Ready to give your health a clean sweep? Then consider fiber — nature’s broom, says Toby Smithson, RDN, LDN, CDE, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies. Found in plant-based foods, fiber is a carbohydrate that the body can’t digest, which helps slow the rise in blood sugar following a meal. There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble, and they’ve both got big benefits. “Foods high in soluble fiber become gummy or sticky as they pass through the digestive tract, helping to reduce the absorption of cholesterol,” Smithson explains. Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve and promotes bowel regularity. Studies have shown that people who consume more fiber have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A diet rich in fiber can also help to reduce fasting glucose levels in those already living with diabetes. However, individual responses to this type of dietary intervention have been variable.