Jackson Fiber Cocktail (JFC)

• If you wish to learn more about fiber and how and why this formula was designed, continue to read below.

The Nitty Gritty On Fiber

The manufacturers of food, dairy products and bowel supplements try to make fiber sound simple. They will imply that all fiber is about the same, that it is good for you and that the more you eat the better. Some of this is true. However, fiber is not that simple. In fact, there are a great many types of fiber. Each likely has different effects in the body. Consider:

• No plant fiber is digested by the small bowel.
• All of it reaches the colon or large bowel unchanged.
• Every plant has many types of fiber, some of which are of interest only to food chemists.
• There are tens of thousands of edible plants in the world and each will have its own makeup with varying amounts and types of different, some beneficial, some innocuous fiber.
• So, let’s keep it simple. From a health standpoint, there are two broad categories of fiber – insoluble and soluble. All plants have both soluble and insoluble fiber in them. However, the percentage of each varies widely.

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is not fermented or acted on by colon bacteria. The word, ferment, means that it is metabolized. Some plants are mostly insoluble. Wheat and corn are about 90% insoluble fiber. Oats are about 50% insoluble. A variety of health benefits occur when generous amounts of these insoluble fibers are ingested. Bowel regularity is the most common and obvious benefit. There is also evidence that colon polyps and cancer risk can be reduced. There is evidence to suggest that other health benefits occur with insoluble fiber, but these benefits are not as certain as medical researchers would like to see.

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber does dissolve in water. In the colon it is often used by different colon bacteria as a food source to enhance bacterial growth and, in some cases, provide health benefits. For the consumer, there are two important categories of soluble fiber. Click here for an essay on Prebiotics.

Psyllium has been around for a very long time. It is a common over-the-counter bulking agent for the bowel. Its main advantage is that it contains mucilage. Mucilage is a substance that becomes very sticky and gelatinous when mixed with water. Within the bowel, it is very good at increasing stool bulk. It has also been found to reduce cholesterol by 5% or so, probably by preventing absorption of cholesterol in the small bowel. No other health benefits have been demonstrated with psyllium.

Prebiotics are the most recently discovered, important category of soluble fiber. Prebiotics by definition are used by certain beneficial colon bacteria as a food source. These bacteria, in turn, create an impressive list of health benefits that medical science has recently uncovered. The ones most studied are oligofructose (FOS) and inulin. Combined, they are known as oligofructose enriched inulin. GOS, galacto-oligosaccharide from milk, is another prebiotic that likely has some benefits, but there is much less clinical data on this.

Wheat Bran is almost all insoluble fiber. It has a very long history of promoting bowel regularity.

There are other soluble fibers in plant foods. None of them are harmful that we know and, to varying degrees, they may provide health benefits. However, there is just not enough medical data to say what they are.

The following chart lists the health and colon benefits that are known for these three categories of fiber. Research in this area is ongoing. Some of the following benefits have been shown by results in laboratory and animal studies. Others, such as the effect on calcium absorption and enhanced bone density, are now well-documented by human studies.

You can see that different fibers do different things in the colon and body. That is why eating 25-35 grams of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains each day is so healthy. You almost certainly get a generous blend of both the soluble and insoluble fibers. However, you would not get psyllium as this plant is not available as a food but only as a dietary supplement powder.

Jackson Fiber Cocktail

The original JFC was designed in the mid-1990s.  This drink provides over 20 grams of fiber, B vitamins, magnesium and a small amount of iron, 5 grams of protein, and about 20 calories.  The dose can be adjusted and split into two daily doses, 8-10 hours apart.  It is always best to start with small amounts of fiber and then increase it as tolerated.

At the time of the creation of the original JFC recipe, the era of prebiotic soluble fibers had not yet dawned. So, prebiotic fibers, along with all their health benefits, may be incorporated into this formula.

Oligofructose enriched inulin (Prebiotin™) – This can be purchased in bulk at jacksongi.com. You are encouraged to search oligofructose enriched inulin on Google.

Ready-made as PREBIOCIL™

For those who wish to have the JFC ready-made in a wide-top container, this is now available as PrebiocilTM. Click here for ordering.

This mix is best added to a beverage of your choice and vigorously stirred. There is a slight natural sweetness to the mix so it can be taken just with water. A handheld battery-operated mixer/frother such as Aerolatte quickly gets the mix blended well. A level or even a heaping tablespoon once a day is recommended. Placing the formula in a mini food processor with skim milk, nonfat yogurt and fruits, such as berries, provides added fiber, antioxidants, flavoring, probiotics and enough calories to get you started in the morning. It tastes and has the feel of a smoothie.

The JFC can be readily used with any probiotic bacterial preparation such as is found in yogurt, other dairy products and pills. In fact, for probiotics to exert their best results, you want to provide the prebiotic foods and/or supplements that make them grow prodigiously.

Good luck! Let us know how this works for you.