making healthier choices when dining out.
Day 1
Breakfast Oatmeal with low-fat milk and berries Lunch Salad topped with chickpeas and veggies, topped with oil and vinegar Snack Apple and nuts with low-fat yogurt Dinner Salmon with broccoli and brown rice
Day 2
Breakfast Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk topped with bananas Lunch Turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with sliced veggies and fruit Snack Hummus and vegetables Dinner Stuffed bell pepper with lean ground beef, quinoa, and low-fat cheese
Day 3
Breakfast Low-fat yogurt topped with low-fat granola and berries Lunch Quesadilla made with low-fat cheese and vegetables Snack Popcorn and apple Dinner Chicken stir-fry with vegetables and brown rice
Day 4
Breakfast Scrambled egg whites, low-fat cheese, and vegetables with a side of fruit and low-fat yogurt Lunch Salad topped with chicken and assorted vegetables, drizzled with low-fat vinaigrette Snack Whole-wheat crackers with reduced-fat peanut butter and apple slices Dinner Whole-grain pasta with tomato sauce, broccoli, and mini turkey meatballs
Day 5
Breakfast Smoothie made with low-fat milk or plant-based milk and fruit Lunch Tuna sandwich on whole-grain bread with low-fat mayo and baby carrots Snack Orange and container of low-fat yogurt Dinner Tofu brown rice bowl with vegetables and avocado
Day 6
Breakfast Oatmeal with sliced almonds, berries, and low-fat milk Lunch Ham sandwich on whole-grain bread with mustard and lettuce, with an orange Snack Apple and low-fat string cheese Dinner Mushroom and vegetable tacos on corn tortillas with avocado and fat-free refried beans
Day 7
Breakfast Whole-wheat toast with reduced-fat peanut butter and berries Lunch Minestrone soup and side salad with oil and vinegar Snack Whole-wheat crackers and a slice of reduced-fat cheese with pear slices and a glass of low-fat milk Dinner Baked cod with a baked sweet potato and green beans This guide, developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) can be your go-to guide for everything about the TLC diet, from the basics behind lowering your cholesterol levels to exactly what to eat. Read this deep dive and you’ll be an expert in the diet. Cholesterol Patient Education Handouts It’s one thing when your doctor tells you you have high cholesterol, and it’s another to really understand what that means. These patient handouts, created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cover how to talk to your family and healthcare team about high cholesterol, as well as the ABCs of Heart Health, and what it means to have peripheral artery disease from high cholesterol. All guides are available in English and Spanish.
Favorite Websites
Million Hearts When you need some info on how to put together meals, check out heart-healthy recipes from Million Hearts, a website from the CDC. You’ll also find helpful links for other healthy eating resources, such as sample menus on how to eat healthy on a budget.
Favorite Recipe Database
American Heart Association This database filled with heart-healthy recipes is easily searchable by course, ingredient, and lifestyle (kid-friendly, vegetarian, quick, and easy) to help give you inspiration, plus some how-to videos to help you get your cooking skills up to speed.
Favorite Books
The Low Cholesterol Cookbook and Action Plan by Karen L. Swanson and Jennifer Koslo, PhD, RD You know a good fat from a bad fat; now it’s time to put that knowledge to work when you cook. This cookbook offers a four-week meal plan, plus 120 heart-healthy recipes from breakfast to dessert. Think shrimp scampi, spiced baked apples, tropical smoothie bowl, ginger lemon cod, and more. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the TLC Diet by Diane A. Welland, MS, RD It can be tough to follow a new diet and lifestyle, so let this serve as your guide to do just that. This book, published in 2012, can still help you understand the basics of the plan and provide advice on making it fit into your lifestyle.
Summary
The TLC diet is a heart-healthy eating plan that limits saturated fat and dietary cholesterol that can help you lower your cholesterol, as well as blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease risk. It does include many guidelines to follow, and it requires counting calories and other nutrients, which can become tedious. “The TLC diet is a good diet, as long as we can make it a little more workable for people,” says Weisenberger.
