Dear Reader,

Citrus fruits and apples are particularly rich in pectin. Strawberries and other fruits and vegetables also contain some pectin. Pectin is also added to certain foods, such as jams/jellies, because it acts as a thickening agent since it becomes gel-like when dissolved in water.

Alice does not know if a health care provider or nutritionist made this recommendation for you, but pectins (and gums) are water-soluble dietary fibers that can help lower blood cholesterol levels. In the intestine, it's believed that these fibers bind to bile (produced by the liver from cholesterol), which is then excreted from the body. Other dietary sources of soluble fiber include oat bran, barley, and legumes.

Alice