Wheat bran is a rich source of dietary fiber. Like oat bran, wheat bran was once used as livestock feed. Thankfully, it is not restricted to just that anymore. It’s finally recognized for its incredible health benefits.
We all know that fiber is good for health, but do you know why? Fiber-rich foods reduce your chances of having constipation or diarrhea. Basically, fiber aids digestion and keeps digestive problems at bay. Remember that the benefits are dependent on the type of fiber you eat. Your body reacts differently to different types of fibers.
There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber. Wheat bran is an insoluble fiber source that keeps you regular. That’s not it! Additionally, wheat bran helps lower your cholesterol levels, keeps your blood sugar in check, helps you lose and maintain weight, and strengthens your immune system.
1. Keeps You Full Longer
Like any dietary fiber, wheat bran can play a key role in losing and maintaining weight by staving off your hunger pangs. Wheat bran regulates your appetite and leaves you feeling full and satisfied. This mechanism directly promotes less food intake and also aids healthy eating and weight management.12
2. Relieves Constipation
Including wheat bran in your daily diet keeps you regular. If you are often constipated, adding more of wheat bran to your diet can get things moving.3
It helps improve your overall digestive health by reducing constipation, hemorrhoids, leakage of stool, and other gastrointestinal disorders.
3. Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure causes excess strain and damages your arteries. Consuming wheat bran has shown significant reductions in blood pressure. It has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular diseases. Making wheat bran a part of your overall diet may help improve blood cholesterol levels, and lower risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.4
4. Prevents Colon Cancer
Studies have proved that diets containing wheat bran are protective against colon cancer development. Wheat bran helps form bulky stools that carry away the carcinogens rapidly, limiting the exposure of the colon cells to the carcinogens. As insoluble fiber, wheat bran also ferments in the colon, producing short-chain fatty acids which feed the beneficial gut bacteria. This in turn reduces the risk of cancer development and growth.5
Wheat bran is also a concentrated source of antioxidants and phytochemicals that effectively fight free radicals and prevent serious conditions like cancer, while nourishing the healthy cells.6
How To Eat Wheat Bran
The best way forward is that you always get wheat bran from food rather than from fiber supplements. The daily recommended intake of fiber is 25 grams for a 2000-calorie diet.
1. Breakfast Cereal
Heat some water in a pan. Add anything between 2 tablespoons and half a cup of wheat bran, your favorite fruits, and a pinch of sugar. Cook for a few minutes. Enjoy your nutrient-rich breakfast!
You can sprinkle some wheat bran on your regular hot or cold breakfast cereal too.
2. Pancakes
Who said pancakes can’t be healthy? They can be if you add wheat bran as the main ingredient in your pancake recipe. Add wheat bran with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs and milk to the mix; stir and make the batter thick.
Pour a quarter cup of batter for each pancake on a heated non-stick pan. Cook for 2 minutes until it becomes light brown in color and then flip it. Cook the other side for another minute.
3. Muffins
- Line the muffin tray with muffin cases.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and add some oil of your choice.
- Add milk and sugar. Whisk until you have a smooth mix.
- Sift in the wheat bran flour, add baking powder, and salt and mix until it is smooth.
- Fill the muffin cases up to two-thirds capacity and bake for 45 mins at 180°C.
- Transfer the cases to a wire rack and let the muffins cool.
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