The study shows that when we eat fiber from grains we are likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure and less homocysteine. Fiber from vegetables also leads to lower blood pressure and homocysteine, but not a lower BMI. Fiber from fruit is also associated with lower blood pressure, but in addition it has a connection with a lower waist-to-hip ratio.

Then there is the fiber contained in dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Of primary importance to people with diabetes is its positive association with lower blood glucose levels. But fiber from this source has many other benefits including a lower BMI, waist-to-hip ratio and fasting apo B.

The least well-known of these terms is apo B. It occurs in low density lipoprotein (LDL), known familiarly as the bad cholesterol.

Of course, you can get fiber in pill form, too. These supplements may be pure fiber, but there is actually not much fiber in them. It’s much better to get your fiber from whole foods, which provide vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Everybody tells us that we have to stop eating so much of this and that, specifically starches and sugars, fat and even protein. But there’s one exception. Almost all of us need more fiber. Consider it a free food.