Eating More Fiber for Heart Health

Fiber and heart health go hand in hand. Increasing your fiber intake is a key element to following a heart-healthy diet. Fiber is the structural part of plants that is not digested or absorbed.

Why the difference between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber matters

There are two types of fiber in plants, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is your golden ticket to reducing LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.

LDL transports the fat we eat through the bloodstream to our organs, it has a bad rep because high LDL levels mean you are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Soluble fiber reroutes dietary cholesterol: instead of going to your tissues, cholesterol binds to soluble fiber and gets transported to the colon for excretion. Less cholesterol in the body = less LDL production.