The Portfolio Diet lowers LDL cholesterol by combining four groups of foods that each lower it a little: plant sterols, viscous fibre, soy and other plant protein, and nuts. Together, on top of a low-saturated-fat diet, they lowered LDL by about 13 to 17% in real-world trials, roughly 24 to 28 mg/dL (0.6 to 0.7 mmol/L), which is more than any single change.
The short version
Eat a diet low in saturated fat and add, each day: about 2 g of plant sterols (from fortified foods), about 20 g of viscous fibre (oats, barley, beans, psyllium, aubergine, okra), about 40 g of soy or other plant protein, and a small handful of nuts (28 g in the original trial). LDL starts to fall within weeks. Re-test after 2 to 3 months.
This is general information, not medical advice
The Portfolio Diet is a way of eating, not a treatment plan. If you have food allergies, kidney disease or another medical condition, or take regular medicines, check with your doctor or a dietitian before making big changes. Don't stop or change any medicine because of something you read here.
Where it comes from
The Portfolio Diet was developed by Dr David Jenkins and colleagues at St Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto. Their idea was simple: several foods were already known to lower LDL a little each, so a "portfolio" of all of them might add up to something much bigger. The 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline cites their trial as an example of how much diet can lower LDL.
The four pillars, with daily amounts
The amounts below come from the original 2003 trial, which set them per 1,000 calories. We've doubled them for a typical 2,000-calorie day. Treat them as targets to work towards, not a test you pass or fail.
| Pillar | Per 1,000 kcal (2003 trial) | About per day (2,000 kcal) | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant sterols | 1.0 g | 2 g | Fortified foods such as spreads, yoghurts, yoghurt drinks or milks. Check the label for how much each serving contains. |
| Viscous (soluble) fibre | 9.8 g | About 20 g | Oats, oat bran, barley, beans, psyllium husk, aubergine (eggplant), okra |
| Soy protein | 21.4 g | About 43 g | Tofu, soy milk, edamame, tempeh, soy-based meat alternatives. Other plant proteins such as beans and lentils also help. |
| Nuts | 14 g (almonds) | About 28 g | Almonds in the trial; the 2026 guideline's figure for nuts covers nuts in general |
Later research added a fifth element: plant sources of monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, rapeseed (canola) oil and avocado, in place of saturated fat. And all of this sits on a base of low saturated fat, which is the single most important dietary lever for most people. See how much saturated fat per day and use our saturated fat calculator to find your own limit.
1. Plant sterols
Plant sterols and stanols are natural compounds that look like cholesterol and partly block its absorption from the gut. Food alone provides only small amounts, so the Portfolio Diet uses fortified products; in the trials, a plant sterol-enriched margarine. A meta-analysis of 124 studies found that 0.6 to 3.3 g a day lowers LDL by about 6 to 12%, with little extra benefit above about 3 g.
UK note: NICE advises GPs not to recommend plant sterols or stanols to prevent heart disease, whether for prevention of a first event or a repeat one, or for people with diabetes or kidney disease. They lower LDL, but NICE doesn't advise them for this purpose, so talk to your GP before relying on them. The 2026 US guideline also doesn't recommend dietary supplements for lowering LDL; the Portfolio approach is built around foods.
2. Viscous fibre
Viscous fibre is the type of soluble fibre that forms a gel in your gut. It binds bile acids, which are made from cholesterol, so your liver draws more cholesterol out of the blood to replace them. A meta-analysis of 67 trials found each extra gram of soluble fibre a day lowers LDL by about 2.2 mg/dL (0.057 mmol/L). Three bowls of oatmeal (28 g each) provide about 3 g and lower LDL by around 5 mg/dL (0.13 mmol/L). The 2026 US guideline notes that 10 g a day of psyllium lowers LDL by 6 to 24%.
The 20 g target is the hardest pillar for most people. Build up over a couple of weeks and drink plenty of water, as a sudden jump in fibre can cause bloating. Our soluble fibre guide lists the best sources.
3. Soy and other plant protein
Replacing some meat and dairy with soy foods and pulses lowers LDL in two ways: the plant protein itself, and the saturated fat you're no longer eating. The 2026 guideline cites a meta-analysis that found plant protein instead of meat lowered LDL by 7.7 mg/dL (0.20 mmol/L). As a guide to amounts, from USDA data: 100 g of firm tofu has about 17 g of protein, 100 g of cooked edamame about 12 g, a 250 ml glass of unsweetened soy milk about 7 g, and 100 g of cooked lentils about 9 g. For soy milk and other plant drinks compared brand by brand, see our ranking of the best plant milk for high cholesterol.
4. Nuts
The original trial used almonds. The 2026 guideline notes that one serving of nuts a day is linked to a 4.8 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L) drop in LDL. Nuts are calorie-dense, so swap them in for other snacks rather than adding them on top. Choose plain or dry-roasted, not salted or honey-coated.
The evidence
- 2003, a month of controlled feeding: 46 adults with high cholesterol were given all their food for four weeks. LDL fell by 28.6% on the Portfolio Diet, 30.9% on a low-saturated-fat diet plus lovastatin 20 mg, and 8.0% on the low-saturated-fat diet alone. C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, fell by 28% on the Portfolio Diet and 33% on the statin.
- 2011, six months of real life: 351 people at four Canadian centres chose their own food with dietitian advice. LDL started at an average of 171 mg/dL (4.4 mmol/L). It fell by 13 to 14% (24 to 26 mg/dL, 0.6 to 0.7 mmol/L) on the Portfolio Diet, against 3% (8 mg/dL) on standard low-saturated-fat advice. The more closely people followed the diet, the more their LDL fell. Two clinic visits worked about as well as seven.
- 2018, all the trials together: a meta-analysis of 7 trial comparisons in 439 people found LDL fell by about 17% (0.73 mmol/L, about 28 mg/dL). Non-HDL cholesterol, ApoB, triglycerides, blood pressure, C-reactive protein and estimated 10-year heart disease risk also fell. HDL and body weight didn't change. The certainty of the evidence was rated high for LDL.
- 2023, long-term health: following about 210,000 US nurses and health professionals for up to 30 years, people whose diets were most like the Portfolio Diet had a 14% lower risk of heart disease and stroke than those least like it. This was an observational study, so it shows a link rather than proof of cause.
What's missing is a large trial showing the Portfolio Diet itself prevents heart attacks. Its case rests on lowering LDL, which is well proven to cut heart risk, plus the long-term observational data.
A sample day
This is one way to hit roughly all four pillars. Swap in foods you like: the point is the pattern, not these exact meals.
| Meal | What to eat | Pillars |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Porridge made with oats and 250 ml unsweetened soy milk, topped with berries. A plant sterol-fortified yoghurt drink. | Viscous fibre, soy protein (about 7 g), plant sterols |
| Lunch | Lentil and barley soup (about 150 g cooked lentils), with wholegrain bread and a plant sterol-fortified spread instead of butter. | Viscous fibre, plant protein (about 13 g), plant sterols |
| Snack | A small handful of almonds (about 28 g) and an apple. | Nuts |
| Dinner | Tofu stir-fry (about 150 g firm tofu) with aubergine, okra and other vegetables, cooked in rapeseed or olive oil, with brown rice. | Soy protein (about 26 g), viscous fibre |
That's about 46 g of soy and plant protein, two servings of sterol-fortified food (check the labels add up to around 2 g), and several sources of viscous fibre. If you're short on fibre, a spoonful of psyllium husk in water or stirred into porridge is an easy top-up. For more meal ideas, browse our low-cholesterol recipes or see our low-cholesterol snacks, desserts for high cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering food swaps.
How to track it
The trial found that sticking to the diet made the difference, so it helps to keep track. A simple approach:
- A daily four-box checklist. Sterols, viscous fibre, soy or plant protein, nuts. Tick each one off. Aim for all four most days rather than perfection.
- Log your food to keep an eye on saturated fat, which the Portfolio Diet assumes is low, and on your fibre intake.
- Re-test after 2 to 3 months and compare with your starting LDL. See how long diet takes to lower cholesterol for timing and what to expect.
Heart Tracker can track saturated fat and fibre in what you eat, and chart your LDL from each test. It doesn't separate soluble fibre or plant sterols, so use the checklist for those.
Who it suits
- People with raised LDL who want to try diet first, where their doctor agrees that's reasonable.
- People on a statin who want to lower LDL further, or who are aiming for a lower goal. If your LDL is high but your HDL is good, see what that means.
- People with a high Lp(a), for whom lowering LDL matters more. The diet won't change Lp(a) itself; see our Lp(a) guide.
- Vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians, for whom it fits easily.
It needs adapting if you have a soy or nut allergy, and some fortified sterol products aren't intended for everyone; read the label. A dietitian can help you adapt it.
Sources
- Jenkins DJA, et al. Effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods vs lovastatin on serum lipids and C-reactive protein. JAMA. 2003;290(4):502–510.
- Jenkins DJA, et al. Effect of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods given at 2 levels of intensity of dietary advice on serum lipids in hyperlipidemia. JAMA. 2011;306(8):831–839.
- Chiavaroli L, et al. Portfolio dietary pattern and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;61(1):43–53.
- Glenn AJ, et al. Portfolio Diet Score and risk of cardiovascular disease: findings from 3 prospective cohort studies. Circulation. 2023;148(22):1750–1763.
- Ras RT, et al. LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols and stanols across different dose ranges: a meta-analysis. Br J Nutr. 2014;112(2):214–219.
- Brown L, et al. Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69(1):30–42.
- Blumenthal RS, Morris PB, et al. 2026 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026;87(19).
- NICE NG238: Cardiovascular disease risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification (recommendation 1.3.12).
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): firm tofu 172475, unsweetened soy milk 175215, edamame 168411, boiled lentils 172421.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Portfolio Diet?
The Portfolio Diet is a plant-based way of eating, developed by Dr David Jenkins and colleagues in Toronto, that combines four groups of foods known to lower LDL cholesterol: plant sterols, viscous (soluble) fibre, soy and other plant protein, and nuts. It's eaten on top of a diet low in saturated fat.
How much does the Portfolio Diet lower LDL?
A meta-analysis of 7 trials found it lowered LDL by about 17% (0.73 mmol/L, about 28 mg/dL) compared with a low-saturated-fat diet alone. In a 6-month trial where people chose their own food, LDL fell by about 13 to 14% (24 to 26 mg/dL). Under tightly controlled feeding for a month, it fell by 29%, similar to the 31% seen with the statin lovastatin (20 mg) in the same study.
How much of each food do you need on the Portfolio Diet?
In the original 2003 trial, the amounts per 1,000 calories were 1 g of plant sterols, about 10 g of viscous fibre, 21 g of soy protein and 14 g of almonds. On a 2,000-calorie diet that's about 2 g of plant sterols, 20 g of viscous fibre, 43 g of soy protein and 28 g of almonds a day. You still get a benefit from partial adherence, but the more closely people stuck to it, the more their LDL fell.
Can the Portfolio Diet replace statins?
Not for everyone. It can lower LDL substantially, but statins lower it by 30 to 50% or more and have strong evidence for preventing heart attacks and strokes. Many people who need a statin can use the Portfolio Diet alongside it. Don't stop or change a medicine without talking to your doctor.
Are plant sterols recommended in the UK?
NICE advises GPs not to recommend plant sterols or stanols to prevent heart disease, including for people with diabetes or kidney disease. They do lower LDL, but NICE doesn't advise them for preventing heart attacks and strokes. If you're in the UK, discuss them with your GP before relying on fortified foods.
Track the base of the Portfolio Diet
Heart Tracker lets you track saturated fat and fibre in everything you eat, with barcode scanning and custom foods for fortified products, then charts your LDL from each test so you can see whether the diet is working. Free, with no account needed.
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