The Benefits of TLC Diet and How it Can Improve Your Cholesterol Levels!

TLC means Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. It is a long-term diet plan that means changing your lifestyle and approaching a more therapeutic way of life. So, what are the main benefits of the TLC Diet plan? This diet plan primarily keeps your heart healthy and improves your blood parameters, namely lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also improves your blood sugar levels, boosts metabolism, and reduces oxidative stress. This diet plan also asks you to include 30 minutes of exercise every day.

All About the TLC Diet Plan

The TLC diet asks you to reduce your cholesterol intake to 200mg a day through eggs, dairy, fish, and poultry. It also recommends reducing your saturated fat intake and including more unsaturated fats to avoid trans fats completely.

Reduce your intake of red meat, processed foods, and your consumption of fried food. Opt for fiber-rich foods, so ensure you include more fresh fruits and vegetables to be included in your diet and include whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Also, the TLC Diet recommends that you include more plant sterols and stanols that are mostly a part of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds that reduce bad cholesterol levels and improve good cholesterol levels.

The Food to Include

The TLC diet plan mostly includes foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc. Some of the fruits to include in the TLC diet are apples, melons, bananas, oranges, pears, peaches, etc. Some vegetables that can benefit your heart health and overall health include broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, kale, spinach, and more. Whole grains are a big part of your TLC diet plan, so ensure you add barley, brown rice, couscous, oats, quinoa, and more.

Legumes are an essential part of most diets owing to their high fiber content, such as beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, and more. Fiber-rich and vitamins and mineral enriched nuts are also an integral part of the TLC diet, such as almonds, chestnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and more.

Add seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds, and more. Red meats include lean cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and more. Skinless turkey, chicken, and more can be part of your daily diet. Fish and seafood such as salmon, flounder, pollock, and codfish should also be part of your daily diet plan.

It Improves the Immune Function

A small study found in 18 people showed that people who followed the TLC diet improved their immune functioning, especially in older adults with high cholesterol levels. However, like all diets, you have to be consistent with the diet to get your desired results. Although you need to control your saturated fat intake, you can include most food groups in this diet plan, everything in moderation.

Boosts Weight Loss

Sticking to simple rules as maintaining your calorie intake, not eating too much or too little, but eating just right works wonderfully for the TLC diet plan. Fruits and veggies, whole grains such as oats, and barley contain soluble fiber, some of the most effective foods to improve your cholesterol levels. Also, the intake of soluble fiber is a tried and tested formula that initiates weight loss and keeps your digestive health in great order. Also, regular exercise, at least thirty minutes per day, can help you shed the extra pounds.

Blood Sugar Regulation

Soluble fiber is not only great for your cholesterol levels but is great to stabilize your blood sugar levels too. A high intake of soluble fiber can slow the absorption of sugar in the blood and keep your blood sugar levels steady. Ensure you keep out processed and packaged food out of the diet equation to benefit your health in many ways.

Lowers Blood Pressure Levels

Studies also show that increasing soluble fiber intake can also lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Thus it is important to stick to the TLC diet for a longer time to improve your health parameters.

Reducing Oxidative Stress

Too much oxidative stress can lead to oxidative stress. Diets such as the plant-based diet or the TLC diet condones legume consumption, which helps reduce oxidative stress. In a study, 31 adults with diabetes showed that following a TLC diet reduced oxidative stress drastically thus which could cause chronic diseases.

The best part of the TLC Diet plan involves wholesome foods that can improve your heart health and help you lead a healthier lifestyle. Stay consistent to reap the benefits of the diet plan.