Barley is one of the most popularly consumed grains in the world. This versatile grain provides chewy consistency and light nutty flavor, which can add to many dishes. It also has rich nutrients and impressive health benefits like weight loss, reduce cholesterol and improve digestion.
Barley Water Nutrition
Table of Contents
One and a half cups (100 grams) of uncooked or hulled barley consist of the following nutrients.
- Calories: 354
- Carbs: 73.5 grams
- Fiber: 17.3 grams
- Protein: 12.5 grams
- Fat: 2.3 grams
- Riboflavin: 17% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 43% (RDI)
- Vitamin B6: 16% of the RDI
- Iron: 20% of the RDI
- Niacin: 23% of the RDI
- Folate: 5% of the RDI
- Potassium: 13% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 33% of the RDI
- Copper: 25% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 26% of the RDI
- Zinc: 18% of the RDI
- Manganese: 97% of the RDI
- Selenium: 54% of the RDI
How Barley Water Assists in Losing Weight
Loaded with Fiber
Every 100gm of barley consist of 4g of fiber, which is essential to include bulk in the diet.
Barley consists of soluble fiber, B-glucan, which helps to absorb water to produce a gel-like substance. This, in turn, lowers cholesterol and fat absorption the small intestine and help in the weight loss process.
According to a study issued in the American-Journal-of Clinical-Nutrition discovered that supplementation of separated soluble helps to lower body weight, body fat, and BMI.
Low in Fat
Barley consist of a significant amount of fat, which is necessary if you are planning to reduce pounds. Different studies have shown that a reduced-fat diet helps lose weight.
Reduce Junk Foods Cravings
Barley consists of fiber that offers satiety, which is a feeling of fullness and reduces hunger. One glass of barley water helps to prevent fried, processed foods. You will not feel hungry to eat greasy snacks after consuming barley water. Therefore, before going to a party, consume one glass of barley water to continue weight loss.
Improve Digestion
The ????-glucan found in barley is prebiotic. The prebiotics digestion from controlling bowel movement. The soluble fiber present in barley holds the water in the large intestine and make the stool soft and easing the excrete.
Good digestion helps to remove the toxins, which may also assist in weight loss.
According to one 4-weeks study of adult women, consumed more barley shown improvement in bowel functions and raised stool volume.
On the other hand, the soluble fiber of barley provides good bacteria and provide short-chain fatty acids. Research shows that SCFAs helps to feed the gut cells, lower inflammation, and relieve the symptoms of gut disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
How to Prepare Barley Water To Lose Weight?
It is good to utilize homemade barley water as the store-brought barley water consists of artificial chemicals and sugar.
Serves – 2,
- Preparation Time – 4 hrs
- Cooking Time – 30 min
- Total Time – 4 hr 30 min
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pearl barley
- 3-cups of water
- 1-teaspoon rock salt
- 2-tablespoons lemon juice
How to Prepare?
- Wash the barley thoroughly and soak in the water for 6-8 hours.
- Soaking barley helps to soften the pearl and also helps in digestion and lower bloating.
- Drain some soaked barley and wash it with using freshwater.
- Add 3-cups of water in the saucepan and include barley in it. Boil it till the barley become soft.
- Strain the barley water and keep it to cool. Include some lemon juice and one pinch of black salt.
How to Consume Barley Water To lose Weight
You can consume barley water at any time of the day. Barley itself is the most reliable replacement for rice as it provides more extra taste than white rice. It also consists of more fiber. It is a good side dish or salad supplement. As it is a superfood for weight loss, it can be combined with cereal in the morning with milk and fruit juices.
What Is the Good Quantity Of Barley Water To Consume In A Day?
You can consume 2-glasses (250-300 ml) of barley water in a day. Make sure that you also follow a suitable and healthy diet with a regular workout for weight loss.
Other Benefits of Barley to support weight loss
Barley Provide Beneficial Nutrients
Barley contains rich minerals, vitamins, and other good plant compounds. It is found in different forms, ranging from hulled barley to barley flakes, flour, and grits.
Almost all types of barley use the whole grain — apart from pearl barley, which has been refined to eliminate a few or the entirety of the outer wheat layer alongside the hull.
When used as a whole grain, barley is a particularly superb source of molybdenum, manganese, fiber, and selenium. It also consists of copper, chromium, vitamin B1, niacin, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Additionally, barley has lignans, which is a group of different antioxidants linked to the reduced risk of heart and cancer diseases.
However, like all whole grains, barley also provides antinutrients, which impair your nutrient absorption and digestion of the body.
Try sprouting or soaking the grain to lower the antinutrient content. These preparation methods make the barley nutrients extra absorbable.
Prevent Gallstones and Decrease Risk of Gallbladder Surgery
Barley has high fiber, which may also prevent gallstones. Gallstones are solid substance forms in the gallbladder located under life. The gallbladder produces the bile acid, which the body uses to digest the fats.
In most cases, gallstone does not show any symptoms. However, from time to time, big gallstones can get stabbed in the gallbladder and cause severe pain. Such cases need an operation to reduce gallbladder.
The insoluble fiber type available in barley may serve to prevent gallstone production and reduce the risk of gallbladder surgery.
According to one 16-year observational study, women with more fiber consumption were 13% less likely to grow gallstones needing gallbladder removal. The benefits occur to be dose-related, as every 5gm raise the insoluble fiber consumption lowered gallstone risk by 10%,
Another study, obese people were followed by two rapid weight loss diets- one with rich fiber and another in protein. Rapid weight loss can raise the risk of forming gallstones.
Beta-Glucans May Improve Cholesterol
The betta glucans present in barley helped to improve the bad LDL cholesterol by binding the bile acids. Your body eliminates the bile acids, which your liver creates from the cholesterol through feces. Your liver must then use the extra cholesterol to produce new bile acids, in turn reducing the cholesterol circulating in the blood.
According to one small study, men with more cholesterol have followed a diet rich with brown rice, whole wheat, and barley.
After 5-weeks, those taken barely lower the cholesterol levels by 7%
more than the people on the other two diets.
Additionally, the barley group also raised their HDL cholesterol and lowered their triglyceride levels.
Lower Heart Disease Risk
Whole grains are all the time linked with good heart health. Therefore, consuming barley in a regular diet helps to reduce the risk of heart problems.
It is because barley may reduce the risk of cholesterol, provide soluble fiber, and manage blood pressure.
A recent study of randomized control the observed that average consumption of 8-7 gm of soluble fiber every day lowers the blood pressure. Increased bad cholesterol and high blood pressure are the main risks of heart diseases.
Soluble Fiber and Magnesium May Guard Against Diabetes
Barley may lower the risk of type-2 diabetes by reducing blood sugar levels and promoting insulin secretion. Barley provides rich magnesium, which is an essential mineral for insulin production in the body to use sugar.
Barley’s rich soluble fiber binds the water and other molecules to move the food in the digestive tract, lower down the sugar absorption in the bloodstream (29 Source).
Research tells that a barley breakfast provides a reduced maximum rise in the insulin level and blood sugar than the breakfast with other whole grains like oats.
Prevent Colon Cancer
A diet containing rich whole grains is commonly linked with a lower risk of chronic diseases, including certain cancers-especially those of the colon cancer. Again, barleys fiber content plays an important role. Its insoluble fiber helps to clear the gut, which is shown to protect against colon cancers.
Additionally, soluble fiber may help to bind to harmful carcinogens in the gut, eliminate from the body. Other compounds present in barley such as antioxidants, phenolic acids, phytic acids, and saponins may protect against slow-growing cancer.
Easy to Incorporate in your Diet
Barley is affordable and simple to prepare. Because of its important fiber content, barley can the best option for extra refined grains. For example, you can use it as the side dish rather than white pasta or couscous. Barley is also the best alternative to white rice, such as risotto or pilaf. Likewise, you can add barley in soups, stuffing, salads, stews, and eaten as warm cereal breakfast. You can also purchase whole grain bread, which consists of barley.
Boost Immune System
Additionally, the free-radical fighting properties of barley, mineral, and vitamins of barley water can support the immune system in other ways. When you add flavor to barley water with citrus, you will consume vitamin C, which makes it more beneficial for health.
Barley Water Side Effects
Barley is very effective for health, but it may cause side effects listed below.
Flatus / Intestinal Gas
As the barley consist of soluble dietary fiber, barley causes the gas in the intestine and flatus. The reason behind it is the activities of the good bacteria remain in the colon. Therefore, consume barley water in limit and avoid gas formation.
Stomach
An upset stomach can occur from extra barley water consumption. Certain medicine also interacts with barley. In such cases, the mild stomach problem becomes major and has symptoms like cramps, pain, bloating, diarrhea, and loss of bowels.
Constipation
If you consume more barley water, the chances are that you will grow chronic constipation. Make sure to talk with your doctor if you get a problem more than 7-days.
Rectal Bleeding
In the severe condition of constipation, you might feel the rectal bleeding with chronic pain. Try to skip eating natural laxatives in bulk to skip such a situation.
Fungal Contamination
It has been published that barley water can produce fungal contamination from time to time. Some contamination existing in the malt infusion is Ochratoxin A and Trichothecium Roseum, which can cause to affect on bones.
Allergic Reactions
Barley water can also cause allergic reactions. If you suffer from allergy or hypersensitivity, it is time to watch out regular consumption. The allergic symptoms you may experience like inflammation, barley water, hives, irritation, eye swellings, and anaphylaxis.
Bakers’ Asthma
The barley grain can affect your respiratory system and because allergy called bakers asthma in the people working in bakeries. But you can also get exposed to many barley flours while making barley water.
Blocked or Ruptured Esophagus
Being loaded with high fiber in barley can affect the esophagus. Whenever making your drink, make sure that you include good water to the extract of the malt. Otherwise, you may face problems in swallowing, which can slowly block or rupture the esophagus.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a common wheat allergy, which is occurred because of gluten intolerance. Barley consists of high gluten and makes your condition worse.
Reduced Blood Sugar
Excess consumption barley water can lower the sugar in the bloodstream to a great extent. If it goes under the normal level, you will get hypoglycemia. Therefore, try to monitor blood sugar levels while consuming barley water regularly.
Surgical Complications
As barley water can lower a sudden spike of blood glucose levels, you should always remain precautions before undergoing surgery. It is advised to stop drinking barley water for 10-14 days. It would be helpful to manage blood sugar levels during surgical complications.
You can enjoy the barley water but staying aware of its side effects also make you understand your health.
Barley water is healthy for everyone but people with allergies should watch their reactions after having barley water. Remember barley water alone can not work for weight loss, but you need to have an active lifestyle, stress management, and other healthy eating.