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Fiber Tips for Heart Healthy Eating
What is Fiber & How Does it Help?
Dietary fiber refers to the indigestible carbohydrates in plant foods. There are two types of dietary fiber:
soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel. It is particularly helpful in lowering
LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to the stool and promotes the movement of material
through the digestive tract. Plant foods contain a combination of both types of fiber.
Benefits of dietary fiber include:
• Helps to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• Helps you feel full for longer, which can help
with weight management
• Improves digestive health (normalizes bowel
movements, decreases risk for diverticulosis
and colorectal cancer)
• May help manage blood sugar by slowing the
release of sugar into the bloodstream
How Much is Enough?
Slowly increase the amount of total dietary fiber that you eat to 25 to 35 grams per day. Be sure to drink
plenty of fluids (at least 8 cups per day) as you increase your fiber intake in order to avoid gas and bloating.
Fluid helps your body process fiber without discomfort.
Tips for Adding Fiber to Your Eating Plan
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The best sources of fiber come from food rather than supplements.
Choose whole grains over refined grains. Look for choices with 100% whole wheat, rye, oats, or
bran as the first or second ingredient on food labels.
Have brown or wild rice instead of white rice or potatoes.
Enjoy a variety of grains. Good options include quinoa, barley, oats, millet, and farro.
Eat beans more often, such as kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Add them to
salads, soups, and casseroles.
Choose fresh fruit and vegetables instead of juices.
Leave skins on fruits and vegetables.
Try to make ½ of your plate vegetables at meals.
When baking, choose recipes that use whole grain flour instead of white flour.
Add small amounts of wheat germ, wheat bran, or rice bran to foods you cook.
Use beans, wheat germ, oats, or wheat bran to replace some of the meat in recipes such as meat
loaf or lasagna.
Check the Nutrition Facts Label and try to choose products with at least 4 grams of dietary fiber
per serving.
Adapted from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual.
Foods High in Fiber
Food
Raspberries
Cooked kidney beans
Cooked lentils
Cooked black beans
Blackberries
Artichoke
Canned chickpeas
Pear
Quinoa
Flaxseeds
Baked sweet potato,
with skin
Cooked frozen green
peas
Blueberries
Barley
Old fashioned oatmeal
Almonds
Apple
Orange
Amount
1 cup
½ cup
½ cup
½ cup
1 cup
1 medium
½ cup
1
½ cup (cooked)
2 Tbsp
1 medium
Total Fiber (grams)
8
7.9
7.8
7.6
7.6
6.5
5.3
5.1
5
4.8
4.8
Soluble Fiber (grams)
1.8
2.8
3.1
3.8
6.2
4.7
1.5
3.3
1.7
2.7
1
½ cup
4.4
3.2
1 cup
½ cup (cooked)
½ cup (uncooked)
1 ounce
1 medium
1 medium
4.2
4.1
4
3.5
3.3
3.1
1.7
3.3
2
.07
1
1.8