The TLC Diet: What It Is, How It Works, Benefits and Risks, Sample Diet, and More

The TLC diet is very prescriptive, recommending a specific number of servings to eat from each food group, while using the following guidelines to build your meals:

• Whole Grains 6 servings per day
• Vegetables and Beans or Peas 3 to 5 servings per day
• Fruit 2 to 4 servings per day
• Low-Fat Dairy 2 to 3 servings per day
• Meat or Fish 5 or fewer ounces (oz) per day

• Limiting sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg) or fewer per day
• Having no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women and two for men
• Getting less than 7 percent of your total daily calories from saturated fat. (If you’re on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 13 grams of saturated fat total per day.)
• Limiting dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg per day
• Eating 5 to 10 grams (g) of soluble fiber per day
• Consuming roughly 2,500 calories per day (for men) and 1,800 per day (for women); however, caloric needs vary from person to person.

If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels and are interested in using a diet-and-lifestyle approach to manage them, this diet may be a fit for you.

That said, there are instances when diet changes alone won’t be enough, and you may need to bring in medication, Stoler says. It can be helpful to combine both lifestyle and medications to bring down your cholesterol.

The TLC diet specifically focuses on lowering saturated fat and increasing dietary fiber in order to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, which will also help decrease your total cholesterol score. To that end, the diet puts an emphasis on plant-based and whole foods, says Weisenberger.

“The TLC diet is a generally healthy diet, not just for your cholesterol, but the plant-based plan is also good for diabetes and cancer prevention and possibly for blood pressure,” Weisenberger says.

Three-quarters of study participants with initially elevated levels reported a decrease in total blood cholesterol levels, and participants with elevated levels saw a 65-percent decrease in LDL cholesterol. Metabolic measures, such as fasting glucose and insulin resistance, also improved.

That said, it wasn’t diet alone that boosted participants’ health: They also participated in programs designed to improve sleep, exercise, and stress management — all pillars of good heart health.

One possible downside of the TLC diet is having to remember specific serving sizes and recommended portions, 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.

Try to 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.

Additionally, if you’re used to getting takeout or eating at restaurants, this will represent a complete change in how you eat. Of course, you can eat out when following the TLC diet, but cooking at home can help you make more nutritious choices.

• Whole-grains, including bread, cereal, and pasta
• Brown rice
• Potatoes
• Low-fat, whole-grain crackers
• Low-fat cookies, such as fig bars or ginger snaps
• Vegetables (can be fresh, frozen, or canned without added sauce or salt)
• Fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar)
• Legumes, including chickpeas, black beans, and peas (dried or canned)
• Milk (fat-free or low-fat)
• Yogurt (fat-free or low-fat)
• Sour cream (fat-free or low-fat)
• Cheese (low-fat)
• Cottage cheese (low-fat)
• Egg whites
• Egg substitutes
• Egg yolks (two or fewer per week)
• Skinless chicken and turkey
• Beef (lean cuts only, such as sirloin tip, round steak, and extra-lean ground meat)
• Shrimp (occasionally)
• Vegetable oils, such as corn, canola, olive, safflower, and soybean
• Seeds
• Nuts
• Fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna (twice per week; choose tuna that is lower in mercury, such as canned light tuna)

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What you eat on the TLC diet will depend on your caloric needs, whether your goal is to lose weight, your nutrient needs, and your food preferences. Here is a sample of what your days on the plan may look like, according to the experts.

Day 1

Breakfast Oatmeal with low-fat milk and berries

Lunch Salad topped with chickpeas, vegetables, olive 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 an 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 a 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 and side salad with olive 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

• High cholesterol can increase your risk of heart problems like heart disease and stroke. But lowering your cholesterol through medications like statins and lifestyle changes can help manage your levels.
• The TLC diet is a style of eating that can help you lower your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol by reducing saturated fats, increasing fiber, and limiting overall sodium intake. The diet was created by the National Institutes of Health.
• While the TLC diet can help you lose weight and waist circumference and lower your cholesterol levels, it can be difficult to navigate the specific diet requirements, portion sizes, and recommendations.
• A registered dietitian who specializes in high cholesterol can offer sample menus and other guidance to meet your health goals.