Product of the week: WHEAT BRAN
These tiny flakes are the husks that are separated from cereal grains before the latter are milled into flour. Bran should not be confused with chaff, which is coarse and surrounds the grain without being part of it. Bran contains part of the grain’s endosperm, and the more endosperm it has, the more nutritious it is. Bran is removed during the flour-making process and sold separately.
- Promotes digestive health as it is a source of insoluble fibre.
- It also acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
In addition to being an excellent source of dietary fiber, wheat bran is also rich in manganese, magnesium, selenium and phosphorus. It’s also low in calories and fat, while supplying a good amount of protein per serving.
One ounce (around 28g) of wheat bran contains approximately:
- 60.5 calories
- 18.1 grams carbohydrates
- 4.4 grams protein
- 1.2 grams fat
- 12 grams dietary fiber
- 3.2 milligrams manganese (161 percent DV)
- 171 milligrams magnesium (43 percent DV)
- 21.7 micrograms selenium (31 percent DV)
- 284 milligrams phosphorus (28 percent DV)
- 3.8 milligrams niacin (19 percent DV)
- 0.4 milligrams vitamin B6 (18 percent DV)
- 3 milligrams iron (16 percent DV)
- 2 milligrams zinc (14 percent DV)
- 0.3 milligrams copper (14 percent DV)
- 0.1 milligrams thiamine (10 percent DV)
- 0.2 milligrams riboflavin (10 percent DV)
- 331 milligrams potassium (9 percent DV)
- 22 micrograms folate (6 percent DV)
- 0.6 milligrams pantothenic acid (6 percent DV)