Barley

Of the main cerial crops (wheat, barley,oats and rye), barley is probably the least commonly used in day-to-day food. It is often used to make beer and whisky.

As a food, barley is most often used in soups and stews. In Asia, is boiled to make barley water, a popular drink which is ideal for hot weather.

Barley can grow in cold conditions, which is why it is a staple crop in Tibet (they also grow wheat there, so if you are allergic to wheat, Tibet is not actually a perfect destination for you).

Barley is a flavourful, tasty, chewy grain. It can be cooked like rice and served on the side with meat and vegetable dishes, much like rice.

Health Risks

Barly contains gluten and must be avoided if you are celiac or allergic to barley.

If you are allergic to wheat, you may still be able to eat barley (I do).

If you have just discovered that you are allergic to wheat, it is best to eliminate barley from your diet for several months, then re-introduce it to see if it causes you trouble or not.

Health Benefits

Barley is a good source of fibre, selenium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.

Barley Relatives

Barley is a grass. Besides being related to your lawn and bamboo, grass is also related to the following food crops because they too are grasses:

Wheat
Maize (Corn)
Oats
Rice
Rye
Sorghum
Millet
Sugarcane

Nutritional Information

Barley, pearled, cooked

Refuse: 0%  
Scientific Name: 
NDB No: 20006 (Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion)

Nutrient	Units	Value per 100 grams	Number of Data Points	Std. Error	1.00 X 1 cup ------- 157g
Proximates
Water	g	68.80	5	2.514	108.02
Energy	kcal	123	0		193
Energy	kj	515	0		809
Protein	g	2.26	4	0.151	3.55
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.44	5	0.058	0.69
Ash	g	0.27	5	0.011	0.42
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	28.22	0		44.31
Fiber, total dietary	g	3.8	0		6.0
Sugars, total	g	0.28	0		0.44
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	11	4	2.387	17
Iron, Fe	mg	1.33	5	0.331	2.09
Magnesium, Mg	mg	22	5	2.16	35
Phosphorus, P	mg	54	5	2.338	85
Potassium, K	mg	93	5	21.316	146
Sodium, Na	mg	3	1		5
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.82	5	0.125	1.29
Copper, Cu	mg	0.105	5	0.032	0.165
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.259	2		0.407
Selenium, Se	mcg	8.6	0		13.5
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	0.0	0		0.0
Thiamin	mg	0.083	4	0.017	0.130
Riboflavin	mg	0.062	3	0.002	0.097
Niacin	mg	2.063	3	0.63	3.239
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.135	3	0.063	0.212
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.115	3	0.032	0.181
Folate, total	mcg	16	3	8.849	25
Folic acid	mcg	0	0		0
Folate, food	mcg	16	3	8.849	25
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	16	0		25
Vitamin B-12	mcg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin B-12, added	mcg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin A, IU	IU	7	0		11
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	0	0		0
Retinol	mcg	0	0		0
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	0.01	0		0.02
Vitamin E, added	mg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	mcg	0.8	0		1.3
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.093	0		0.146
4:0	g	0.000	0		0.000
6:0	g	0.000	0		0.000
8:0	g	0.000	0		0.000
10:0	g	0.000	0		0.000
12:0	g	0.001	0		0.002
14:0	g	0.002	0		0.003
16:0	g	0.079	0		0.124
18:0	g	0.003	0		0.005
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.057	0		0.089
16:1 undifferentiated	g	0.001	0		0.002
18:1 undifferentiated	g	0.047	0		0.074
20:1	g	0.000	0		0.000
22:1 undifferentiated	g	0.000	0		0.000
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.214	0		0.336
18:2 undifferentiated	g	0.193	0		0.303
18:3 undifferentiated	g	0.021	0		0.033
18:4	g	0.000	0		0.000
20:4 undifferentiated	g	0.000	0		0.000
20:5 n-3	g	0.000	0		0.000
22:5 n-3	g	0.000	0		0.000
22:6 n-3	g	0.000	0		0.000
Cholesterol	mg	0	0		0
Amino acids
Tryptophan	g	0.038	0		0.060
Threonine	g	0.077	0		0.121
Isoleucine	g	0.083	0		0.130
Leucine	g	0.154	0		0.242
Lysine	g	0.084	0		0.132
Methionine	g	0.043	0		0.068
Cystine	g	0.050	0		0.079
Phenylalanine	g	0.127	0		0.199
Tyrosine	g	0.065	0		0.102
Valine	g	0.111	0		0.174
Arginine	g	0.113	0		0.177
Histidine	g	0.051	0		0.080
Alanine	g	0.088	0		0.138
Aspartic acid	g	0.141	0		0.221
Glutamic acid	g	0.591	0		0.928
Glycine	g	0.082	0		0.129
Proline	g	0.269	0		0.422
Serine	g	0.095	0		0.149
Other
Alcohol, ethyl	g	0.0	0		0.0
Caffeine	mg	0	0		0
Theobromine	mg	0	0		0
Carotene, beta	mcg	5	0		8
Carotene, alpha	mcg	0	0		0
Cryptoxanthin, beta	mcg	0	0		0
Lycopene	mcg	0	0		0
Lutein + zeaxanthin	mcg	56	0		88

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19 (2006)

USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory

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External Links

• Wikipedia on Barley
• World's Healthiest Foods on Barley

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