Dietary fiber is the part of plant foods that your body cannot digest. There are two main types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. Both are important for health, but soluble fiber may be especially helpful in lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
Foods with soluble fiber dissolve in water to form a gel-like substance in your digestive tract. This helps trap cholesterol and remove it from your body instead of letting it enter your bloodstream. Sources of soluble fiber include apples, oats, beans, lentils, pears, and psyllium husk.
Soluble fiber works to directly lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels through several mechanisms:
- It binds to bile acids and cholesterol, preventing their absorption and aiding in their excretion.
- It reduces cholesterol production in the liver by promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids during fermentation.
- It slows down digestion, leading to reduced absorption of fat and cholesterol.
While insoluble fiber does not lower cholesterol, it still benefits by promoting regularity, supporting gut health, and increasing satiety. Whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are great sources of insoluble fiber. Be sure to include both forms of fiber in your diet.
Choosing delicious foods that provide fiber isn’t difficult. Learn how much fiber you need, which foods have fiber, and how to add it to your meals and snacks. Here are nine top high-fiber foods to help you control your cholesterol:
1. Oats
An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is to eat a bowl of oatmeal or a cold oat cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It provides you with 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or a handful of strawberries for an extra half-gram. Current dietary guidelines recommend 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day, with at least 5 to 10 grams of that being soluble fiber.
2. Barley and other whole grains
Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains may help reduce your risk of heart disease, largely through the soluble fiber they provide.
3. Beans
Beans are particularly high in soluble fiber. They also take a while for your body to digest, meaning you’ll feel fuller longer after a meal. That’s one reason beans are a great food for people trying to lose weight. With so many options from navy beans and kidney beans to lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and more, and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.
4. Eggplant and Okra
These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.
5. Nuts
Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and peanuts are good for your heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can lower LDL slightly, about 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.
6. Vegetable Oils
Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening in cooking or at the table can help lower LDL.
7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits
These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that helps lower LDL.
8. Soybeans
Eating soybeans and soy foods, such as tofu and soy milk, was once considered an effective way to lower cholesterol. C
9. Fatty Fish
Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has saturated fats that raise LDL, and by providing LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce blood triglycerides and also protect the heart by helping to prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.
Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels helps reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other dangerous complications. Incorporating plenty of fiber-rich foods is one of the most effective natural ways to control high cholesterol.
