In today's fast-paced life, people often forget to take care of their stomach. Frequent snacking, fast food, canned food - all this causes irreparable harm to the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to its obstruction. To avoid this, adherents of a healthy lifestyle advise taking bran to cleanse the intestines.
Bran contains a complex of useful substances, vitamins, and minerals for the whole body. To cleanse the intestines, they are taken both in courses and prophylactically. What is so useful about them, and is there any harm from them?
Benefits of bran
Bran is a by-product when grains are processed to make flour. In early times, people considered them worthless trash. And only people of the lower class ate them. Only a few knew that the remains of cereals were not just waste, but foods rich in vitamins and nutrients.
They include B vitamins, as well as vitamins A and E. In addition, many microelements are also included in their composition: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper. And the biggest benefit of bran is pure fiber.
The properties of this product are quite varied:
- cholesterol reduction;
- purgation;
- restoration of metabolism;
- getting rid of problems with stool;
- weight loss;
- removal of toxins;
- maintaining sex hormones;
- toning the body.
Bran should be used with caution by people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. After all, cleansing involves certain severe measures of impact on digestion. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before taking it.
Product Types
The flour product is extracted from any type of grain: wheat, rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, rye, and so on. To determine which type is best for you, you need to familiarize yourself with their features. They all differ in quality (composition) and price:
- Rice bran will contain more vitamin B, fatty acids and high nutritional value.
- Wheat grains are considered the lightest, richest in nutrients and least nutritious.
- Buckwheat is highly valued and considered rare. They are dominated by phosphorus and iron, as well as groups of vitamins A and E.
- But oatmeal is the most accessible. But, nevertheless, they provide the greatest benefit, since they contain the highest amount of fiber. It is a polysaccharide, that is, natural, quickly soluble. This speeds up the cleansing of the body and renews metabolism.
- Mustard bran is extremely rare. They are used mainly not for food, but for mustard plasters (their “sharp” layer).
- Flaxseeds are often found in various culinary seasonings.
Contraindications
Bran is a completely harmless product, effective and healthy. However, due to the fact that they are made by processing whole grains, there are objective restrictions and contraindications for their internal use. Among the medical restrictions, the main ones can be listed:
- Disorder of the excretory system, stool, liquid diarrhea (the process can be aggravated due to the activating properties of bran).
- The presence of adhesions in the stomach and abdominal region (their origin can be of any kind).
- Development of gastric ulcers, pathologies of the duodenum.
- Clearly expressed irritable bowel syndrome, etc.
Important: it is not recommended to combine bran with medications aimed at regulating the gastrointestinal tract. Otherwise, the effect of using bran will be neutralized.
There are no other contraindications. During pregnancy, there are also no restrictions on the use of this product, however, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the product and its nutritional value. For gastritis, it can be taken if there is no pain syndrome and there is no acute stage, otherwise bran can aggravate the patient’s condition.
We hope that this article will be useful to everyone who is looking for simple and effective methods of healing and losing weight. Natural bran is an effective and healthy herbal product for cleansing the body and proper nutrition; it should be used by almost everyone.
Bowel function
Under the influence of careful contractions, food is pushed through the intestines. In the duodenum, it breaks down into fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In the small intestine, beneficial substances are digested and absorbed into the blood through the release of acid and certain enzymes. In the large intestine, heavy substances are processed, water is absorbed and feces are formed.
This is where the stool problem catches us. Since our unhealthy diet contains a lot of heavy chemicals, salts, fast carbohydrates, and toxins, the body does not have time to cope with the entire load. What cannot and does not have time to be absorbed into the intestinal walls and blood settles on the intestines. By accumulating all this crap, the intestines gradually become clogged and become difficult to pass.
The following factors contribute to this:
- insufficient water consumption;
- lack of physical activity;
- a diet rich in excess calories, preservatives and chemicals;
- simple stress.
This is where we have to cleanse the intestines of toxins. And since we already know how the flour product works, adding one to one is not difficult. Let's take a closer look at cleansing the intestines with bran at home.
How does bran help?
Bran itself is a “heavy” carbohydrate (which is slow to digest). They are "empty". Thanks to this, once they enter the gastrointestinal tract, they can thoroughly absorb stagnant mucus, toxins, salts and low-quality elements (in fact, they act as a cleaning agent). Filled with them, the remains of grains do not allow toxins to be absorbed into the body and thoroughly cleanse the stomach of them.
By removing bad substances, you can restore good metabolism and “renew” the intestines. At the same time, the filled grains soften the digestive products and do not allow them to stagnate, thereby relieving a person of constipation. As we can see, cleansing the intestines with bran is very valuable.
How does bran affect the intestines?
Due to the high percentage of fiber content, effective intestinal cleansing occurs in a short period of time. In this case, be sure to drink the bran with plenty of water. So they absorb moisture, increase in size, then move through the intestines, capturing accumulated feces and other harmful substances. Next, the loose mass begins to put pressure on the intestinal walls, resulting in their irritation. This is followed by the emptying process. Slags and toxins come out.
Application
You won't be able to eat leftover grains as porridge. They have certain rules and dosage, different for each type. You can find it on the purchased packaging. On average, the daily intake is approximately 50 g.
In this case, you will need to drink a large amount of liquid, since cleansing the intestines with any bran causes intoxication. And also, after the intestines are cleansed, it is necessary to saturate the body with gentle and beneficial substances, because cleansing is a big stress for the body.
You should start taking bran with a small amount, about 1 tsp. in a day. If the body does not begin to reject coarse grains through nausea, bloating or abdominal pain, then you can safely continue and increase the dosage (no more than 4 tbsp.). When this begins to work and the gastrointestinal tract is cleared, you should remove the remaining grains just as smoothly, reducing the dose.
The course should not exceed two weeks, because they act as a kind of stress and a blow to the body. The repetition should be postponed until strength is restored.
We are talking about cases for a colon cleansing course. But if you add a small amount of bran to your daily diet, you don’t have to limit the course.
Contraindications
- Excessive consumption of bran in food may cause health problems - anemia, hypovitaminosis. Because over a long time you can cleanse the body not only of bad substances, but also of all useful vitamins and microelements, which are quite difficult to restore.
- Side effects may include flatulence and diarrhea. If you have a diseased gastrointestinal tract, it is advised to avoid this.
- Bran can also be harmful to pregnant women. It is better to protect the baby and mother from such stressful situations.
Recipes
Let's look at some delicious and healthy cleansing recipes:
- 1 tbsp. l. oat bran should be soaked in water and eaten 20 minutes before meals 2 times a day. Another advantage for the receiving person is that the body will be sufficiently satiated and, after eating, will not require a large portion. You can also eat regular, dry, leftover cereals, simply with half a glass of water.
- Steamed wheat bran should be ground with raisins and prunes in proportions 1:1:2. Eat 2 times a day in between meals. This composition will help to cleanse the intestines loyally, without causing acute harm to the stomach, and will immediately nourish it with vitamins for recovery. Take every other day for 1 week.
- Pancakes that can be eaten instead of bread will be effective. To use them, you need to take two types of bran in a 1 to 1 ratio, beat with an egg and add a little cottage cheese. Next, bake the pancakes in a frying pan without oil.
- Even children will enjoy this drink made from kefir, chopped dried apricots and rice bran. Do not be too zealous in application. Once a week is enough.
- The basis for soups can be bran decoctions. You just need to pour 5 tbsp. l. any flour product with boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes. After straining through cheesecloth, you can safely add ingredients for any low-fat soup.
- Supporters of minimalism can simply drink 0.5 liters. bran decoction per day. To do this, pour 200 g of crushed cereals into 1 liter. boiling water and cook for 1 hour over low heat. At the end of cooking, strain several times. You can add a spoonful of honey.
- It would also be a good idea to add bran to various dishes. This could be regular porridge, juice or morning yogurt. It is useful to add bran to baked goods (pies, muffins, buns, etc.), as well as to first courses, such as pea, vegetable, pasta soup. In second courses, crushed grains are also welcome: in the form of a side dish, sprinkles, batter, minced meat, cutlets, roasts, etc. Use your imagination to improve the health of the whole family!
Consuming bran for constipation
The product is used according to the following scheme:
- Take a teaspoon of bran three times a day 30 minutes before meals, washed down with warm water. After 2 weeks, the dose is increased to a tablespoon three times a day. Duration of use – 1 month.
- During the first 10 days, a teaspoon three times a day, from 10 to 20 days - 2 teaspoons, from 20 to 30 - 2 tablespoons. Duration of use – 1 month. After completing the course of treatment, take 1 teaspoon of the product before meals every 7-10 days.
- To normalize morning stool, adults take the husk in the evening with water or warm herbal tea.
Normalization of stool is one of the positive properties of bran. They differ depending on the cereal used.
If the patient is not treated according to the regimen, it is recommended to periodically use the product, 2 teaspoons on an empty stomach, with warm water. It is not recommended to use bran for a long time, as it is harmful to health. In order not to harm the body, it is recommended to eat oats, drink decoction and juice of the plant.
Reviews
Many benefits have been described in books and articles, in TV shows where they showed how to take bran. But few places have I come across recommendations on how to properly use bran to cleanse the intestines. Then I came across a description of the harm from using it in large quantities. Now I use them very carefully, adding them to flour when baking bread or making delicious treats with dried fruits. Good things come in small packages.
Lydia, 32 years old
But my mother “planted” her stomach completely. Not only had I been unable to eat anything calmly before, but after the bran I went completely on a health-improving diet of cereals. So trust traditional medicine.
Olga, 25 years old
My wife and I take various types of products as a preventative for the body, and once every six months we decided to regularly cleanse the intestines with bran. It helps the stomach cope well with its work. When our newborn grows up a couple of years, we will make him healthier.
Oleg, 46 years old
Bran has both positive and negative qualities. Knowing your body, you can choose the right methods and recipes for cleaning the gastrointestinal tract. If you are unsure, it is recommended to consult your doctor. The best advice is proper prevention of intestinal obstruction than further global cleansing.
Diet during colon cleansing
A balanced diet will increase the effectiveness of recipes:
- 14 days before the procedure, raw fruits and vegetables are introduced into the menu.
- During the course, their number, on the contrary, is reduced. Otherwise, fermentation in the organ will increase.
- Avoid pickled foods, smoked foods, marinades, excessively fatty foods, baked goods and confectionery products.
- Steam the food and boil the ingredients. Frying is prohibited!
- Limit the volume of fermented milk drinks.
By following a diet, you can effectively perform cleansing.
