A Wheat Bran Lesson
Good morning, blog friends! 
Are you ready for Tuesday?!
Over the weekend, I purchased a package of Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran at the grocery store. Initially, a sale sign caught my attention, but once I read the wheat bran’s nutritional information, I knew it would be a great addition to my diet, particularly my morning bowl of oats!
In the mix:
- 1/3 cup dry oats
- 1/4 cup wheat berries
- 1/4 cup wheat bran
- 1/2 cup vanilla hemp milk
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- Raisins
- 2 scoops of Teddie PB
Wheat Bran is an excellent source of natural food fiber with 6g per 1/4 cup (30 calories, 2g protein, 0.5g naturally occurring polyunsaturated fat). The addition of wheat bran to my oats this morning gave them a full-bodied and hearty texture.
Wheat bran also works well in baked goods, which you will see later today with my recent baking creation. 
Wheat Bran
From wisegeek.com
What is Wheat Bran?
Most grains, like wheat and oats, have a hard outer layer. When they are processed, this layer becomes a byproduct, and is called bran. In the case of processing wheat to make wheat flour, one gets miller’s or wheat bran. Wheat bran is packed with nutrition, and offers many dietary benefits.
Health Benefits
Wheat bran is beneficial toward providing digestive regularity and ending constipation because it is very high in dietary fiber. Some also claim that foods containing wheat bran provide a feeling of fullness. This claim may be true, since wheat bran tends to absorb water and expand in the digestive system.
Nutritional Information
One cup of wheat bran contains 99% of the US recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber, nine grams of protein, and 34% of the RDA for iron. Wheat bran is also high in protein, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin B6, and is low in fat, with no cholesterol, and no sugar or sodium.
How to Add Wheat Bran to Your Diet
One can purchase wheat bran in bulk, which makes it quite easy to add to cereals like granola or to baked goods. Wheat bran muffins are a natural choice, but adding wheat bran to pancakes, biscuits, waffles, or even cookies is a great way to bulk up the nutritional value of a food. Some people even take wheat bran in powdered form as a way of getting their needed dietary fiber each day. A small amount of wheat bran can be added to smoothies, especially when it is finely powdered.
Taste and Texture
Wheat bran has a sweet taste, but not all find it appealing. Its texture is dry and flaky, but provides a full-bodied texture when added to foods.
Storage
Wheat bran cannot be stored like regular wheat flour. It tends to get rancid and is best stored in the refrigerator, especially if one plans to store it for long. Alternately, it may be stored in a vacuum-sealed canister at a moderate temperature. If you note that the wheat bran tastes bitter, it is probably rancid, and should be discarded.
Question of the Day
What new food did you randomly try, but now is an important part of your diet?
Posted by: Tina 54 comments
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: wheat bran
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:14 am
NO WAY! I just bought wheat bran on sale too. Now I’ve got to use it!
Happy Tuesday!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Happy Tuesday! I recently tried beet greens and now I love them!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:27 am
wow so much fiber! Definitely have to try it. I randomly tried flax and now have it every day.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:38 am
The food that I randomly tried and is now an important part of my diet = PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER!!! 10.5 GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER SERVING (which is 2 tablespoons)!!!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:53 am
What a coincidence! i just bought wheat bran for the first time this weekend, and made whole wheat- wheat bran raisin muffins last night, and they came out great! A very dense, but moist muffin.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I’ve been meaning to get some wheat bran as I’ve never really used it. Thanks for the lesson. The foods I randomly try – anything that catches my eye and has nutritional claims (for review on Iateapie.net
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:03 am
must try wheat bran in my oats! looks great.
The food that I randomly tried and is now an important part of my diet = oat bran, i bought it not knowing if id like it or not, but now i eat it almost every morning!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Great wheat bran lesson – I’m adding it to my grocery shopping list!
Before seeing pumpkin puree splashed across the blogosphere, I never would have thought of using it for anything but pie. Now I use is almost every week! Wheat berries are another discovery that I use frequently.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I think the most “experimental” i’ve been with food but now cannot live without-is canned pumpkin. I love baking with it, adding it to oats, and to yogurt! It’s so versatile and tasty!!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Oat bran! I love oat bran. I bought it randomly and I am obsessed.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:09 am
I bought wheat bran because I saw many bloggers are adding it to the oats, but wasn’t sure the benefits of it. Thanks for the info.
Food that randomly try and loved it now? mm… greek yogurt in the first place, oat bran in the second place and PB , BB….. the list continues!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I never really knew what wheat bran was, that was really interesting! I think I have phases where I randomly buy something, have it in my diet for a while, then forget about it. I once had this huge cabbage phase; I’d never really eaten it and then I was eating it almost every day, and then I just stopped again.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I was sent an assortment of Salba products – http://www.salba.com. It’s a seed, similar to flax but better. I have it every day!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:36 am
i tried oat bran for the first time a couple months ago, and now i love it more than oats. i’ve never tried wheat bran, but it’s next to the oat bran in the bulk aisle of whole foods… so perhaps i’ll pick up a cup next time i go.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:38 am
ha, I baked something with wheat bran last night, too! I can’t wait to see yours
I am loving oatbran now. I still love my oats, but oatbran is so light yet so filling.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:39 am
YUM! i love wheat bran! My mom used to experiment with all sorts of grain hot cereals when I was little, and I loved how nutty wheat bran tasted.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I think I randomly tried tofu. I’m not a vegetarian or anything, but I wanted to experiment with it. And now I just keep on going
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Great way to start the day!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Thanks for the wheat bran lesson!! My random food – tofu! My mom always said it was horrible but after seeing it on the blogs, both her and I are converts! Happy Tuesday
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Plain yogurt…. AND NOW IM ADDICTED! It’s bad my friend, bad, but oh so good!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 9:52 am
millet– i saw it once in the bulk bins and bought a cup, and now it’s one of my favorite whole grains!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 9:53 am
nut butters for sure!
Since i don’t eat meat, they give me a ton of added protein
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:05 am
i tried kabocha and now i’m in love.
wheat bran sounds so cool!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Kombucha, love it!! Other purchases include: spelt bread, tofutti cream cheese, wasabi peas and Imagine brand soups.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I’m in the club with the people who tried oat bran and got hooked. I love the stuff! I’d also say that I have a strange love of roasted turnips, which I tried because there were turnips in my weekly produce box and didn’t know what else to do with them.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:20 am
hey tina! long time reader but i rarely comment… i love the wheat bran lesson this morning, i can’t wait to get some this weekend! quick question: how are you liking your garmin 305? i am really interested in getting one but want to know a little bit more about what it’s like to work out with one. is it bulky on your wrist? do you have to wear the chest strap to get your heart rate, and how often do you do this/how comfortable is it? thanks so much in advance!!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I love wheat bran! I’m glad you’re bringing it back in style
I live for flaxseeds now!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:46 am
i randomly tried wheat berries and now i can’t get enough of them! i like them in both sweet and savory dishes (in salads and mixed into my oats with dried fruit)!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Hmmm I’ve been very curious about wheat bran lately…maybe I’ll give it a shot??
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 11:02 am
I saw wheat bran in whole foods last week and was unsure about whether or not to buy it. Maybe i will give it a go.
Seems like my answer to these questions are always the same. Greek yogurt!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 11:16 am
This is going to sound mundane, but the answer to your question is mushrooms. I was convinced I hated them but gave them a try a year or so ago when I was losing weight. Now I love them and could eat them with every meal.
I also love wheat bran. I love to make bran muffins. Mmmm.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Peanut butter. Growing up I always thought I hated it, then one last year I decided to try some of my sisters. Turns out I love it and now have it every day!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Tofu…I used to hate it, but now i have it at least weekly. I’m definitely going to try wheatbran – it sounds great!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Wow, that’s all I need to hear. I gotta get me some wheat bran! I bought dates a few months back as an experimental buy, and now they are my favourite snack. I used to be a chocoholic, but now I eat a couple dates a day and it totally curbs my sweet tooth!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
It’s me again! I know how you love trying new and healthy foods. Well, I just posted my very first giveaway on my gluten free gidget blog! Check it out and good luck!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Dates… and I tried them because of you, hehe, they’re delicious.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
@Jen: My Garmin is great! It takes for-ever to find satellites in my area, but other than that, I like it a lot. It is somewhat bulky on my wrist– it just takes some getting used to. I don’t currently wear the chest strap for the heart rate monitor– mostly because I can’t wear it comfortably, but maybe I will try to wear it again.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
My favorite food find was greek yogurt- the texture scared me, but then I started using it for things other than the traditional yogurt bfast and I was a convert!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I totally put wheat bran in most of my baking goods. I think it works the best in breads like pumpkin bread and banana bread. I also sprinkle some oats and WB on the top with some cinammon to give a nice texture to the crust.
I love the expression on Mal’s face in the picture of him eating Wendy’s. IF only my boyfriend felt guilty about eating fast food–but it’s one of his staples and what can I say. It gives me a reason to steal a few fries every now and then–satisfies my craving without me having to eat a whole meal.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Tina, I don’t think you should copy and paste information like this from other websites, especially word for word like you do here without crediting the source (wisegeek, in this case). I’ve noticed you do this a lot, and as your site grows, you’re more and more likely to get caught. I don’t think you want that to happen! I’m a writer, and people work hard to write original content like this – stealing them without credit just isn’t fair or ethical.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I need to start doing stuff like that – adding things to bulk up nutritionals. I have wheat bran in my fridge for baking (when the recipe calls for it) but I’ve never thought of randomly adding it to oats or yogurt (like I do with ground flaxseed). Good idea!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
What a great start to the day! I’ve been wanting to try Wheat Bran — looks great!
I now CRAVE REAL eggs — after avoiding them FOREVER! I finally realized the amazing nutritional benefits of eating REAL, organic, cage-free eggs.
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I love wheatbran!! I wish I did take more time to make it more often. Plus I had no idea it was so high in iron! wa-hoo!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Hummas, I put it on my sandwich everday, much better than mustard or mayo
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I randomly tried oatmeal (this was obv. a while back) and still can’t get enought of it =)
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
My boyfriend is a chef and made the most amazing salmon dish with sauteed spinach and quinoa. Quinoa is one of my most favorite grains! I’ll add it to salads or just eat it out of the tupperware!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Oatmeal I suppose. I mean I ate it as a kid with brown sugar. But that’s it. It wasn’t until I grew up that I discovered the wonderful world of add-ins!!!
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
[...] A Wheat Bran Lesson [...]
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I love the info. I just purchased some wheat bran and haven’t been quite sure what to do with it as I got it out of the bulk bins!
on Apr 8th, 2009 at 12:11 am
wheat germ! I didn’t even know what it was when I first bought it–now I can’t get enough of it:)
on Apr 9th, 2009 at 7:07 am
[...] A Wheat Bran Lesson [...]
on Apr 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] found some wheat bran to start adding to my oats. I became all gung-ho about it after reading Tina’s post on its benefits, including 6g of fiber per 1/4 cup serving.I thought for sure this bowl of fiber [...]
on May 10th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
[...] to Tina and her wheat bran lesson, I bought a bag from Bob’s Red Mill on my last shopping trip and let me tell you, my wheat [...]
on Aug 3rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
[...] wheat bran adds a nice texture and helps with satiety. For more about wheat bran, check out this post from Tina of Carrots ‘n’ Cake. Lunch: leftover roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and [...]