Fibre is one of the topics that comes up almost every time I speak about juicing at workshops, seminars and food festivals. It is also a hot top when working with coaching clients who are looking to adopt a plant strong lifestyle.
People worry that when juicing fresh fruits and vegetables all the fibre is removed. After all, isn’t fibre an important nutrient?
You have probably heard the saying you are what you eat. This is not strictly true. We are, in fact, what our cells manage to absorb from what we eat.
When eating fruits and vegetables, our bodies extract the nutrient rich water from the fibre as part of the digestive process. This is similar to the way a juicer works, as it too separates the liquid form the fibrous pulp.
As the late Jay Kordich (sometimes referred to as the father of modern juicing) is famous for saying it is “the juice of the fibre that feeds you”.
Besides there is fibre in juice
There are two main types of fibre in fruits and vegetables: soluble and insoluble.Whilst juicing removes the insoluble fibre, the soluble fibre is still present in the juice.
Soluble fibre, such as pectin, is found in a range of produce including apples, pears, oranges, cucumbers and carrots. It partially dissolves in water and forms a type of gel that is not digested.
The soluble fibre (which can be thought of as lots of little sponges that mop up some of the liquid) act as a prebiotic, which helps to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microorganisms (good bacteria).
Soluble fibre may also help to slow your body’s breakdown of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, helping with blood sugar control.
Unlike soluble fibre, insoluble fibre does not dissolve at all and helps add bulk to your stools. Insoluble fibre is especially important for digestive health, acting a bit like a broom, sweeping clean our intestines and colon. Insoluble fibre is important to ongoing health, but high levels are not required in every meal.
When we remove the insoluble fibre and are left with only the liquid part of the plant, it makes it easier for our bodies to assimilate and absorb nutrients.
For example, when eating a typical meal it takes about 6-8 hours for food to pass through the stomach and small intestine. Further digestion then takes place when the food moves into the large intestine before the insoluble fibre is eliminated from the body. The full process of digestion can often take between 24 and 72 hours to complete. By comparison, drinking freshly extracted juices can allow for nutrients to be absorbed in as little as 15-20 minutes.
A 2017 study, led by Imperial College London, suggests that whilst 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day is good for you, doubling this to 10 portions per day could prevent up to 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide every year.
Soluble fibre may also help to slow your body’s break-down of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, helping with blood sugar control.
The condition of our bodies is inextricably linked to how we feed them. Our bodies are constantly changing with 98% of the atoms in the body being replaced in less than a year. It is the nutrients we absorb from our food that are used to build and repair our bodies with new cells.
If you want to double your intake of nutrients from fruit and vegetables then drinking them may be the answer you are looking for!
References: <a href=”https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death“>https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death
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Inside this Autumn issue:
• The Brain Food Diet – foods to nourish your grey matter
• Why we’re lacking in Vitamin B12 and what does it mean
• How to eat for your specific body type
• The power of kombucha
• Different sugars and the effect they have on the body
• How Important is calcium in our diets
• Food stories with CNM – natural therapies restored my health
• HOT PRODUCTS
• The science behind our food cravings
• Yoga and nutrition – the perfect pairing
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Recipes including: Late Autumn Gazpacho / Warming Baked Squash / Avocado Sushi Mango Makis / Kale, Banana and Ginger Smoothie Bowl / Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake / Cranberry and Pumkin Seed Flapjacks
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