Portfolio Diet Gets High Marks

The plant-based Portfolio Diet has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure while improving other markers of cardiovascular health. The diet emphasizes inclusion of a “portfolio” of four foods:  

• 42 grams (g) of nuts (tree nuts or peanuts) per day. That’s about an ounce and a half.
• 50 g of plant protein per day from soy products or dietary pulses (beans, peas, chickpeas, or lentils). That’s about an ounce and three quarters.
• 20 g of viscous soluble fiber per day from oats, psyllium, eggplant, okra, apples, oranges, or berries.
  • A bowl of oatmeal offers about 3 g of soluble fiber; an orange contains about 2 g.
• 2 g of plant sterols per day from supplements or sterol-enriched products.

    A new study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases found significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and C-reactive protein in participants who followed the diet.