Summary: We know we are supposed to eat more fiber. But not all fiber is created equal. Dr. Janet Brill gives us the lowdown on the various kind of fiber.<br> <br> Host: Gloria Tsang, RD<br> Guest: Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D, RD, LDN<br> <br> 2400 Americans die of heart disease every day, that's an average of 1 death every 37 seconds. What can we do about it? For one, we know that a high-fiber plant-based diet can help prevent or lower the incidence of heart disease. Nutrition Expert Dr. Janet Brill, author of the book Cholesterol Down: 10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in 4 weeks gives us the lowdown on fiber.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Transcript:<br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for HealthCastle.com. 2400 Americans die of heart disease every day, that's an average of 1 death every 37 seconds. What can we do about it? For one, we know that a high-fiber plant-based diet can help prevent or lower the incidence of heart disease. Joining me today is Nutrition Expert Dr. Janet Brill, author of the book Cholesterol Down: 10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in 4 weeks. She is here today to give us a lowdown on fiber. Welcome back Dr. Brill.<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: Thank you Gloria. It's a pleasure to be back.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Last year, you talked to us about foods that can lower cholesterol. It is American Heart Month again and I can't wait to invite you back. Briefly tell us how fiber intake can promote heart health.<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: Let me make it very clear. Dietary fiber is one of the most important weapons in our fight against heart disease, the number one cause of death in American men and women. So people who eat a higher fiber, whole grain rich diet have a significantly reduced risk of heart disease.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Now, the recommended level of fiber intake for adult women is 25 grams per day and 38 grams for men per day but data shows that most North Americans only eat half of the recommended levels. Why is it so hard to get enough fiber?<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: I think the problem is that people simply are not choosing to eat enough of the healthful foods that are high in fiber. Or perhaps the popularity of the low carb / high protein diets which are extremely low in fiber. Maybe people are eating too much fast food; it's hard to find high fiber foods in your fast food restaurants. The best thing that people can do is to embrace healthy carbs because that's where the fiber is - in the whole grains, the brown rice, the dark, dense breads with bran, fruits,vegetables, legumes and nuts. All of these are heart healthy, high fiber foods. And by the way, beans are your heart's best friend. They are a fabulous food - packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals and are ridiculously cheap. For a few cents, you get a whole lot of nutrition and lots of fiber.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: And I think beans are totally a type of good that people don't pay attention to. It's so easy to cook with canned beans.<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: It's really unfortunate.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Absolutely.<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: Americans seem to have passed over beans, which are so fabulous. For example, if you had just a bowl of split pea soup (which is a legume), that would give you half of your daily fiber requirement, just in a little bowl of soup.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: One of the top pages on HealthCastle.com is about soluble fiber versus insoluble fiber. So which fiber is actually good for the heart?<br> <br> Janet Brill, PhD, RD: When you are thinking heart, it's going to be the soluble one but I just want to make it clear that both types are really good for your health. They have different physiological effects. Insoluble (fiber) promotes digestive health and bowel regularity. When it comes to heart health,
