A secret weapon that can lower cholesterol has been flying under the radar for more than 20 years. It’s called the portfolio diet—and it has been gaining a resurgence of interest, thanks to rising interest in plant-based eating and mounting evidence regarding its health benefits.

Developed in the early 2000s by David Jenkins, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, and his colleagues, the portfolio diet emphasizes nuts and seeds, plant proteins, fruits and vegetables, and heart-healthy oils.

The diet is essentially a portfolio of foods that have been scientifically proven to lower cholesterol, explains Laura Chiavaroli, an assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto who trained with Jenkins. “Dr. Jenkins developed i

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