CASE STUDY
‘My cholesterol stays
steady as long asI
follow the principles’
DalhiaCampbell,47,is
a dietitianwholives
inPerthshirewithher
husbandandtheirtwo
sons.Whenhercholesterol
hit4.84mmols/L,she
decided to try thePortfoliodiet.
My mum had a heartattackattheage
of 46, so I’ve alwaysbeenawareoftherisk
factors and how importantit istokeep
cholesterol levelsinthehealthyrange.Asa
dietitian, I knowhowtoeathealthily lotsof
fruit and vegetablesandfibre,lesssaturated
fat and sugar. I’ma healthyweightanda
non-smoker, too.ButwhenI hit 41 in2013,
my genetic predispositionstartedtotakehold
and my blood cholesterollevelswerejust
nudging below thehighcholesterolthreshold
of 5. I decided tomakefurtherchangestomy
diet to see if thiscouldbringthemdown.SMALL CHANGES,BIGRESULTS
I knew the Portfoliodiet(alsoknownasthe
ultimate cholesterolloweringplan)had
strong evidence behindit.I drankone100ml
Flora ProActiv MiniDrinkfortheplantsterols/
stanols and ate a handfulofalmondsa dayas
a snack. I also startedhavingporridgemore
regularly for breakfast(Ienjoyedit topped
with apple and cinnamon)andoatcakeswith
soup at lunch, asthebetaglucaninoatsis
known to help reducecholesterol.I atemore
lentils and other pulses,andmadesureto
include some oilyfishinmydiet.I didtrysoya
milk and soya yogurtsoccasionally,butI was
less keen on these.I alsotriedroastedsoya
bean nuts and edamamebeans.
After four months,mycholesterolcame
down to 4.35 mmols/L.Itwasn’ta dramatic
drop, but it was enoughtokeepmeinthe
healthy range. I’dneverrecommendanyone
stop taking statinsif they’vebeenprescribed
them, and I wouldn’truleouttakingthemin
the future, but ifyou’reborderline,it might
be worth trying adietaryapproachfirst.I
find it easy to sticktoandmycholesterol
stays steady as longasI followtheprinciples.
Find more informationaboutcholesterol
and health at heartuk.org.uk.■ Plant sterols You need 2g plant sterols a
day. These are found in small amounts in
a few specific foods, including soya beans,
corn, squash and avocado. To reach the
2g level, you’ll also need to eat foods
fortified with sterols, such as Benecol
and Flora ProActiv spreads and yogurts.
WHAT A TYPICAL DAY’S MENU PLAN
COULD LOOK LIKE
Breakfast Overnight oats made with 40g
oats, 300ml soya milk and 80g berries, plus
1 Flora ProActiv Mini Drink.
Snack 25g almonds and a pear.
Lunch Baked sweet potato with baked beans
and a green salad.
Snack 20g walnuts and an apple.
Dinner Vegetable chilli with chickpeas, 60g
brown rice, plus 1 x 120g Benecol yogurt.
To t a l 1,743kcal, 4g plant sterols.
WILL THIS DIET
SUIT YOU?
If you have inflammatory bowel
disease or irritable bowel disease
(IBS), the high levels of plant
foods may aggravate your
symptoms, so take advice from
your specialist first. You may
find you can introduce some,
but not all, of the elements.
G O E AT
Forrecipes
tohelpwith
lowering
cholesterol,
seep64–p6511
SUPER DIETS