Most people already know that heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the US, despite decades of education and promotion.

Sadly, the risk for heart disease is on the rise. Look at these alarming statistics as reported by the World Health Organization:

• An estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.

• Cardiovascular disease accounts for one out of every five deaths that occur in this country.

• Among the 45 to 60 age group, heart disease death rates increased 1.5% from 2011 to 2016. That adds up to 129,400 more deaths per year in adults under 65 – people in the prime of their working and family lives.

Our unhealthy diet coupled with lack of physical activity contribute to obesity and drive the high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes resulting in treatments with multiple prescription medications. (1)

If you could make just one simple change that would work across organ systems to improve your metabolism and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, it would be to eat more fiber.

A fiber-rich diet produces big benefits to our body because fiber:

1. Reduces the risk of heart disease by helping to lower total cholesterol, LDL triglycerides (2)

2. Regulates the level of sugar in the bloodstream, reducing insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes

3. Promotes regular bowel movements by reducing bowel transit time, adding bulk to the stool, and reducing the pain and discomfort of irritable bowel syndrome

4. Maximizes our feelings of fullness, well-being, and helps to manage weight (3)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: FIBER 101

Think of the fiber in plants like a sponge that slowly releases the sugar and nutrients from food into the blood stream. This “slow release” helps the digestive tract better manage sugar absorption and the pancreas better manage insulin production, reducing our risk of an array of chronic conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease along with decreases in health span and life expectancy.

So where do we find fiber?

Fiber is a type of undigestible carbohydrate found in plant foods. But not all carbs and fiber are created equal: the key difference between simple carbs and complex carbohydrates is fiber!

Simple carbs have been so processed that most of their fiber is gone; think of easily-snarfed juices, cookies, crackers, donuts, chips, croissants, scones, and most muffins and bread products. Their lack of fiber promotes rapid absorption and rise in insulin and blood sugar.

Complex carbs are whole plant foods with their high fiber content intact:

• Whole fruit and vegetables (rather than their juice, which has had the fiber removed)

• Whole grains (which still contain the fibrous bran coating)

• Beans and legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Mushrooms (contain chitin and beta-glucans, special fibers in the fungal cell wall)

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF FIBER, EACH WITH DIFFERENT HEALTH BENEFITS

Soluble fiber is found in oats, prunes, pears, peas, beans, and legumes. Eating soluble fibers, like those found in steel cut or rolled oats, slows the absorption of sugar and helps lower blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels and blood sugar levels. This translates into a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Insoluble fiber is plant cellulose which we lack the enzymes to digest. Luckily, those fibrous strings in a celery stalk are the perfect food for the bacteria in our intestines. Insoluble fibers form a “bolus” (or ball of food) that acts like a broom to sweep through the intestines, moving everything down and out. This speeds up bowel transit time, adds bulk to the stool, feeds our gut microbiome, and appears to reduce the rate of colon cancer and diverticulosis. (4),

TIPS FOR GETTING ENOUGH FIBER

• Start your day with a fiber-rich bowl of steel cut oats with nuts and berries; or make a “hash” of greens, onions, Yukon gold potatoes and chicken sausage.

• Enjoy an afternoon snack of an apple or banana with a couple of tablespoons of nut butter.

• Pop some popcorn (organic, please)!

• Have a bowl of red lentil curried dal, minestrone or split pea soup

• Scoop humus or white bean dip with julienned veggies instead of crackers

• Eat several servings per day of the colorful plant foods listed above.

• Supplement with Sunfiber®

I love Sunfiber® because it:

• Delivers 6 grams of water-soluble, prebiotic fiber per scoop

• Is clear, with no taste or gumminess

• Contains no sweeteners, additives or allergens (no dairy, soy, sugar, salt, wheat, eggs, artificial flavors or other potential allergens) 

• Is a pre-biotic fiber that feeds the large intestinal microbiome - while not encouraging small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

• Is a derivative of the guar bean (4) that has been prepared by a microbial enzyme to reduce the viscosity while still providing the health benefits (5)

References

(1) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/topics/heart-disease-deaths

(2) https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051155

(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124841/

(4) https://europepmc.org/article/med/27317834

(5) https://doi.org/10.1186/1423-0127-16-15