BARLEY  AND  HEALT  BENEFITS
Autor: Kleber | Publicado: 2010-11-04T14:16:00-07:00

Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. Its appearance resembles wheat berries, although it is slightly lighter in color. Sprouted barley is naturally high in maltose, a sugar that serves as the basis for both malt syrup sweetener. When fermented, barley is used as an ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages. 

Health Benefits

When the weather's cold, a big pot of soup simmering on the stove warms the heart as well as the hearth. Adding some whole grain barley to the pot will improve your health along with the flavor of whatever soup or stew you're cooking. In addition to its robust flavor, barley's claim to nutritional fame is based on its being a very good source of fiber and selenium, and a good source of phosphorus, copper and manganese. 

Barley's Fiber for Regularity, Lower Cholesterol, &amp; Intestinal Protection

Wish you were more regular? Let barley give your intestinal health a boost. In addition to providing bulk and decreasing the transit time of fecal matter, thus decreasing the risk of colon cancer and hemorrhoids, barley's dietary fiber also provides food for the "friendly" bacteria in the large intestine. When these helpful bacteria ferment barley's insoluble fiber, they produce a short-chain fatty acid called butyric acid, which serves as the primary fuel for the cells of the large intestine and helps maintain a healthy colon. These helpful bacteria also create two other short-chain fatty acids, propionic and acetic acid, which are used as fuel by the cells of the liver and muscles. 

Lastly, when barley provides insoluble fibers that feed friendly bacteria in the digestive tract, this helps to maintain larger populations of friendly bacteria. In addition to producing the helpful short-chain fatty acids described above, friendly bacteria play an important protective role by crowding out pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria and preventing them from surviving in the intestinal tract. 

In 1997, the FDA authorized coronary heart disease risk reduction health claim for beta-glucan soluble fiber from oat products. In December 2005, the FDA extended its approval to barley as well. To qualify for this health claim, a food product must contain at least 0.75 grams of barley beta-glucan soluble fiber per serving. The general public can expect to see whole barley and dry milled barley products such as flakes, grits, flour, meal, and barley meal bearing the health claim.



A concentrated source of nearly three dozen vitamins and minerals, barley grass is particularly rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, folic acid, and B12; calcium; iron; potassium; and chlorophyll. Unlike most plants, barley grass provides all nine essential amino acids (those which your body can't produce).


Barley grass is a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help the body kill cancer cells and overcome a variety of ailments, including acne and ulcers.

HOW IT WORKS - An antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol succinate - a potent relative of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) may be responsible for much of the plant's anti-tumor action, according to Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D., head of the biochemistry department at George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., who has studied barley grass. Though its mechanism is unknown, alpha-tocopherol succinate seems to inhibit several types of cancer, including leukemia, brain tumors, and prostate cancer.


Greek Barley Salad Recipe 



















Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Pinch salt
1 cup barley (pearled or hulled)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups (3 ounces) salad spinach
1 tbsp fresh (or 1 tsp dried) oregano
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Three hours before serving, bring the stock and salt to a boil. Add the barley and return to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the stock is absorbed. Transfer to the refrigerator.

In a food processor, chop the garlic, spinach and oregano. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt, and process again. Add the olive oil with the machine running, then stir mixture into the barley.

Mix in the vegetables and half the feta. Serve topped with more feta.

Enjoy.