Do you or someone you know need to lower their cholesterol levels? Then these heart healthy biscuits are for you!

I see a lot of patients with high cholesterol who want to try and get their levels down using diet and exercise before reverting to medications. ⁣⁣

The Portfolio Diet is a well recognised dietary approach that can lower cholesterol levels by up to 25%. It involves a combination of plant sterols/stanols, nuts, plant fibres (specifically 10g soluble fibre per day) and soya protein, and is largely a vegetarian diet. If you want to learn more schedule an appointment with a dietitian

I developed this recipe for patients on the Portfolio Diet who don’t want to give up enjoying a biscuit with their tea or coffee. Each biscuit provides roughly 3 grams of soluble fibre, 1 serve of nuts and plant sterols/stanols.⁣⁣

IMPORTANT: recipe is only appropriate for coeliacs who have tested their tolerance to oats using repeat gastroscopes ⁣⁣

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Almond, Oat & Flaxseed Biscuits | makes 20 biscuits (low FODMAP serve = 1 biscuit) ⁣⁣

INGREDIENTS ⁣⁣

2 tbsp flax seeds⁣⁣

3 tbsp water⁣⁣

1/4 (60g) Cup sterol/stanol fortified margarine (such as Flora Proactiv - visit www.floraproactiv.com.au/ for further information)⁣⁣

1/2 Cup peanut butter⁣⁣

1/4 Cup honey (use maple syrup for low FODMAP) ⁣⁣

2 tsp vanilla extract⁣⁣

1/2 tsp baking powder⁣⁣

pinch of sea salt⁣⁣

1 Cup oats⁣⁣

1/2 Cup desiccated coconut (option to leave out and increase oats to 1 1/2 cups - this will decrease the FODMAP load for people with more severe IBS reactions) ⁣⁣

1/2 Cup almond meal ⁣⁣

1/2 Cup dried apricots, chopped (use dried cranberries for low FODMAP) ⁣⁣

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DIRECTIONS ⁣⁣

Preheat oven to 180C and line tray with baking paper⁣. Whisk flaxseeds with water and set aside to gel for 10 minutes⁣⁣. In a seperate bowl whisk softened sterol margarine with nut butter then mix in flaxseed gel⁣⁣.

Add honey or maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Stir well to combine⁣. Pour in oats, coconut and almond meal and stir together⁣⁣. Add dried apricots or cranberries and use hands to knead the mixture together⁣⁣⁣.

Form tbsp sized balls and place them on baking tray before pressing them down with the back of a fork⁣⁣. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden.