High-fiber foods are powerhouses when it comes to battling heart disease and its risk factors. That's why fruits and vegetables are so important in a heart-healthy diet.
Fiber helps bring high cholesterol down to healthier levels and may also help to boost sensitivity to insulin, says Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, distinguished professor in Pennsylvania State University's department of nutritional sciences and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
High-Fiber Protection for Your Heart
Increasing insulin sensitivity can help protect against diabetes — another risk factor for heart disease. And high-fiber foods can help keep you slim by making you feel full and satisfied, which may help keep you from overeating. Maintaining a healthy body weight is important for heart health.
To get the biggest bang for your heart-healthy diet, it’s important to know that there are two different kinds of fiber in foods: soluble and insoluble. Both are good for you, but only one actually lowers your cholesterol.
"It's soluble fiber that decreases cholesterol," says Dr. Kris-Etherton. Soluble fiber is also the type of fiber associated with increased insulin sensitivity. How does it work? Soluble fiber attaches itself to fatty substances in the digestive tract, including cholesterol, and helps to remove these fats from the body.
Insoluble fiber offers other health benefits. This type of fiber isn't broken down — instead, it passes through the digestive tract mostly in its whole form. In this way, insoluble fiber regulates bowel habits, helping to maintain normal colon function and prevent constipation. Because of its bulk, insoluble fiber also fills you up in a way that leaves you feeling pleasantly satisfied, helping to reduce the urge to stuff yourself with food.
Most high-fiber foods contain both types of fiber, says Kris-Etherton.
How to Find High-Fiber Foods
For a heart-healthy diet, aim for between 25 and 30 grams of fiber daily by working high-fiber foods into meals and snacks. This total should include a minimum of 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day for a heart-healthy diet.
Fruits and vegetables, especially their skins, are excellent choices that contain both insoluble and soluble fiber. But don't worry if produce with skin, such as carrots and apples, aren't on your list of favorites. You have plenty of high-fiber foods to choose from to protect your heart.
Good high-fiber fruit choices include pears, prunes, plums, grapefruits, oranges, peaches, blackberries, and more. High-fiber vegetable choices include cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. Other high-fiber food options include:
- Legumes, such as peas, beans, and lentils
- Whole-grain or whole-wheat breads
- Brown rice
- Ground psyllium seeds
- Potatoes (with skins on)
- Wheat bran
- Oat bran
- Whole-wheat pasta
- Whole-grain cereals
- Whole oats
- Corn bran
Keep an assortment of these foods on hand for easy snacks as well as high-fiber entrees and side dishes. With a little creativity, you’ll quickly find that high-fiber foods add delicious crunch and volume to your heart-healthy daily diet.