Move over, whole wheat toast, oats and make room for humble barley: This soft, spherical comfort food can keep your blood sugar 20 to 30 percent lower than other morning grains like the whole wheat in toast for up to ten hours, Swedish researchers have found. A recent survey of different forms of cereal crops found barley to be ranked number four in the context of both its area of cultivation as well as the amount produced. One of the top reasons that barley is produced in such a great magnitude is due to the health benefits it provides for people who pick it as a part of their breakfast meal.
Benefits for Barley
Blood Sugar
Eating barley for breakfast can provide benefits to your blood sugar levels. Partially because of the eight kinds of essential amino acids that barley has, studies have found that regularly ingesting barley (the whole-grain kind) can actually control your blood sugar levels. Regularly eating barley can lessen the usual blood glucose reaction that people typically get after eating a meal. These blood sugar-reduction benefits were observed for up to 10 hours after each meal in people who regularly ate barley, and these observations were based on comparisons to other things such as whole-grain wheat or plain old white wheat.
Dietary fiber
The content of dietary fiber in a moderate serving of barley, such as 100 grams, also constitutes another benefit of eating it for breakfast. The dietary fiber in barley packs quite a punch, as the above serving size would equal nearly 16 grams of fiber. Fiber is essential to basics that people take for granted, such as successful and effective bowel movements, and also helping you feel full longer, which goes a long way toward helping you manage your weight.
Source of Zinc
The final benefit of eating barley for breakfast is the amount of zinc you get by eating it. Zinc is a vital element that has advantageous effects on the human body. It’s been proven as a healing element in that it contributes to speeding up healing after an injury.