Try Healthy Barley

When it comes to be a healthy food, barley is well qualified. It has a rich nut-like flavor, looks a lot like wheat berries and has an appealing, chewy, pasta-like consistency. This grain is a very good source of fiber and selenium, and also has a lot of phosphorus, copper and manganese.

The fiber in barley is good for lowering cholesterol. This type of fiber also provides insoluble fibers to feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.

Wheat Bread

More benefits of healthy barley include the fact it helps decrease the risk of Type II Diabetes, prevent gallstones, and is protective against breast cancer. There is a long list of ways barley promotes good health!

Sprouted barley is naturally high in maltose, a sugar that serves as the basis for malt syrup. Fermented barley is a common ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages.

If the outer husk is removed during processing, the grain is then termed Scotch milled pot barley. On the other hand, if the entire fibrous outer coat of the grain is removed, it's called pearl barley.

Because barley flour contains such a proportion of gluten it needs to be mixed with wheat flour for bread-making purposes. Gluten helps the bread rise, so without it, barley would make a dense brick of bread. However, when a small quantity is added to whole-wheat bread, it has a tendency to keep the loaf moist, and is thought by some to improve the flavor.

Also sold as flakes, similar to rolled oats, barley flakes can be made from hulled or pearl barley, so the nutrient content can be significantly different, depending on how much of the whole grain was used.

Barley can be found in some regular grocery stores, and usually is available in health food stores. There are many companies online that carry barley as well.

Where ever you find it, healthy barley is a good grain to add to your diet.

Try Healthy Barley

By the way, you can learn lots more about healthy foods at the http://www.HealthFoodMadeEasy.com site. And discover even more great tips for a healthy diet here right now!

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