The Mediterranean diet and its many benefits are often touted by doctors, nutritionists, and nutritionists. But a lesser-known approach to meal structure, the Portfolio Diet, offers similar heart-health benefits.
The Portfolio Diet was created in the early 2000s by Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.
With an investment portfolio, “you’re trying to spread risk and return and maximize economic return,” Jenkins told The New York Times.
Similarly, focusing your diet on foods that lower cholesterol levels can reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your heart health, he explained.
Foods to eat on the Portfolio Diet
The staples of the Portfolio Diet are viscous fiber, plant-based proteins, nuts and seeds, monounsaturated fats, and phytosterols, also known as plant sterols.
Legumes (including soy-based plant proteins such as tofu, tempeh, and soy milk) Nuts Seeds Other healthy fats fruits vegetables such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado
Experts say each food group has the ability to lower cholesterol levels.
“Viscous fiber is a type of soluble fiber that is somewhat sticky,” Andrea Glenn, an assistant professor in New York University’s School of Nutrition and Food, told Harvard Health Publishing last year. Glenn co-authored a large-scale observational study on the effects of the Portfolio Diet, published in 2023.
Viscous fiber is found in oats, eggplant, chia seeds, and barley. Phytosterols are “natural compounds found in plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts,” the health blog says.
The recommended daily intake of foods on the Portfolio Diet is 20 grams of viscous fiber, 45 grams of nuts and seeds, 50 grams of plant protein, 2 grams of plant sterols, and 45 grams of oil/monounsaturated fat. Foods to avoid include ultra-processed foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, red meat, butter, cream, and dairy products.
But even if you start gradually incorporating some of these important foods into your diet, you can still reap positive effects on your health.
“This is not an all-or-nothing approach. If you take your diet and make some small changes, you can see cardiovascular benefits,” Glenn told the American Heart Association in 2023.
“The more foods you eat[from your portfolio diet]the more effective you are at protecting against heart disease risk.”
Learn more about the science behind the Portfolio Diet
Several small studies led by Jenkins in 2003, including the trial that introduced the diet to the world, found a link between following the Portfolio Diet and lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Jenkins and his fellow researchers also found that the dietary patterns of people with high cholesterol reduced their “bad cholesterol” (LDL) levels by about 30%.
Still, more robust research was needed to declare that the Portfolio Diet benefits heart health for everyone, including healthy people. Glenn and her team analyzed data tracking the self-reported eating habits of 210,000 nurses and other health professionals over 30 years.
Researchers found that people who ate diets that were very similar to the portfolio diet had a 14% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke than those who ate diets that were less similar. Since this is an observational study, we can’t specifically say that the portfolio diet was the cause, but the results are still influential.
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