Why is fiber an essential component of a heart-healthy diet?
Soluble fiber, in things like oat bran, is important for lowering cholesterol levels. It has a direct effect on cholesterol metabolism in your bile and in your liver. Insoluble fiber is important for two main reasons: First, because it helps to push food through the intestinal tract faster. Second, fiber affects your blood-sugar levels. The difference between refined carbs and complex carbs is that the complex, fiber-containing carbs aren’t just not bad for you — they are truly good for you. When you go from white to brown rice or from white flour to whole-wheat flour, you are going from bad carbs to good carbs. That does two good things from a weight standpoint. You fill up before you get too many calories. And you slow the absorption of foods into your bloodstream. If you eat high-fiber carbs, your blood sugar level goes up a little and stays there — so you’re getting a good source of energy. But bad carbs get absorbed very quickly. Your blood sugar is going to zoom way up. Your pa
