29/10/2023
Ever heard of the Portfolio Diet?
Portfolio Diet is a therapeutic plant-based diet created by the Canadian researcher David J. Jenkins in 2003. The diet emphasizes using a portfolio of foods or food components associated with lower cholesterol and heart disease.
Close adherence to the Portfolio dietary pattern is associated with a 14% lower risk for total cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke, pooled results from three large observational studies suggest. This diet was also associated with lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower levels of inflammation.
Portfolio Diet Major Components:
🟢Plant protein such as legumes, beans, tofu, peas, and soymilk.
🟢Viscous fiber is a type of soluble fiber in plant foods: such as beans, asparagus, oats, bran, whole wheat, whole grains, and brussels sprouts.
🟢Phytosterols are natural compounds found in plants that can help you lower your bad cholesterol levels: vegetable oils, mainly corn, sunflower, soybean. Fruits and vegetables.
🟢Monounsaturated fat (MUFA) sources such as nuts, seeds, olive oil and avocado.
🟢The diet is low in saturated fat, trans fats, processed meat and processed foods.
This study provides additional evidence to support the use of the plant-based Portfolio dietary pattern for reducing the risk of CVD, which aligns with American Heart Association guidelines promoting consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, plant-based proteins, minimally processed foods, and healthy unsaturated plant oils.
The portfolio diet may not be as well-known as the DASH and Mediterranean diets, but there are significant overlaps. They all emphasize eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant protein, nuts and plant oils. But the portfolio diet is more "plant forward" and discourages animal proteins.
For those who want to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet that offers heart-health benefits, Portfolio Diet is a good choice.
It's not an all-or-nothing approach. You can take your own diet and make small changes and see cardiovascular benefits. You do not have to follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet to see benefits. Just include more of the foods (from the portfolio diet) to protect your heart.