Eating soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream which lowers your (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. By eating 6 to 11 grams or more of soluble fiber per day can decrease your overall cholesterol levels. An excellent example of a type of food that contains soluble fiber is oatmeal. Foods like kidney beans, bananas, apples, pears, barley and prunes are also an excellent source of soluble fiber. Consuming 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked oatmeal per day will provide you with about 8g of fiber. If you add fruit like bananas, you will add about another four grams of fiber to your meal. You can also add cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran to your menu of soluble fiber to eat.