Do you have problems tolerating cholesterol medication, or do you simply wish to avoid it and manage your cholesterol naturally?

Research shows that a portfolio of certain cholesterol-lowering foods can reduce elevated cholesterol levels and may be as effective as the starting dose of a first-generation statin drug.

Studies in which people were supplied a portfolio diet have found their bad cholesterol (LDL) can drop by as much as 30 per cent! Under real living conditions, where people were given dietetic advice but prepared their own meals, the reduction was 13 per cent after one year on the diet—still more than what is possible from a low saturated-fat diet.

Significantly, those people who complied well with the portfolio eating plan sustained cholesterol reductions of 20 per cent, even after 12 months. The bottom line: stick to the recommended diet if you want it to work like medicine.

the diet at a glance

Incorporate the following four foods each day at the specified levels.

• Soy protein: Twenty-five grams, which can come from a range of soy foods, such as tofu, soy milk, soy burgers and soybeans.
• Plant sterols: Two to three grams from a supplement or plant sterol enriched dairy food, margarine or other fortified product.
• Nuts: Thirty grams from any unsalted raw nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, and nut pastes, like natural peanut butter without added fat, sugar or salt.
• Soluble fibre: Five to ten grams, obtained by incorporating a range of foods rich in soluble fibre, such as legumes, traditional oats, barley, eggplant, okra and psyllium husks.

Consume these foods throughout the day for meals and snacks for maximum effectiveness. Replace fatty foods high in saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated fats from olive oil and avocado.

Dietitians can design an eating plan suitable for the whole family and not just to benefit your health.

Click here for a delicious cholesterol-lowering recipe.