Starting a Diet to Lower High Cholesterol

There may come a time when your doctor tells you you need to go on a diet to lower high cholesterol, they may even phrase it as a "high cholesterol diet". That may sound kind of confusing in the sense that taken literally someone might think it to mean they need to eat large amounts of cholesterol. This of course is not true, but in fact they are referring to a diet that helps reduce high cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.

There are quite a few diets out there that are made to reduce cholesterol but the most successful one is the TLC or Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet. This diet is not only very good at what it does it also reduces the risks associated with high cholesterol as they pertain to coronary heart disease. Since its inception in 2001 it has helped countless numbers of people regain their health by helping them lower their cholesterol to normal levels. Anyone at risk from high cholesterol or other forms of coronary artery and heart disease then this is the diet that goes a long ways towards prevention of these life threatening conditions.

There are four main components to the TLC diet that include:

• Reduced intake of saturated fats and cholesterol
• Therapeutic dietary options to enhance lowering of LDL cholesterol. This includes eating foods high in plant stanols/sterols and increased soluble fiber.
• Body fat and weight reduction
• Increased regular exercise and physical activity

The idea behind the TLC diet is to carefully watch out for foods that are high in fat and cholesterol and take steps to minimize them in your diet. For many people this will mean fore going many of the foods they used to enjoy and starting a more healthy diet that includes lean meats like chicken and fish.

It is recommended that those who are at risk for heart disease because of high cholesterol be referred to registered dieticians or other qualified nutritionists for all the stages of medical nutrition therapy. The LDL cholesterol levels should be checked at 6 week intervals to see if the diet to lower high cholesterol is working. If the normal cholesterol range has been met then the TLC diet should be continued. If the target level has not been met then the TLC guidelines need to be re-explained and its importance reinforced. If after another six weeks cholesterol levels have not decreased to the target range then cholesterol lowering medication may be prescribed in conjunction with the TLC diet.