Including high fiber foods in your diet can help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
The two types of dietary fiber are soluble and insoluble fiber.
Soluble Fiber
For heart health, include foods containing soluble fiber in your diet. This type absorbs liquid and acts as a natural stool-softener. Another way that consuming soluble fiber helps to keep the heart healthy has to do with the way that it binds with bile acids, which are found in the intestinal tract.
Bile acids contain cholesterol, and the body absorbs a certain amount of them naturally. When a sufficient amount of soluble fiber is consumed, a higher amount of bile acids are excreted and cholesterol levels are lowered.
The following foods contain soluble fiber:
Apples
Barley
Beans
Carrots
Citrus...