| Is bran a good idea when you're constipated and | | | | have to compete with all the other foods you ate |
| you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? | | | | for breakfast and lunch in the manufacture of |
| The quick answer is, usually not, but it may have | | | | gas. "Dinner bran" is much less likely to irritate the |
| more to do with the kind of bran you eat and | | | | bowel than "breakfast bran." |
| when you eat it. | | | | What if you just don't care for bran? The only |
| Finer bran irritates the stomach and bowel less | | | | other fiber source that's been clinically tested is |
| than coarser bran. Oat bran is less likely to irritate | | | | psyllium. It's available in packets you stir into |
| the bowel than wheat bran. And whatever kind of | | | | water and also in capsule form. And whatever |
| bran you eat, you need about 25 grams of fiber | | | | kind of fiber you eat, don't use laxatives |
| from the bran (a small bowl of oatbran, which is | | | | immediately after eating fiber. The result can be a |
| about half fiber) to help you. | | | | "colon cleansing" that can be most uncomfortable. |
| If you use bran for constipation in irritable bowel | | | | Although most people with IBS have to eat fruits |
| syndrome, when should you eat it? | | | | and vegetables in moderation, better results may |
| Again, the short answer is, you should not eat it | | | | accrue to increasing servings of plant foods rather |
| for breakfast. | | | | than tackling constipation head-on by eating bran. |
| If you eat bran cereal for a light supper at the | | | | And if bran is your first choice, consume it only in |
| end of the day, it has all night to "scrub" your | | | | moderation, too. |
| colon, helping protect against cancer, but it doesn't | | | | |