Blue city emerges as major human trafficking hub, with gangs exploiting minors
A startling rise in human trafficking cases throughout one of the nation’s most populous states is putting both experts and parents on alert, with data indicating that criminals are targeting children in unprecedented numbers.
North Carolina is ranked ninth in the country for human trafficking, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2024, the state identified 301 cases of human trafficking involving 580 victims, the Hotline indicated.
These cases involve instances of sex trafficking, labor trafficking and additional types of exploitation that may not be specified or remain unknown, according to the Hotline. In North Carolina, data indicates that in 2024, there were 145 reported cases of sex trafficking, 73 cases of labor trafficking and 38 cases of both sex and labor trafficking.
Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, spearheads a partnership with the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force in an attempt to understand and combat the rise in cases.
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“It really is kind of like a perfect storm,” Arrowood told Fox News Digital. “There are a lot of variables. One of the things that we have to know is that trafficking happens everywhere. It happens in every city and every town, whether you’re rural [or in a] city – it really doesn’t matter. But for Charlotte, one thing is that we have a lot of factors that attract demand.”
The eye-watering number of cases is best explained by North Carolina’s sweeping interstate highway system, high demand for inexpensive labor throughout its agricultural industry and increased amount of gang activity, experts said.
“Part of the reason why Charlotte is such a huge trafficking hub is because of the highway system,” Toby Braun, founder of American Special Investigative Group, told Fox News Digital. “A lot of these traffickers are running victims and may start in South Florida. From South Florida, they go to Atlanta, and from Atlanta, they pass through Charlotte. Oftentimes there, they may put them in safe houses.”
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According to Braun, victims will then be transported to other major cities throughout the country – like New York or Houston – after passing through Charlotte.
“Charlotte is kind of like a central hub, or an epicenter,” Braun said. “For the most part, it’s kind of a pit stop.”
The number of Charlotte residents falling victim to trafficking can partially be attributed to the prevalence of gang activity within the city, with criminal organizations maintaining a firm grip on the area’s network, according to experts.
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“The Bloods have a huge stronghold in human trafficking,” Braun said. “They’re one of the primary organized crime groups responsible for trafficking [in Charlotte]. For the most part, these are criminal networks. And that also makes it tougher, because of the kind of resources that they have and the ability to traffic people around, hide them in places and really stay undetected.”
While many victims can be from out of state, Arrowood emphasizes that many of the individuals being trafficked are coming from within the Charlotte area, with perpetrators targeting school-aged children within the city.
According to data from the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force, 48% of trafficking cases in 2024 involved minors aged 15 or younger.
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From 2020 to 2024, Charlotte saw a 76% increase in reported cases of minor trafficking, according to the task force.
“We do see every ethnicity affected – every socioeconomic class,” Arrowood said. “The pathway or grooming might look different if someone has housing insecurity or food insecurity, versus living in a middle-to-upper class, two-parent home, right? The method might look different, the coercion might look different, but we do see it across the board.”
Of the reported cases, residence-based commercial sex and domestic work were the leading venues for sex and labor trafficking, respectively. Additionally, 214 victims were female, 63 were men, and four included gender minorities, according to the Hotline.
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In 2024, data provided by the task force revealed that authorities identified 106 minors within the Charlotte area who were confirmed or suspected victims of trafficking. The number is primarily attributed to criminals using newer, more creative methods to recruit their victims.
“The primary way is through online [platforms],” Arrowood said. “They are connecting in some way or somehow, whether it’s through social media, a gaming app, [or] through a dating app. Then there usually is a meet in-person, right? We call it digital grooming. They’re grooming them, building trust – a lot of times they’re presenting as boyfriend, so [victims] are thinking they’re in a relationship with this person.”
However, due to the nature of trafficking crimes, most cases go unreported. Arrowood also points to a backlog of cases piling up for local law enforcement, who may not have the resources needed to fully investigate each case.
“Agencies are just always at limited capacity in terms of the amount of work, or the amount of people and manpower they have to manage the amount of referrals that are coming in,” Arrowood told Fox News Digital.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for an interview and request for comment.
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As the city continues to see a startling rise in trafficking throughout the area, particularly involving minors, Braun urges parents to take steps to keep their children safe.
“People think that these traffickers are these monsters – and they are,” Braun said. “They can be boyfriends or classmates. We’ve seen cases with coaches and people that you would never really expect, and I think that’s what makes them dangerous – the fact that they can be individuals that are hiding in plain sight.”
NEWT GINGRICH: The simplest way to make American life affordable again
Americans have delivered the same message in the last two elections: make life affordable again.
They are tired of working harder for less, while the cost of everything — from housing to education to insurance — keeps rising. The affordability crisis touches every household, and its biggest driver is the one Washington refuses to tackle seriously: healthcare.
Healthcare now consumes nearly one-fifth of our economy. It is the largest single cost for employers, the fastest-growing burden on families, and the quietest drain on national growth. Every dollar businesses spend on bloated health costs is a dollar not available for higher wages, new jobs or investment. Every dollar families spend on premiums or out-of-pocket costs is a dollar they can’t use for savings, housing or opportunity. Until we fix healthcare, we can’t fix affordability.
It’s not that Washington ignores healthcare — it’s that it thinks about it too narrowly. Politicians obsess over temporary subsidies, tax credits and program expansions that make insurance more expensive to subsidize but never make care itself more affordable. The current fight over extending COVID-era insurance subsidies is a perfect example. Even supporters of Obamacare now admit that the “Affordable” Care Act turned out to be unaffordable. Their answer is to borrow more money to prop up a system that keeps getting worse. That is not reform — it’s surrender.
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There are three truths both parties must face.
First, the system is already too expensive and locked in a pattern that guarantees it will grow more unaffordable every year.
Second, 60 years of bureaucratic control — public and private — have utterly failed to contain costs.
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Third, we must build a new model that relies on patients, doctors and employers — not massive government and insurance-company bureaucracies — to achieve the change Americans want.
That model is not theoretical — it already works in the rest of our economy. When people have access to clear prices and quality information before making decisions, competition drives innovation, choice and lower costs. Technology has made this possible in every industry, from travel to retail to manufacturing. If the same principles applied to healthcare, we could unleash that same power to lower costs and improve quality.
Instead, our opaque, bureaucratic system hides prices and multiplies middlemen. The average family of four now spends roughly $27,000 a year on health insurance — about the cost of a new Chevrolet or Toyota every 12 months. Most families don’t see the full bill because their employer or the government pays much of it, but that just means their wages are smaller. Paying the equivalent of a new car every year just for coverage is why Americans list affordability as their top economic concern.
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Worse, nobody knows what anything costs — not patients, not families, not even the self-funded employers who pay the claims for their plan members. Bills arrive months after care, after passing through a maze of third-party administrators, repricers and billing vendors. That secrecy fuels waste, fraud and frustration. It’s estimated that 30% to 50% of all healthcare spending is administrative rather than medical. In short, America’s healthcare system has more middlemen than medicine.
And who benefits? Powerful interest groups, insurers, consultants and bureaucracies that profit from complexity and confusion. As Tom Cruise shouted in “Jerry Maguire”: “Show me the money.” Behind the speeches and lobbyists defending this broken system are people determined to protect their share of a bankrupting status quo.
Second, 60 years of bureaucratic control — public and private — have utterly failed to contain costs.
Politicians can’t fight every entrenched interest group — but millions of patients and doctors armed with real price and quality information can. Transparency gives power back to those who actually deliver and receive care. When they can see what things cost, they can make smarter choices, reward efficiency and hold wasteful players accountable. Transparency doesn’t just lower prices — it changes who holds the power.
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That’s why President Donald Trump’s price-transparency executive order in his first administration was a genuine breakthrough. It required hospitals and insurers to publish negotiated prices and, through the No Surprises Act, directed officials to create Advance Explanations of Benefits (AEOBs) so Americans could know their costs before receiving care. Trump started the transparency revolution. Under the Biden administration, enforcement stalled, and patients never saw the full benefit.
Now Trump has the chance to finish what he began — and make transparency permanent.
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The administration has the authority to act right now under his “radical transparency” executive order issued earlier this year, the No Surprises Act, and existing Employee Retirement Income Security Act authority. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should immediately issue and enforce AEOB rules. The Department of Labor should guarantee employers access to complete claims and pricing data while protecting patient privacy. If the administration moves quickly, Americans could begin receiving AEOBs in 2026 — and Trump could rightfully claim a historic victory for transparency, competition and higher wages before the midterms.
Congress should reinforce this effort by passing the bipartisan Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, led by Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Colorado Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper. The bill secures employer access to data and ensures no third-party administrator can hide prices from the people who pay the bills. The executive branch can act today; Congress should make it permanent.
When every patient and employer can see prices, markets will clean out waste on their own. Transparency gives employers the power to negotiate directly with providers and patients the ability to choose wisely. Prices in the open create competition that middlemen can’t survive and costs they can’t hide. The ripple effect — lower costs, higher wages, more investment — will strengthen every part of the economy.
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If America truly wants to make life affordable again, healthcare transparency is where we start.
It’s bold. It’s achievable. And it’s the single biggest step we can take to restore prosperity for working families.
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Gang leader ‘Barbecue’ urges people to stay home so they won’t ‘be a victim’
Threats from Haitian gangs reportedly prompted the United Nations (U.N.) and foreign embassies to advise staff to stay off the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince Monday.
U.N. security directed staff to work remotely and restrict travel in the West region, while Haiti’s National Police canceled all personnel leave until further notice, according to The Miami Herald.
Mathias Gillmann, a spokesperson with the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, confirmed to Fox News Digital in an email that staff were asked to work from home for the day.
Public threats from a powerful Haitian gang leader began circulating on social media in recent days following weekend security operations from the Haitian National Police, the Armed Forces of Haiti and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational mission, authorized by the U.N. Security Council.
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Jimmy Chérizier, widely known as “Barbecue,” appeared in a video shared Sunday by an independent Haitian media outlet, urging people to stay home on Nov. 17 so they wouldn’t “be a victim,” according to a brief translation of his remarks.
“Those who don’t need to, do not go out into the streets. Leave the streets to ‘Viv Ansanm’ and the police so that we can confront them,” “Barbecue” is quoted as saying, according to HaitiLibre, an independent Haitian news site based in Port-au-Prince.
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Viv Ansanm is a Haitian gang coalition that was designated by the U.S. State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Foreign Terrorist Organization in May.
It was formed in September 2023 through an alliance between the two main gang factions operating in Port-au-Prince, G-9 and G-Pép.
The GSF said in an X post on Sunday that, together with specialized units from the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti, it carried out a security operation against the leadership and members of the 400 Mawozo gang that led to the deaths of several gang members.
The Friday operation resulted in the seizure of multiple weapons, including an M50-caliber Barrett rifle, six assault rifles and three pistols, they said.
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“This operation sends a clear and unequivocal message: the era of unchecked gang dominance is over. Haiti’s security institutions are mobilizing all available capabilities; on land, at sea, and in the air, to restore peace, protect communities, and ensure that every Haitian can exercise their basic human rights without fear of violence,” read a statement from GSF. “Joint intelligence-driven operations and continuous security patrols will persist until these criminal groups are decisively defeated.”
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GSF said a Haitian National Police helicopter providing aerial support during the operation was forced to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical malfunction.
The team on board was evacuated by ground units, who came under heavy gang fire while conducting the rescue.
On Thursday, U.S. Marines protecting the American Embassy in Haiti exchanged gunfire with suspected gang members. No service members were injured in the incident.
Ex-BBC director general says network shouldn’t pay Trump anything
Former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall said during an interview with the network that the company should not agree to pay President Donald Trump any money amid the president’s lawsuit threat.
Trump said Friday he planned to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion over a network documentary’s misleading edit of his remarks from Jan. 6, 2021. A similar edit was found on the network’s “Newsnight” program in 2022.
“I don’t think we should agree to any money being paid to Donald Trump. You’re talking about license fee payers’ money, you’re talking about public money. It would not be appropriate,” he said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday.
The BBC has faced heavy criticism over a “BBC Panorama” documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered before the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Critics say the documentary was misleading because it omitted Trump urging supporters to protest “peacefully” and spliced together remarks made nearly an hour apart to appear as one continuous statement.
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The BBC issued an apology to Trump on Thursday.
“Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump’s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday,” a BBC spokesperson said. “BBC chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president’s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.”
The spokesperson said the BBC has “no plans” to rebroadcast the documentary at the center of the controversy on any of its platforms.
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The BBC spokesperson also said that while they regret how the program was edited, “we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, said he believes he has to sue the BBC.
“I think I have to do it. They’ve even admitted that they cheated … They changed the words coming out of my mouth. The people of the UK are very angry about what happened,” Trump said.
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Prince William, heir to throne, defies parenting rules after heartbreaking past: experts
Prince William is protecting his children after enduring pain and drama in his past.
The claim was made by multiple royal experts after Brazilian TV host Luciano Huck interviewed the Prince of Wales during his trip to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize awards.
During the conversation, the heir to the British throne shared that he and his wife, Kate Middleton, spoke openly with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis about her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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“Hiding stuff from them doesn’t work,” said the 43-year-old.
Royal experts told Fox News Digital they aren’t surprised that William is rewriting the royal rulebook — raising his children with honesty and unity.
“A young Prince William carried the burden of his parents’ unhappy and destructive relationship,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard explained.
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“Their relationship had broken down and, as a result, Prince William and Prince Harry — but more so, William — felt sad and helpless and, I imagine, insecure. Prince William and Princess Catherine are working hard to keep their children abreast of everything.”
“They do not want their children hearing what could be devastating news from anyone else,” Chard shared. “They are right in the way they handle their affairs in an age-appropriate manner. They are bringing up a strong, resilient, self-assured and respectful young family, which bodes well for the future of the monarchy.”
In 2024, both the king, 76, and Kate, 43, were diagnosed with cancer. William, who acknowledged that every family has its own “challenges,” said, “I think it is very individual and sort of moment-dependent as to how you deal with those problems.”
The prince noted that he and Kate “chose to communicate a lot more with our children.”
“Now, that has its good things and its bad things,” William explained. “Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children — you probably shouldn’t. But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work.”
William noted that it’s important for them as a family to be open with each other so that the children aren’t left feeling “anxious” about unanswered questions.
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“There are a lot more questions when there are no answers,” he said. “But it is always a balancing act — every parent knows that. It’s, ‘How much do I say? What do I say? When do I say?’ There’s no manual for being a parent — you’ve just got to go with it, a bit of instinct.”
Chard said that William, even as he prepares to be king someday, has always been determined to give his children “balanced, happy and healthy lives” while in the public eye.
“He is aware that parents need to be open with their children, no matter how sad and upsetting the situation may be,” she said. “It builds trust, respect and self-esteem.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that the past has taught William many lessons about family. Growing up, he witnessed the public breakdown of his parents’ marriage. In 1995, his mother, Princess Diana, appeared on “Panorama” and famously declared, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to her husband’s infidelity.
“William’s attitude has been influenced by his childhood and the public nature of the war between his parents, especially the ‘Panorama’ debacle,” Fitzwilliams claimed.
“William was aghast at what his mother had done when he was at Eton. He was also affected by her tragic death in a very different way than Harry. From the start, he has tried to bring his children up as normally as possible. He is also fiercely protective of their privacy.”
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“We knew that he and Catherine had decided to share the news that she had cancer appropriately,” said Fitzwilliams. “It would not have been possible to hide it anyway, and, since the king was also a sufferer, the difficulties of two senior royals fighting it at the same time were considerable, especially given the enormous scrutiny to which the monarchy is subjected.”
“The purpose of sharing this was to offer a guide to others in a similar situation,” Fitzwilliams continued. “The way that Catherine has handled her illness — communicating with moving and uniquely intimate videos — has been truly amazing. They have clearly worked out a plan in circumstances that are ‘brutal,’ as William has said.”
And like many parents, William isn’t in a hurry to watch his children grow up. He’s savoring the small, ordinary moments that make them feel like a normal family.
William admitted to Huck that it’s “really hard” to protect his children from the harms of social media and the internet.
“Our children don’t have phones,” he said. “I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access. And to be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why.”
“We communicate why we don’t think it’s right,” William continued. “And again, I think it’s the internet access I have a problem with. I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online, and so having a phone and text message, the old sort of ‘brick phone’ as they call them, I think that’s fine.”
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William even joked that he was like a “taxi driver” for his kids. He brings them to their playdates and sports games and tag-teams with Kate on school drop-offs and pick-ups.
“Prince William’s forthright approach is no doubt derived from his wish to avoid the obfuscation prevalent in his childhood, which resulted in even more pain and royal dramas,” said British royals expert Hilary Fordwich.
Charles and Diana separated in 1992. Their divorce wasn’t finalized until 1996, a year before Diana’s sudden death at age 36.
“William sees facing adversity as a family together, as a ‘normal family,’” said Fordwich.
“It’s of paramount importance to him. Having openness with his children is a far better way to build trust, develop emotional resilience and forge family unity. He seeks to answer all the issues his children raise, welcoming their curiosity and questions, ensuring that they feel included and united as a family.”
When Kate announced her cancer diagnosis, the princess noted that she and William took time to “explain everything to their children” before she went public. Kate completed her treatment in September 2024 before announcing she was in remission early this year.
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During a recent appearance on Eugene Levy’s series, “The Reluctant Traveler,” William admitted that 2024 was the “hardest year” he’s ever experienced.
“Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” said William.
“We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need. And we’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. And so, it’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is OK.”
Payton’s sideline blunder costs Broncos as official collision leads to costly penalty
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was the culprit for a penalty called on the team in the third quarter of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos bench was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as Payton was on the white stripe of the sideline when an NFL official collided with him. The collision occurred after Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Patrick Mahomes.
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The down judge didn’t appear to see Payton when the two collided. He got back up and threw the flag on Payton. It didn’t appear that either man was hurt during the play.
The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was one of two penalties called after McMillian intercepted Mahomes’ pass. Kansas City accepted an illegal blindside block penalty that was also called on Denver.
The Broncos didn’t appear to be bothered by the flag. Quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos on an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive after the turnover. Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin ran for a 4-yard touchdown to take the lead.
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Kansas City tied the game on its subsequent drive. Running back Kareem Hunt was pushed into the end zone on a 2-yard score.
The Broncos eventually won the game, 22-19.
Both teams were in search of a victory in their pivotal AFC West matchup.
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The Broncos’ win tightened their stranglehold on the division lead. The Chiefs strayed from the playoff hunt with the loss.
Pence, Trump clash again as White House pushes policy to lower drug prices
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative group founded by ex-Vice President Mike Pence is taking aim at a key policy being used by President Donald Trump’s White House.
Advancing American Freedom (AAF) is rolling out a six-figure digital ad campaign Monday criticizing Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing as “socialist price controls,” according to AAF President Tim Chapman.
The 30-second advertisement begins, “China is America’s biggest economic competitor. They want, and often steal, what America has — our innovations, our manufacturing capabilities, our high-skilled, high-wage jobs.”
“If politicians in Washington start to place price controls on our most innovative products, like prescription drugs, we’ll be handing over American jobs and life-saving research to China on a silver platter,” the ad continued.
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It ended with a call to action: “Tell Congress to say ‘no’ to China by saying ‘no’ to MFN price controls.”
And while pressuring the GOP majority on Capitol Hill is the campaign’s main goal, it appears to be a response to Trump rolling out such a policy several times in recent months.
Earlier this month, Trump unveiled agreements between the federal government and two top drug companies aimed at lowering the cost of popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, among others.
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The partnership with Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk will make prices for drugs aimed at helping Americans with obesity, diabetes and heart disease fall by hundreds of dollars, Trump said.
It would also lower prices for Medicare and Medicaid patients who rely on such drugs.
A White House fact sheet said MFN drug pricing would also apply to “all new medicines that they bring to market.”
It’s one of several similar announcements by Trump in recent months that are aimed at lowering the soaring costs of prescription drugs in the U.S.
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The new lower prices will be available at a website called TrumpRx.
Most health insurance plans already help Americans pay less than the list price of prescriptions, but many do not cover the aforementioned drugs — including when used solely for weight loss.
The president called the move “a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans” in an announcement at the White House.
But a memo released by AAF in September warned that Trump’s drug policies could “mean significant reductions in American research and development” in the pharmaceutical sphere.
Chapman told Fox News Digital of the latest ad buy, “More regulations and red tape will result in fewer cures and life-saving drugs coming to market, ultimately costing American lives.”
“Advancing American Freedom strongly supports the power of free markets. To deliver lower prices for Americans, we need fewer government regulations, not more,” he said.
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It’s not the first time this year that Pence’s group has broken from Trump. AAF also criticized Trump’s use of tariffs as well as his more recent call to end the filibuster in the Senate.
The White House pushed back on AAF’s characterization when reached by Fox News Digital.
“Anyone calling President Trump’s historic drug pricing deals ‘price controls’ is either too stupid or dishonest to be taken seriously. Despite being just four percent of the world’s population, Americans have covered nearly 75 percent of global pharmaceutical research costs by paying several times more for drugs than our peers in other wealthy countries pay,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital.
“President Trump’s deals are equalizing this burden by making other wealthy countries shoulder their fair share for the pharmaceutical innovation that’s saving lives — thereby restoring the free market principles that Mike Pence supposedly supports.”
Scientists highlight four-food diet that may lower cholesterol as well as medication
A plant-based eating plan known as the Portfolio Diet is gaining attention for its potential to lower cholesterol — and research suggests it may be as effective as some prescription drugs.
Reportedly developed by Dr. David J. A. Jenkins, a professor of nutrition and medicine at the University of Toronto and a clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, the diet focuses on specific plant-based foods that have been shown to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and support overall heart health.
Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian nutritionist and author of “The 2-Day Diabetes Diet,” said the Portfolio Diet stands out from other heart-healthy plans because it is more structured.
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“Research shows that following this diet is associated with significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, inflammation and cardiovascular risk factors, leading to a 14% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke,” Palinski-Wade told Fox News Digital.
“Because it prioritizes plant-based, cholesterol-lowering foods, it limits most animal products to help maximize heart-healthy benefits.”
The Portfolio Diet — which also limits processed foods that are high in saturated fat — works by combining foods that target cholesterol in different ways.
The plan is known to revolve around the following four key components, each of which plays a unique role in supporting heart health.
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- Plant sterols (also called phytosterols), found in fortified foods like spreads, juices and yogurts, help lower cholesterol by competing for absorption in the digestive tract.
- Soluble fiber, found in oats, barley, beans, lentils, apples and citrus fruits, binds to cholesterol and helps remove it from the body.
- Soy protein, such as tofu, soy milk and tempeh, replaces animal protein to reduce saturated fat intake.
- Nuts provide healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber that support heart health.
Together, these four elements block cholesterol absorption, help remove LDL from the bloodstream and reduce inflammation in the arteries.
Some studies have suggested that this diet may lower LDL cholesterol as effectively as some medications without the side effects, Palinski-Wade added.
A typical day on the Portfolio Diet
Below are some examples of what one might eat on this diet plan, according to nutrition experts.
Breakfast might include oatmeal made with soy milk, berries and sliced almonds, or a smoothie with soy milk, banana, oats and peanut butter.
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For lunch, lentil soup with whole-grain toast and a side salad is a satisfying option, while a mixed bean salad tossed with olive oil, lemon and walnuts also fits the plan.
Dinner could feature tofu and vegetable stir-fry served over quinoa or a chickpea and vegetable curry with brown rice.
Snacks such as soy yogurt with fruit and oats or a small handful of pistachios, almonds or walnuts add extra fiber and heart-healthy fats.
Palinski-Wade noted that nuts are an important part of the plan, and eating one to two ounces a day can make a difference. Pistachios, for example, offer protein, fiber and antioxidants that help lower LDL cholesterol and support heart health.
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While the Portfolio Diet can offer heart health benefits, it requires planning and consistency. Palinski-Wade suggests starting small to make the transition easier.
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“Focus on [simple] swaps instead of trying to change your entire diet at once,” she advised. “Add in one or two key foods, like nuts or plant-based proteins, and build from there.”
She also recommends using a food journal or tracking app to help monitor daily goals for protein, fiber and healthy fats.
Potential risks and caveats
The Portfolio Diet can be difficult to maintain because of its restrictive nature.
“Some individuals may encounter challenges in maintaining compliance, particularly in social settings or amid culinary temptations,” according to an article published in Nutritionist Resource.
Some experts also warn about the potential for nutrient deficiencies — particularly vitamin B12, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids.
For those with soy or nut allergies, following the Portfolio Diet could be more difficult, as those foods play a major role in the plan’s cholesterol-lowering effects.
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“Individuals with nut allergies or soy intolerance must exercise caution and seek personalized dietary guidance to avert adverse reactions,” the above article states.
Anyone interested in adopting the Portfolio Diet should speak with a doctor before proceeding.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jenkins, creator of the diet, for comment.
Paralympic cycling champion, 28, dies unexpectedly after ‘medical episode’
Paige Greco, an Australian Paralympian who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Games in a cycling event, has died, officials said Sunday. She was 28.
The Australian Paralympic Committee and Cycling Australia said that Greco “passed away in her Adelaide home after experiencing a sudden medical episode.”
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“Paige meant everything to us,” her mother Natalie Greco said.” Her kindness, her determination and her warmth touched our family every single day. She brought so much joy and pride into our lives, and the pain of her passing is something we will carry forever.
“While we are devastated by her loss, we are incredibly proud of the person she was and the way she represented Australia.”
Greco was born with cerebral palsy. She competed for Australia in the Tokyo Paralympics that took place in 2021. She won a gold medal in the women’s C1-3 3,000-meter individual pursuit, breaking her own world record.
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She also picked up bronze medals in the road race and time trial.
“The sadness being felt across Paralympics Australia today is a reflection of the enormous regard in which she was held,” Cameron Murray, the Chief Executive Officer of Paralympics Australia, added in a statement. “Paige was an extraordinary athlete, but more importantly, a remarkable person.
“Her achievements on the international stage were exceptional, but it was her kindness, her quiet determination and the way she uplifted people around her that will stay with us all. She had a rare ability to make people feel included and supported, and her influence will no doubt leave a lasting impression on so many.”
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Greco had gold medals in the track world championships and the road world championships. She raced and won a bronze medal in the 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Ronse, Belgium, which took place in August.