08/19/2026
Okra: Soul Food for Heart Health
The star food this week is okra, also because of its wonderful fiber content, and it stands out from barley and other fiber sources in important ways as well.
Okra has been a traditional Southern vegetable for generations now, and is often included in the category of “soul food.” It was first cultivated in Africa, was taken to Europe, and probably first came to North America with French settlers in Louisiana. The rest, as they say, is history. Gumbo, creole stews, and soups of all sorts are fortified with okra. And while not all Southern soul food is that good for you, okra is a great choice.
Let me briefly remind you of the really encouraging study I quoted last week. Recall the 2003 JAMA article which divided overweight adults with high cholesterol into three groups. Everyone stayed on a low-fat diet. One group got that and nothing more. The next got low-fat plus a statin drug to reduce cholesterol; the third group got low-fat plus added soluble fiber from grains, plant sterols, and almonds, and no statin drug. The fact of the study I did not mention last week is that the authors went out of their way to add foods high in viscous fiber to the third group. And one of only two vegetables they emphasized for the fiber content was, you guessed it, okra. And in case you forgot, the fiber group and the statin group had equal reduction in LDL cholesterol after a month, and they both also equally decreased a marker of dangerous inflammation for the heart called CRP. The low-fat diet alone did not do either of those. This is the clearest possible evidence that purposely adding foods to your daily intake which are high in soluble fiber can save your heart, and save your life.
Just another brief word about the qualities of the fiber in okra. Okra's fiber not only lowers cholesterol, but can also help normalize blood sugar by decreasing the speed with which sugar is absorbed. This soothing fiber also helps to regulate bowel function, improves colon health, and speeds the removal of toxins from the body. And its high content of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and magnesium complete its healthy cargo.
Okra is easy to enjoy added to any vegetable soup or stew, and you could keep it simple with stewed okra and tomatoes. For your heart, please stay away from the fried okra in restaurants (re-used grease...). But here's a more elegant recipe I have created based on a similar idea from Gourmet magazine.
Italian Okra with Chickpeas
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 1 medium onion and 3 cloves crushed garlic with ¼ teaspoon oregano and ¼ cup fresh basil leaves. Add a 14-15 ounce can of chopped tomatoes with their juice, and 2 cups drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Add 2/3 cup water and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Finally stir in two 10 ounce packages frozen okra, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until okra is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve over rice.
Robert Pendergrast, MD, MP
