Therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet

If you have cardiovascular disease you need to think carefully about what you eat as it could have a major impact on your condition. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet, as outlined here, is a great starting point.

Changes such as substituting low-fat products for full-fat ones, cutting the amount of saturated fat in your diet, substituting low-fat dairy foods for high-fat varieties, using monounsaturated oils, and increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids can all be beneficial.

Food group	Good choices	Poor choices
Bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes (5 servings daily)	Whole-grain breakfast cereals, crispbreads, oatcakes, wholemeal bread, and muesli bars; brown rice and wholemeal pasta; lentil burgers; reduced-fat hummus	Products high in saturated and trans fats, such as doughnuts, croissants, pastries, pies, and biscuits; white rice and pasta; crisps and snack mixtures; buttered popcorn
Vegetables (2–3 servings daily)	Steamed vegetables and baked root vegetables (no butter); roast vegetables drizzled with olive oil; raw vegetables with low-fat dips	Vegetables fried or prepared with butter, cheese, or cream sauce; raw vegetables with full-fat dips
Fruits (2–3 servings daily)	Fresh fruits; canned fruit in own juice; baked fruit served with low-fat crème fraîche or yogurt; low-fat fruit tarts and pies	Fruits served with butter or cream; canned fruit in sugary syrup; fruit tarts and pies with butter-rich pastry
Dairy foods (2–3 servings daily)	Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk; low-fat yogurt; fat-free frozen yogurt; reduced-fat cheeses; low-fat fromage frais	Whole milk; cream; whole-milk yogurt; ice cream; full-fat hard and soft cheeses; soured cream; cream cheese
Eggs (2 yolks a week)	Egg whites; egg substitutes; omelettes made from egg whites or egg substitutes	Egg yolks; whole eggs; omelettes made from whole eggs
Fish, poultry, and meat (125g/4oz daily)	Baked, grilled, or griddled fish; baked, grilled, or griddled skinless poultry; baked, grilled, or griddled lean cuts of meat, such as loin or leg; sausages made with lean meat or soya protein	Fried fish; fried poultry with skin; fatty cuts of meat such as spareribs; sausages; ready-to-eat meats such as salami, pastrami, and corned beef; offal; hot dogs
Fats and oils (1–2 tbsp daily)	Rapeseed and olive oils; cholesterol-lowering spreads; trans-fat-free tub margarine	Butter; lard; hard margarine; full-fat salad dressings; coconut cream and milk