If you want to keep your heart in a fantastic shape, you need to give it TLC — tender loving care. One of the ways to do that is by going on what’s referred to as the TLC diet — therapeutic lifestyle changes diet.
Want to learn more about the TLC diet? Then keep on reading. Does heart disease run in the family? Then repost this article to have everyone you care about introduced to the TLC diet, too.
Just like what the name suggests, the TLC diet is all about changing your eating habits and at the same time modifying your lifestyle.
The primary goal of the TLC diet is to have the levels of bad cholesterol in your bloodstream considerably lowered. There are many different risk factors for heart disease, and one of them is having abnormally high levels of bad cholesterol — undergoing a simple blood test called the lipid profile or lipid panel can reveal yours.
But just because the TLC diet is designed to lower bad cholesterol to fend off heart disease doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s only good for those who need to safeguard their tickers.
Is losing excess weight your goal? Then you may give the TLC diet a try — it can help you attain your dream figure and at the same time give you superb cardiovascular health that many are dreaming about.
According to experts in the TLC diet, initially you need to limit your daily caloric intake. If you’re a male you should not go beyond 2,500 calories per day, and if you’re a female the limit is 1,800 per day.
But if it’s also your goal to shed off unwanted pounds, you may lower your daily caloric intake further — you may opt for 1,600 calories per day as your limit if you’re a male, and set it at 1,200 calories per day if you’re a female.
In order to considerably lower your caloric intake on a daily basis and at the same time reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in your diet, you should load up on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Because they are low in calories, very low in saturated fat and absolutely devoid of bad cholesterol, having them included in your everyday diet is good for the waistline as well as arteries.
If you think that the TLC diet requires you to turn into a vegetarian, think again. The fact is you are still allowed to consume dairy products, fish and poultry — just make sure that you opt for dairy products that are low- or non-fat and go for skinless chicken and turkey.
Your consumption of meat should be limited to 5 ounces or less per day. When it comes to low- or non-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, stick to 2 to 3 servings only per day.
By the way, going on the TLC diet also entails exercising on a daily basis. Every session needs to last for at least 30 minutes. Moderate forms of exercises such as brisk walking, bicycling and swimming are highly recommended. Exercising on a regular basis is good not only for the figure, but also cardiovascular system. It also helps deal with high levels of stress, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Aside from making you lose weight and also keeping your heart in a healthy state, the TLC diet is also good for fending off a bunch of other health nightmares.
For instance, health authorities confirm that it’s also capable of lowering high blood pressure and also high blood sugar, which is a risk factor for diabetes. Proponents say that it’s very good for strengthening the immune system and also lowering oxidative stress and inflammation that can be blamed for accelerated aging, arthritis and even cancer.
