Jakarta –
So far, the diet that is known to be heart healthy is the Mediterranean diet. But apart from that, there is a portfolio diet that can also reduce the risk of heart disease. Here’s how.
Maintaining heart health can be done by eating lots of fruit and vegetables and avoiding sources of saturated fat, as recommended by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in the United States (CDC).
Because fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with better control of heart disease risk factors, namely high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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Health experts have been promoting the Mediterranean diet as a heart-friendly diet. But actually, there is another option in the form of a portfolio diet which also makes this vital organ healthy.
What is the portfolio diet?
 The portfolio diet can make the heart healthy by reducing bad cholesterol levels. Photo: iStock |
Quote HuffPost (11/12/2024), the portfolio diet is actually not a new type of diet, but has been around for about 20 years. This was revealed by a cardiologist at the Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut, Dr. Sarah Hull.
He said this heart-friendly diet has several similarities with the Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, and plant-based diet.
“The name comes from the fact that this diet includes a portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods, so foods that largely reduce bad cholesterol,” says Kristina Petersen, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University.
The portfolio diet consists of 4 different food sections, according to nutritionist Melissa Prest. This diet encourages the consumption of plant protein, plant sterols (natural compounds that help lower cholesterol levels), soluble fiber, and monounsaturated fats.
This means that perpetrators are advised to consume lots of nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables and whole grains. “Basically, it’s very similar to a whole food plant-based diet,” Hull said.
What is different from the Mediterranean and DASH diets is that this diet does not include animal products. There is no intake of fish, poultry, or dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. The portfolio diet is actually a vegan diet.
Read the next page to find out how to go on a portfolio diet.
