Root Science

We used to know fiber only for its role in bulking up stool and improving regular bowel movements, but our understanding of fiber has expanded. Good gut bacteria digest fiber and use it to make short-chain fatty acids, which have a number of health-promoting effects, including:

✅ suppressing the growth of bad bacteria
✅ enhancing absorption of minerals (specifically, calcium)
✅ improving insulin sensitivity
✅ lowering colon cancer risk

While fiber itself has many health benefits, some of the protective effects may actually be due to the presence of polyphenols, a class of phytonutrients found in plant foods, 80% of which may be complexed with fiber. So, adding a fiber supplement is not equivalent to consuming whole plant foods. What’s more, and juicing not only strips away the fiber but also many of these beneficial polyphenols.

Why are polyphenols important?

Polyphenols are among the frontrunners in developing dietary approaches to fight age-related disease. More than 8,000 different polyphenols have been identified in plant foods, yet only a small proportion have had their health effects recorded. The largest class of polyphenols are the flavonoids. Plant eaters may consume more than 4,000 different types of flavonoids on a daily basis.

Berries are especially rich in polyphenols. Anthocyanins, a subgroup of polyphenols responsible for the red, blue, and purple pigments in plants, can cross our blood-brain barrier and localize in brain regions involved in learning and memory.

The bottom line: Blending fruits and vegetables preserves the fiber and attached polyphenols, giving us the full health benefits of eating plant-based foods.

Watch the video “Juicing Removes More Than Just Fiber” at https://see.nf/44lCiUX and “How to Get Enough Polyphenols for Life Extension” at https://see.nf/4ksvCvs to learn more.
PMIDs: 22747080, 24230488, 24528224, 9706145, 20540148, 25919227, 23095074, 31208133, 28606222, 22658645, 28970777

DOI: 10.1021/jf00043a017
doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.02.004

If your morning looks anything like mine, today probably won’t include a long, candlelit bath or an uninterrupted cup of coffee. Mine starts with two small humans who have opinions about socks, and ends — eventually — with a walk to the park.

But somewhere in between the socks and the park, there’s a small window that’s just mine. Five minutes at the bathroom sink. It’s not much. But it’s enough.
In the morning, I press a few pumps of Arctic-C into my palms with one drop of Firm, and smooth it over my face and neck before SPF. The vitamin C goes on first, actively working underneath while I’m pushing a stroller toward the swings.

At night, after the kids are down and the house finally goes quiet, I do the same gesture with Botanic-A and another drop of Firm. Bakuchiol is the ingredient I reach for in the evening — gentle enough that I don’t have to think about it the next day, but doing real work while I sleep.

And on Sunday evenings, once everyone is in bed, I give myself a little more. A mask — usually Detox if my skin has a blemish or two, or Reborn if my pores need a deep clean. Twenty minutes with a book, or sometimes just twenty minutes of quiet. It’s the one ritual of the week that’s mine, and I’ve stopped feeling guilty about needing it.

That’s the whole thing. Five minutes in the morning, five at night, twenty on Sundays. No spa day, no twelve-step routine. Just a few small choices, on repeat, that I trust to give back over time.

If today is a slow one for you, I hope you take the long version of those five minutes. And if it’s a busy one — park, errands, someone else’s needs first — I hope you make the most of the short version, and don’t apologize for it.

💕Gígja