But What About the Fiber?

I can’t tell you how many times people criticize juicing because they think they will be losing out on their precious fiber. Let me paint a picture for all you skeptics. The picture below is fiber extracted from:

– 15 Large Carrots
– 8 Fuji Apples
– 3 Oranges
– 8 Cups of Spinach
– 3 Kale Leaves
– Handful of Parsley
– 1 Beet
———————-
65 ounces of juice.

The fiber above weighs in at…3 pounds!

Could you imagine eating all of that food (above) just to get all the 3 lbs of fiber? It would take me at least 3 meals to consume all of the fruits and vegetables listed above. It you were to be honest with yourselves, you’d find that there’s no way you would want to eat this much food just to consume approximately 400 calories. That would be a lot of food and CHEWING for a very small calorie intake. Extracting the juice from the fruits and vegetables allows you to get in those nutrients without getting too full from the fiber. Your body will also be able to absorb more vitamins and minerals than if you were to eat these foods in their entirety.

Fiber is very important, don’t get me wrong. I just think that society tells us that we need fiber, fiber, fiber and that’s how marketers sell you products that don’t give your body what it needs: natural nutrients. If I were to hand you a “fiber bar” that had 200 calories, 30 grams of sugar, contained chocolate, a little caffeine, 10 grams of fiber in it and told you it was “healthy”…would you buy it? Probably. The people over at Fiber One do a great job at selling people what they think they need: fiber. Processed-sugar-bars, aka Fiber One bars do taste good because they’re loaded with sugar, chocolate, and hours and hours of market research. Once companies tell you that you need all this fiber, they’ve got you hooked and they’re raking in all the dough.

In my mind, food should be mostly eaten in its natural state. An apple has about 5 grams of fiber. A banana, about 4 grams. That’s 9 grams right there; the same that’s in a Fiber One bar. How much do fiber one bars cost? About $1 each. 1 apple and 1 banana cost around $0.20. Which is the smarter financial choice?

If you’ve ever gone to a personal trainer and said, “I want to lose weight and get into shape,” they will most likely tell you to shop on the outer perimeter of the grocery store. Why? Because the food in the middle ISN’T ALWAYS GOOD FOR YOU. I’m talking about the fake, processed bars, juices, cereals, ice creams, candy, etc. Although these products are designed to appeal to your appetite, you won’t like how you feel when you’re done eating them. This is because these PRODUCTS (not food) are only there to take money from your wallet.

Making smarter decisions about what you put into your body will give you lasting results. You will spend less time at the doctor, less money on pain medication, and more time doing the things you love to do. Eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet will give you PLENTY of fiber, save you money, and help you feel at your best at all times.