Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet (TLC)

By: Bruce Brightman - LifeSource Vitamins

Created by the National Institutes of Health's National Cholesterol Education Program, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet (TLC) is endorsed by the American Heart Association as a heart-healthy regimen that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The key is cutting back on fat, particularly saturated fat. Saturated fat (think fatty meat, whole-milk dairy, and fried foods) bumps up bad cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. That, along with strictly limiting daily dietary cholesterol intake and getting more fiber can help people manage high cholesterol, often without medication.

How does the TLC Diet work?

Start by choosing your target calorie level. If your only concern is lowering LDL, the goal is 2,500 per day for men and 1,800 for women. Need to shed pounds, too? Shoot for 1,600 (men) or 1,200 (women). Then cut saturated fat to less than 7 percent of daily calories, which means eating less high-fat dairy, such as butter, and ditching fatty meats like salami. And consume no more than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day-the amount in about 2 ounces of cheese. If after six weeks your LDL cholesterol hasn't dropped by about 8 to 10 percent, add plant sterols or Beta Sitosterols and also add 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber each day. (Soluble fiber and plant sterols help block the absorption of cholesterol from the digestive tract, which helps lower LDL. Stanols and sterols are found in vegetable oils and certain types of margarine, and are available as supplements , too.) On TLC, you'll be eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, fish, and skin-off poultry. Exactly how you meet these guidelines is up to you, though sample meal plans are available.

TLC Diet in a nutshell:

TLC diet does not primarily target weight-loss; instead, it is for maintaining an ideal body weight and determining the ideal daily calorie intake. TLC diet is based on a few basic guidelines as mentioned below:

• Intake of saturated fat should be kept below 7 percent of the total calorie intake
• Daily cholesterol intake should be kept below 200 milligrams
• Sodium intake must be limited to 2400 mg per day
• 25-35% of daily total calories should come from fat intake
• Calorie intake should be kept to a level needed for maintaining healthy weight
• Physical activity must be maintained regularly along with the diet, i.e. at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

Will you lose weight?

The TLC diet was designed to improve cholesterol levels, not for weight loss. But research suggests that in general, low-fat diets tend to promote weight loss.

Does it have cardiovascular benefits?

Yes. It reflects the medical community's widely accepted definition of a heart-healthy diet. An eating pattern heavy on fruits, veggies, and whole grains but light on saturated fat and salt is considered the best way to keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check and heart disease at bay.

Can it prevent or control diabetes?

Little research has examined TLC's effect on diabetes. But the Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis study mentioned above found TLC significantly lowered the fasting insulin levels of participants with high cholesterol. That's important because elevated insulin levels can predict whether someone will develop type 2 diabetes. (The normal-cholesterol group didn't appreciably change their fasting insulin levels.) In general, most experts consider an eating pattern like what TLC promotes to be the gold standard of diabetes prevention-it emphasizes the right foods and discourages the wrong ones.

Are there health risks?

No indications of serious risks or side effects have surfaced. The TLC diet's eating pattern is safe for children and teens, too.

Here are the supplements:

Plant Sterols - Beta Sitosterol

Fiber - Phsyllium Husk Powder

Clear Fiber Powder

"We were never designed for the sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially-isolated, fast-food-laden, frenetic pace of modern life."

- Stephen Ilardi, PhD

Across the industrialized modern world, clinical depression has reached epidemic proportions, despite a staggering increase in the use of antidepressant medication. In fact, researchers have identified a set of illnesses that are pervasive across the Western world and yet rare among aboriginal populations. Depression is now the single leading cause of work-related disability for adults under 50. And yet there is strong evidence that depression can be both prevented and treated through a set of straightforward changes in lifestyle. Our research has demonstrated that TLC is an effective treatment for depression, with over 70% of patients experiencing a favorable response, as measured by symptom reduction of at least 50%.

Dept. of Psychology, KU - University of Kansas

Lifestyle Changes as Treatment for Mental Health Concerns, Depression, Anxiety

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 18, 2011

For years, health professionals have advocated lifestyle changes in the form of diet, exercise and stress reduction to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

New research shows that lifestyle changes - such as getting more exercise, spending more time in nature or helping others - can be as effective as drugs or counseling for many mental health concerns.

A wide range of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, can be treated with certain lifestyle changes as successfully as diseases such as diabetes and obesity, according to Roger Walsh, M.D., PhD., of The University of California, Irvine's College of Medicine.

Walsh reviewed research on the effects of what he calls "therapeutic lifestyle changes," or TLCs, including exercise, nutrition and diet, relationships, recreation, relaxation and stress management, religious or spiritual involvement, spending time in nature, and service to others.

Walsh reviewed research on TLCs' effectiveness and advantages, as well as the psychological costs of spending too much time in front of the TV or computer screen, not getting outdoors enough, and becoming socially isolated.

"Lifestyle changes can offer significant therapeutic advantages for patients, therapists, and societies, yet are insufficiently appreciated, taught or utilized," note the author. The paper describes TLCs as effective, inexpensive and often enjoyable, with fewer side effects and complications than medications.

"In the 21st century, therapeutic lifestyles may need to be a central focus of mental, medical and public health," Walsh said.

According to research reviewed in the paper, the many often unrecognized TLC benefits include:

• Exercise not only helps people feel better by reducing anxiety and depression. It can help children do better in school, improve cognitive performance in adults, reduce age-related memory loss in the elderly, and increase new neuron formation in the brain.
• Diets rich in vegetables, fruits and fish may help school performance in children, maintain cognitive functions in adults, as well as reduce symptoms in affective and schizophrenic disorders.
• Spending time in nature can promote cognitive functions and overall well-being.
• Good relationships can reduce health risks ranging from the common cold to strokes as well as multiple mental illnesses, and can enhance psychological well-being dramatically.
• Recreation and fun can reduce defensiveness and foster social skills.
• Relaxation and stress management can treat a variety of anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorders.
• Meditation has many benefits. It can improve empathy, sensitivity and emotional stability, reduce stress and burnout, and enhance cognitive function and even brain size.
• Religious and spiritual involvement that focuses on love and forgiveness can reduce anxiety, depression and substance abuse, and foster well-being.
• Contribution and service, or altruism, can enhance joy and generosity by producing a "helper's high." Altruism also benefits both physical and mental health, and perhaps even extends lifespan. A major exception the paper notes is "caretaker burnout experienced by overwhelmed family members caring for a demented spouse or parent."

Difficulties associated with using TLCs are the sustained effort they require, and "a passive expectation that healing comes from an outside authority or a pill," according to Walsh.

He also noted that people today must contend with a daily barrage of psychologically sophisticated advertisements promoting unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating fast food.

"You can never get enough of what you don't really want, but you can certainly ruin your life and health trying," lamented Walsh.

For therapists, the study recommends learning more about the benefits of TLCs, and devoting more time to foster patients' TLCs.

The paper recognizes that encouraging widespread adoption of therapeutic lifestyles by the public is likely to require wide-scale measures encompassing educational, mental, and public health systems, as well as political leadership.

The findings are published in American Psychologist, the American Psychological Association's flagship journal.

Source: American Psychological Association

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