What is the TLC diet and can it improve your heart health?

What is the TLC diet?

The TLC diet is a programme that uses diet, physical activity and weight management to lower cholesterol levels. It was developed by the National Institutes of Health in the US to help reduce your chance of heart disease and stroke. Unlike quick-fix weight loss diets - or fad diets - the TLC diet is more of a lifestyle change and is designed to be followed long-term.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a natural fatty substance in your blood. It’s produced in the liver and it is also in some of the foods we eat. Cholesterol is important to keep the cells in our bodies healthy, but having high cholesterol means you have too much in your blood. This increases your likelihood of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Proteins in the blood carry cholesterol around the body to the cells that need it. When cholesterol and proteins combine, they're called lipoproteins.

How to follow the TLC diet

The TLC diet is pretty simple - you need to eat fewer foods containing saturated fats and bad cholesterol, eat more wholegrains, nuts, beans, oats, fruits and vegetables.

Eat fewer foods containing saturated fats and trans fats

Saturated fat can raise your cholesterol and lead to heart disease.

UK health guidelines recommend that men should eat no more than 30 grams of saturated fat a day and women should eat no more than 20 grams. A two-finger KitKat chocolate bar contains around 14% of your saturated fat allowance, as well as 11% of your sugar allowance.

Trans fats - or trans fatty acids - are chemically altered vegetable oils used in processed foods. They are produced artificially by a process called hydrogenation, which turns liquid oil into solid fat. You should try to avoid trans fats as much as possible.

Eat more whole foods

Adding more vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, chickpeas and wholegrains to your meals is also a good idea, as it will boost your fibre intake. Switch white bread for a wholemeal version.

Reduce dietary cholesterol

The TLC diet advises cutting down the amount of dietary cholesterol you eat. Dietary cholesterol is found in eggs and shellfish such as prawns. However, the recommendation to avoid dietary cholesterol may be outdated. According to the British Dietetics Association (BDA), updated research suggests dietary cholesterol doesn't make a big difference to the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Choose low-fat alternatives

The TLC diet also advises eating lower-fat dairy products or dairy alternatives. However, lower fat products like yoghurts often contain added sugar or sweeteners.

Switch up the way you cook

The TLC diet recommends using an oil spray to eat less oil, trimming the fat off your meat before cooking it, or choosing leaner meats like turkey breast. Grilling, poaching or steaming food is healthier than frying it.

Check food packaging

It’s also important to check your food packages - which tell you whether your food contains a lot of saturated fat. Avoiding processed foods will help you cut down your intake of salt and saturated fat.

Eat good fats

Replacing foods containing saturated fats with good fats is also advised to help lower your cholesterol. These healthier foods - like avocado, fish, nuts and seeds - contain fats, but also important minerals, vitamins, fibre and protein. However, some foods that contain good fats may still contain lots of calories - so although they are healthy, they still need to be eaten in moderation.

Exercise

Increasing the amount of exercise you do is also an important part of the TLC diet. Regular physical activity helps you manage your weight and lowers your cholesterol levels. It also improves your heart health and helps to lower your blood pressure. The programme recommends 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise - like brisk walking, hiking, dancing or water aerobics - every day or most days.

Weight management

Sticking to a healthy diet and keeping active will help you maintain a healthy weight.

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Benefits of the TLC diet

Some key components of the TLC diet are known to benefit our health. Fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and legumes - and avoiding foods containing saturated fats - have been shown to lower levels of bad cholesterol.

The programme also advises staying physically active and maintaining a healthy weight, which fits with UK guidelines. The current advice in the UK states to do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise - brisk walking, hiking or mowing the lawn - or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week - for example, running or aerobics - spread evenly over 4 to 5 days a week or every day.

Criticism of the TLC diet

Some aspects of the TLC diet have come under criticism for being outdated. Firstly, the premise that dietary cholesterol raises your chance of heart disease no longer holds. Research suggests that saturated fats and sugary foods affect your cholesterol level more than the cholesterol you eat from food such as eggs.

Although the diet suggests eating low-fat alternatives, they often contain a lot of sugar or sweeteners which are bad for our health.

This said, some key components of the diet have been shown to lower bad cholesterol - such as eating less saturated fat and eating more fruit, veg and fibre. You can find aspects of the TLC diet in other eating plans like the Mediterranean diet.

TLC diet recipes

Breakfast: Porridge with blueberries and banana

Oats are filling, tasty and research suggests they can help to lower your cholesterol levels. Make the porridge with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and top with fruit of your choice. You can add a sprinkling of nuts or seeds for some crunch and texture.

Lunch: Vegetable and bean chilli

There's nothing better than a warm bowl of comforting chilli, especially when the weather turns cold. Make a big batch of chilli with peppers, cubes of butternut squash, sweetcorn, lentils, kidney beans and other vegetables of your choice. Top with Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream.

Dinner: Wholemeal noodles with turkey and vegetables

Instead of a takeaway, whip up a quick noodle dish using fresh, healthy ingredients. Fry strips of turkey breast, broccoli and peppers with soy sauce, chilli flakes, a teaspoon of honey, chopped garlic and minced ginger. Add to cooked, wholemeal noodles for a satisfying dinner.