Fibe-Mini

Brand: Otsuka

Cost: 113 yen

Found at: Family Mart

I have never been as conscientious about the things that I put in my body as other people have told me that I should be. In fact, I have this bad habit of “shooting first” in my interactions with food: reading the nutritional label only after I’ve already had a significant portion. It has to do with my chronic contrarianism. Instructed to be vigilant that my food was natural, healthy, low-calorie, high-protein, and additive-free, I stopped reading labels all together just to be difficult. No one can tell me how to live my life – even if that does mean that I occasionally eat something that is fantastically expired. That’s the price of freedom.

It’s funny that, as an adult, I finally understand Alice’s “drink me” bottles.

And so, I had no idea what polydextrose was when I read the label. It sounded ominously chemical, but I assumed that they couldn’t sell it in the convenience store if it was poisonous and I also reasoned that, since I was on my way home, I was probably safe if it turned out to be a potent laxative. So, I drank the cute little bottle of pink, grapefruit-flavored liquid, and waited to look up the ingredients until I got home. Turns out that polydextrose is a dietary fiber, which can aid in both weight loss and digestive health. Throw in a little vitamin C to improve my natural beauty, and I think that I got off pretty lightly for my experiment. It even tastes good! It’s light and refreshing and goes down easy. There is some discussion online that too much polydextrose can cause some gastrointestinal discomfort so I might not drink 2 bottles, but for the fun vitamin shot experience, it’s cheap, tasty, and comes in a cool-looking glass bottle.