What is Portfolio Diet? Image Credit source: Getty Images
What Is Portfolio Diet: Nowadays people are consuming a lot of street food and junk food, due to which problems like obesity and cholesterol have become common. Increase in cholesterol is a major cause of heart diseases and heart attacks. Eating too much oily and spicy food, processed foods, and lack of physical activity weakens our heart. In such a situation, instead of resorting to medicines, people look for natural and safe solutions. This is the reason why Portfolio Diet is now being called the ‘new superstar of plant-based diet’.
Yes, Portfolio Diet is trending a lot at the moment, which is considered helpful in keeping the heart healthy. This diet does not only reduce cholesterol. Rather, it benefits the body in many ways. Let us know in this article what is Portfolio Diet? How to start it and what are its benefits.
Also read: The fear of growing old will go away! Do these 5 things from morning till you sleep at night
What is portfolio diet?
Portfolio Diet is a scientifically designed diet pattern, which is specially designed to keep the heart healthy and reduce cholesterol. It uses only plant-based nutrients, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, soy protein, nuts and soluble fiber. All these together reduce our LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and help in making the heart healthy.
How did Portfolio Diet start?
This diet was started by Dr. David Jenkins of University of Toronto in the year 2003. His objective of starting this diet was to show how anyone can control high cholesterol through food alone, without relying on medicines.
What does the research say?
According to NCIB, such things have been included in the Portfolio Diet, which really help in reducing cholesterol. Research has found that nuts, soy, fiber and sterols all reduce LDL cholesterol in their own ways and when eaten together, their effect is greater. At the same time, in a study conducted in 2025, 439 high-cholesterol patients were followed for 10 years and in these people both cholesterol and triglycerides reduced, the risk of heart diseases also reduced and there was no adverse effect on vitamin levels.
These plant based foods included in the diet
This diet includes four types of plant-based foods, which help in reducing cholesterol, which have to be taken in four parts. The first part of this is plant sterols, which is to be taken about 2 grams daily. Which are found in such fortified foods as sterol-rich margarine, curd drinks and orange juice. These prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines.
In the second part, up to 1020 grams of sticky or soluble fiber has to be taken. For which you can eat things like oats, barley beans, apple, pear, berries, ladyfinger and psyllium.
The third part is soya protein… which is necessary to take 2550 grams daily. For this, you can include things like tofu, edamame, soy milk or vegetable burger in your diet. The fourth part is nuts… 3045 grams daily, which include nuts rich in healthy fats like almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
How to follow Portfolio Diet?
It is also not easy to follow this. In this, you have to start your day with oatmeal, soya milk, almonds and berries. After this, have barley salad with gram, avocado and sterol-rich dressing for lunch. A handful of mixed nuts or peanut butter with apple can be taken as a snack. For dinner, eat stir-fry with tofu, ladyfinger, brinjal and brown rice. In this diet, it is advised to stay away from meat and full fat dairy products. At the same time, initially you can take the help of a measuring cup or apps to measure the quantity of food.
Also read: Belly Fat Burn Workout Plan: Enlarged belly will be visible soon, follow 3-3-3 workout rule, abs will also be formed!