How Fiber Helps Keep You and Your Heart Healthy

Just about everyone knows eating fiber is a key in keeping you regular in the bathroom. But that's just one benefit of the foods in this essential category.

It’s true. High fiber foods make you poop. They also have a role in preventing heart disease. This stems from fiber’s link to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It also makes you feel full faster which often leads to eating less. When you eat less, you’re less likely to gain extra pounds — pounds that can cause health problems later.

Being overweight can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other serious health issues.

Fiber Fends Off Trouble

How? Your body can’t break down fiber. As it moves through your system, it slows digestion. It keeps you regular by making your stools softer and easier to pass. There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Both have been linked to better heart health.

Soluble Fiber

This type of fiber attracts water much like the way oats absorb water to turn into oatmeal. Soluble fiber turns into a gel during digestion. High-fiber foods that have soluble fiber include oatmeal, nuts, pears, apples, citrus fruits, berries, lentils, peas and beans.

As noted, foods with high levels of soluble fiber help lower cholesterol, a key risk factor for heart disease. Fiber attaches to cholesterol particles and sweeps them along as fiber moves out of the body.

Fiber also helps fight diabetes. When your body doesn’t absorb foods with soluble fiber, you skip blood sugar spikes that put you at risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Finally, high fiber foods help you stay regular because they absorb water as the foods pass through your system. That helps bulk up your stool. In fact, fiber supplements generally contain mostly soluble fiber.

Insoluble Fiber

This type of fiber is found in the seeds and the skin of fruits (so always eat those peels!) — along with vegetables and whole grains. It adds bulk to the stool and helps food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines. If you’re irregular (constipated), eat more high-fiber foods to get things moving.

Insoluble fiber can also improve other bowel-related health problems, such as hemorrhoids and bowel control.

How Much Fiber Do You Need?

Most Americans don’t eat enough high-fiber foods, according to current guidelines by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Women need 21-25 grams of fiber per day. Men need 30-38 grams per day. These numbers depend on age. But research says most adults are only consuming about 10 to13 grams.

Try these simple tips to add more high-fiber foods to your diet:

• Eat two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables each day. Beans, peas, sweet potatoes, apples and berries are good sources of fiber.
• Eat the peels of your apples and potatoes.
• Eat whole, rather than refined grains. Choose whole wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal.
• Check food labels. Look for foods with five grams of fiber or more per serving.

Remember, eating more fiber not only helps keep your body running smoothly, it also helps you take care of your heart.

Sources: Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet,  The Mayo Clinic, 2025; Why Fiber is Crucial for Your Diet,  Cleveland Clinic, 2025; Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber,  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2024; Eat More Fiber-rich Foods to Foster Heart Health,  Harvard Medical School, 2024; High Fiber Foods – Nutrition and Healthy Eating,  Mayo Clinic, 2025.