Readers learn why your heart needs fiber (and where to get it)

Most people think of intestinal health when they think of fiber. While it’s true fiber helps keep you regular, it is also beneficial for your overall health. In a recent  Vitality magazine article, holistic pharmacist Sherry Torkos explained why fiber is good for your heart, and which fiber-rich foods you should be consuming. Many people find it difficult to meet the recommended daily fiber requirement. We were pleased when Torkos chose Sunfiber as her preferred fiber supplement.

Torkos provided four reasons that fiber is good for your heart:

1. Fiber helps promote healthy cholesterol levels, by helping lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.
2. Fiber helps support normal, healthy blood pressure.
3. Fiber helps manage your blood glucose levels, important for diabetics and those at-risk for heart disease.
4. Fiber helps provide a feeling of fullness (satiety), which helps you manage your weight (also good for you heart).

Foods with fiber

The Institute of Medicine recommends 25 grams of fiber each day for women and 30 grams for men. “There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble,” said Torkos. “Both are important to your health.” Soluble fiber is found in such foods as apples, avocados, oats, barley and seeds such as chia and flaxseed. Insoluble fiber is found in such foods as wheat bran, berries, oranges and many vegetables.

Consider a fiber supplement

Supplements are a convenient way to boost your fiber intake. “Fiber powders provide more fiber per serving than capsules,” said Torkos. “They are also more cost effective.” She also suggested using a fiber supplement which mixes well with water, and drinking plenty of water with the supplement. “That helps improve tolerability and deliver the fiber to the colon, where it works best,” she added.

Torkos prefers Sunfiber, a truly regulating fiber, meaning it helps with both occasional constipation and diarrhea. “It is made from partially hydrolyzed guar gum which provides better tolerability (less gas and bloating).” Sunfiber is also easy to take. “It is clear when mixed with water, and it is tasteless and odorless, so you can also mix it with your favorite beverage.”