One reason many people are constipated is they don't eat a lot of fiber. Most people only eat about 8 mg of fiber per day. To have good health and have good elimination, you need around 30- 35 mg of fiber. Eating bran is one of the quickest and best ways to increase your fiber. It will increase the weight and size of your stools more than the fiber contained in fruits or vegetables. Bran is the outer husk of the grain - wheat, corn, rice, and oat - which is indigestible. It does not irritate the lining of the stomach, small intestine or your colon. It is not a laxative but promotes the movement fecal matter through your colon in a natural way. Unlike drugstore laxatives or other natural strong laxatives, bran does not quickly purge out all the contents in your colon. Use one or two heaping tablespoon of bran in your morning cereal, in your baking, and in your smoothies. Health Alert: When using bran, make sure you drink plenty of water during the day to keep your stools soft. Here are some other ways to use bran. You can add them to, " baked breads, muffins and other baked goods " breaded mixes " hamburger meat " juices " pancake or waffle mix " salads " scramble eggs " soups " soups " stuffing " vegetarian burger mix " yogurt When you put bran in juices or anything that is all liquid just eat it with a spoon. How much bran should you take for good bowel regularity? Each person is different. You need to experiment. Start with two teaspoon each day and work towards 10 teaspoons a day or until you have bowel movements without effort or straining. There are four basic bran products - wheat, corn, oat, and rice. They all provide a solid source of fiber in varying amounts. Make sure the bran you use is 100% unprocessed bran. Use bran for a few weeks to get your bowel movements back to normal. Eating bran should get your bowels moving in a few days or less. Once your bowels are back to normal, back off from using a lot of bran and depend more on fiber from eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. There are many new products, which use bran added to other nutrients or powders. Although these can be useful, use them for a limit time.