Barley porridge: benefits and harms, how to cook properly

The benefits and harms of barley, or barley grains, are known all over the world and are widely used in the culinary tradition of many countries - Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and others. Porridges, side dishes, soups are prepared from it, used for filling sausages, pates, added to puddings, pies.

What grain is barley made from?

Two types of cereals are obtained from barley - barley (crushed) and pearl barley (peeled). Barley is whole, peeled barley grains that have undergone grinding. They are light, smooth to the touch - they have no skin, they have an oblong shape, rounded at the ends. But there are more useful properties in dark-colored pearl barley, since in these cases the grains are less processed.

Types of pearl barley

To learn how to cook delicious healthy barley dishes, you need to choose it correctly. There are several types on sale:

• Dutch woman: this is a peeled and polished groats. During peeling, the top shell of each grain is removed from it, and with it most of the useful properties: as a result, it turns white. The Dutch woman is used to saturate the filling of pies, milk porridge, stuffed poultry and soups with other tastes, for example, fruits, berries, various spices;
• Yachka: this is the same Dutch woman, but crushed into 3,4,6 parts. It cooks faster, it is used for mashed soups, added to puddings, muffins. For the preparation of classic porridge, she, like the Dutch woman, is not suitable;
• Core: porridge from it will be as nutritious as possible, soft, aromatic, having many useful properties. Only from such grains you can feel the real delicate taste of barley.

You need to choose not only the type of cereal, but also to determine its quality: the benefits and harms of barley porridge for health largely depend on this. It is best to buy in bulk or in cardboard boxes. In plastic bags, grains begin to evaporate moisture, which has nowhere to go, and then mold. There are very few useful properties in such barley, it will only harm health.

There should be a "window" in the boxes, through which you can see the condition of the grains, their quality: they must be of the same size. If there is a small fraction in the pearl barley, this means that the technology has not been followed or that pest beetles that feed on grains have started. In this case, the ratio of beneficial properties and harm will also be unfavorable for the body.

Chemical composition and calorie content of pearl barley

Pearl barley during cooking increases 3 - 3.5 times. Therefore, the chemical composition of dry and boiled grains is different. Consider the chemical composition and useful properties of pearl barley porridge, boiled in water.

Pearl barley is a valuable product that has many useful properties and is capable of replenishing the lack of most important substances in the body. Unfortunately, it is little used in modern cooking due to the fact that over time, the culture of eating has been lost, and rice and other products have been replaced.

Why barley is useful

The beneficial properties of barley for the body are manifested in the content of complex carbohydrates, which allow you to maintain a feeling of fullness for a long time with a low calorie content of the product. Therefore, they are recommended for use in diets and sports nutrition.

The list of useful properties of barley grits can be continued.

For women

For women, barley helps to maintain good condition of skin, hair, teeth. If it is present in the diet, the body is saturated with useful substances, such as the amino acid lysine, which helps to produce collagen, which is necessary for maintaining freshness and elasticity of the skin. Based on the properties of pearl barley in home cosmetology, useful masks for the skin are made, which:

• improve complexion;
• relieve blackheads, acne;
• make up for missing nutrients;
• reduce fat content;
• give elasticity to the skin.

Barley rejuvenation products will be quite inexpensive, and the result will surpass all expectations. Harm is possible only if there is an allergic reaction to grain components.

For men

Barley has many medicinal properties: it helps to lower cholesterol levels, strengthen the heart muscle and blood vessels. This is very important for men after 40 years, since from this age, the risks of harm from the development of heart attacks and strokes increase. Men, to a greater extent than women, abuse alcohol, smoking, overeating. Barley is beneficial for the liver, helping to cleanse the blood and improve the functioning of the intestines.

At what age can barley be given to children

Barley is one of the hard-to-digest foods that can harm a fragile digestive system. Pediatricians recommend not to rush to include grain in the children's diet. Barley contains gluten, which is poorly absorbed by the body at an early age. All this makes it undesirable for babies under two or three years of age, and can harm them.

For older children, pearl barley dishes are recommended to be cooked in water without adding milk, as the risks of harm to the digestive processes increase. The first portions should be small, as you get used to them, you can increase them.

Is barley possible for pregnant and lactating women

Barley is also beneficial during pregnancy. During the period of gestation and feeding of a child, cereal dishes should be included in the diet. This will help provide your baby with the nutrients needed for proper growth and development. She will also benefit the mother:

• metabolism is proceeding correctly (phosphorus, B-group vitamins);
• body weight does not increase (low calorie content);
• slags and toxins (fiber) are removed;
• the nervous system is functioning normally (vitamin PP);
• the child's skeletal system is formed correctly (vitamin D, phosphorus);
• a woman's skin remains firm (lysine);
• uninterrupted work of the heart (lysine);
• good blood circulation (vitamin E);
• a sufficient level of hemoglobin is formed (vitamins of the B-group);
• the woman's body successfully resists viruses, infections (lysine, vitamin A).

It is necessary to introduce pearl barley into the diet of a nursing mother from about a month old baby. Start small and watch your child for signs of an allergic reaction or other harm.Pearl barley broth is beneficial for nursing mothers: it increases lactation, eliminates lumps in the mammary glands.

The benefits and harms of barley for diseases

Cereal dishes can serve not only as food, but also as a therapeutic and prophylactic remedy for many diseases. The benefits of pearl barley porridge on water are used in beauty recipes, healthy diets, as an independent drug.

With diabetes mellitus

Barley has many health benefits, including a low glycemic index. It is recommended to be introduced into the diet of people with diabetes. In addition, cereals:

• strengthens and cleanses blood vessels, which are among the first to suffer from diabetes; helps to avoid complications associated with the work of the cardiovascular system;
• normalizes the course of metabolic processes in the body, which, as a rule, are disturbed in diabetes;
• regulates blood glucose levels.

To maintain the glycemic index of pearl barley, it should be cooked in water with a minimum amount of fat.

With gastritis

The benefits of pearl barley for the human body are manifested primarily in the influence on the digestive processes. Pearl barley can be included in a therapeutic diet for gastritis: its beneficial properties block the development of the pathological process, have a calming, enveloping effect.

Porridge should be well boiled, easy to digest. It is allowed to eat barley dishes only during the period of remission. If gastritis occurs against a background of increased acidity, in order to avoid harm, the minimum amount of cereals in the diet is permissible.

With pancreatitis

The benefits of the properties of barley have long been used by folk medicine in the treatment of the pancreas. Not only ready-made dishes will have a healing effect, but also the water in which the grains were infused or cooked. They can be included in the diet at the stage of exacerbation of the disease. The pearl barley should be well soaked and boiled, then it will well show its beneficial properties: enveloping, softening, anti-inflammatory.

Barley for weight loss and body cleansing

Barley is often used in the raw food menu. Soaked barley without boiling gives all the benefits given to it by nature: it removes toxins from the body, enriches a person with energy. To give a looser consistency, the swollen groats should be grinded in a blender or in any other way.

The use of pearl barley porridge for weight loss also consists in low energy value and low GI (glycemic index). Meals are included in the menu of low-calorie diets prescribed for obesity. This is another health benefit of cereals, the harm of barley in such cases can only manifest itself if it is abused.

Pearl barley diet

The use of barley for weight loss is maximally revealed in mono-diets based on it. It is allowed to eat porridge cooked in water without oil and spices. You should also drink more water. You don't have to limit yourself strictly in the amount of barley eaten: at the same time, about 1 kg will go away every day. The duration of the diet is approximately five days.

Fasting day on barley

Rest your digestive system one day a week. Fasting days on barley will bring benefits. This will help cleanse the intestines of old deposits, reduce body weight - at a low financial cost. Porridge should be consumed in limited portions, but as often as you want. Drink clean drinking water at least 2 liters per day.

How to cook barley and what is it combined with

It is advisable to soak barley overnight, about one glass of cereal per liter of water. So it will cook faster, be soft and crumbly, and more fully reveal its useful properties.To speed up cooking, a few hours of soaking will be enough; in some cases, you can do without it.

The classic recipe for barley porridge

You can cook porridge in water or milk. The proportions in both cases are 1: 3, soak - only in water or yogurt, where lactic acid bacteria will help to soften the grains well. After swelling, they must be rinsed well to remove the remaining whey.

Cook for an hour and a half over low heat. If cooking with water, you can add cream or butter. If you have a multicooker, you can use the "languishing" mode. It will take three to four hours to get a crumbly pearl barley porridge, the benefits of which for the body are much higher than with the usual method of cooking.

Recipe with carrots and onions

Pearl barley can be combined with additional ingredients to enrich its flavor and health benefits. It is necessary to cook the dish according to the principle of rice pilaf without meat:

• simmer onions and carrots in oil at the bottom of the cauldron;
• let the pre-soaked cereal drain and add it to the frying;
• add salt, pepper, mix everything together, darken a little;
• pour water so that it covers the pearl barley by about 1 - 1.5 fingers;
• cook under a tightly closed lid over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes;
• check the degree of readiness. If the groats are still harsh and the liquid has boiled away, add a little water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Pearl barley soup

There are many options for making pearl barley soup. Here is the most accessible one. How to do it:

• boil three glasses of water;
• add two tablespoons of cereals, previously soaked and swollen;
• cook for at least half an hour;
• add potatoes and keep on fire for another twenty minutes;
• fry onions, add to soup;
• grate the processed cheese and throw it there;
• salt;
• cook for another ten minutes.

At the end of cooking or before serving, add herbs such as onions, dill, parsley. It will not only add freshness and new shades of taste, but also enrich it with vitamins.

Pearl barley face masks

The benefits of barley for a woman's body are manifested not only from the inside. On the basis of cereals, various masks are prepared, nourishing, moisturizing, toning the skin of the face:

1. Boil porridge in milk, beat with a blender. Apply a warm mass to the surface of the skin of the face, cervical region, rinse off after half an hour. The procedures are repeated several times a week for at least a month.
2. Grind into powder, pour hot milk, insist. Moisten gauze in solution, apply on face. Hold for twenty minutes. The mask is suitable for sensitive skin: relieves irritation, gives elasticity.

Barley harm and contraindications

Barley dishes have not only pluses, but also minuses. They need to be limited to those people who suffer from increased acidity of the stomach, excessive gas production, and a tendency to constipation. The benefits of barley for the body of men are also not always manifested. The strong half should not abuse cereals, as this can lead to harm, such as decreased libido, indigestion.

How to choose and store pearl barley

The benefits and harms of barley for the human body largely depends on the quality of the product. When choosing barley, in order to avoid the harm of spoiled cereals to the body, you should pay attention to the following points. The groats should be uniform, light or brownish, in color, without black spots or dots. The grains are crumbly, not sticking together, with a fresh, pleasant smell.

You can store barley for a year (crushed) or two (whole). The container should be dry, tightly closed, in a dark place. Light and air promote oxidation, moisture leads to deterioration and bacterial growth.

How to choose and store pearl barley correctly, about its benefits and harms, you can additionally learn from the video:

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of barley have been known to mankind since time immemorial. Dishes made from it are tasty, nutritious and have medicinal properties. Side effects and harm of cereals are insignificant and are manifested mainly when consumed in large quantities.

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