Pearl barley for weight loss - calories, reviews, beneficial properties

Pearl barley porridge is prepared from barley grains. This is one of the most ancient cereals on the planet, which was highly valued and revered in ancient times. 17 thousand years ago it was already grown in Palestine. Some scientists claim that it existed in those times when people had not yet learned to even burn clay.

Barley symbolized wealth and was a valuable commodity. It was not only used for food, but also used to measure weight and length. They were also used to pay for goods. One of the scientists in Japan devoted about 15 years of his life to studying various cereals and as a result came to the conclusion that exactly what is the most useful on the planet. Nevertheless, the ancient culture, which was very valuable for a long time, has become unpopular in the modern world for one reason or another.

In post-Soviet countries, barley was grown even before the Slavs arrived here. Many excavations confirm that it was the main grain crop. The forced transition to wheat literally forced farmers to abandon the cultivation of barley and begin to cut down coniferous forests to plant a new crop. There is a version that it was this fact that influenced the climatic conditions in central Russia, changing the climate from mild to cool and rather damp.

Grains were also grown in America. The Indians taught people to cultivate the crop and use it for food. It was only thanks to them that the emerging American settlements were able to avoid starvation. After receiving a rich harvest, the people held a feast, inviting the Indian chief as gratitude. This is the day in modern America that the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.

The whole history of cereals suggests in one way or another that it is an important strategic product that does not require special conditions and can be grown in almost any climate without losing its beneficial vitamins, microelements and other substances. They even use it in weight loss camps.

Calorie content

The product contains quite a few calories, so it is often used not only as a mono-diet, but also as one of the components of a regular diet. To do this, it is prepared in water and consumed daily for a week. Porridge prepared in water has only 106 calories.

In dry form, 100 grams of cereal contains no more than 324 kcal. Moreover, the composition also contains 9.3 g of protein, 1.1 g of fat and about 73.5 g of carbohydrates.

Such calorie content makes it an indispensable dietary dish, thanks to which you can not only lose excess weight, but also improve your health, since it is very rich in substances beneficial to the body.

Don't you like pearl barley? You just don't know how to cook it!

The only disadvantage of ready-made barley dishes is that they are best eaten immediately after cooking; when they cool, they lose some of their beneficial properties. Now let’s calculate how many advantages pearl barley has. Porridge goes well with meat, vegetables, mushrooms, stew, and various spices. It can be used in salads, as a filling for bell peppers or cabbage rolls. Traditionally, pearl barley is used as a filling in pickle sauce; it’s a good idea to combine it with mushrooms.

Housewives' cookbooks contain many recipes for making pearl barley.

Cereals increase their volume almost five times when cooked; 100 grams of dry product will eventually turn into half a kilogram of the finished dish. This must be taken into account when choosing a pan.

Simple but tasty porridge

Here's how to properly prepare pearl barley:

rinse, fill with cold water;
leave for a couple of hours so that it swells (this will speed up cooking);
drain the liquid, transfer the swollen grain to a container where it will be cooked, and pour boiling water at the rate of 1 to 3 (i.e., 300 g of water is needed per 100 g of soaked (!) cereal);
put on low heat and cook for 50 minutes (possibly more).

Any oil (vegetable, butter) will improve the taste and add softness to the dish. If you plan to add stewed meat, fried mushrooms or vegetables, then you don’t need to add oil so as not to increase the calorie content of the dish. You can cook pearl barley not only in water. A dairy dish will turn out just as good if you flavor it with butter and sugar!

Kids will not refuse pearl barley porridge with milk and sugar

Porridge with meat

Barley in the company of meat does not have to be a boring side dish. Try making pilaf out of it. If you use chicken, turkey or veal instead of the usual pork or lamb, you can create a masterpiece with a calorie content of only 130 kcal per 100 grams. For the version of pilaf with poultry you will need:

chicken or turkey fillet 500 gr.,
pearl barley 200 gr.,
medium bulb,
one carrot,
a third of a glass of tomato sauce (if using pasta, then 1 tbsp.),
water 400 gr.,
salt, spices.

You can add as many vegetables as you want, depending on your taste.

Preparation procedure:

Cut the meat into small pieces, finely chop the onion and carrots. We wash the kernel very well. It is better to fill it with water in advance and let it stand for a couple of hours.
In the classic version of pilaf, meat and vegetables are lightly fried in oil, but this increases the calorie content of the dish. The taste will not be worse if you simply put all the ingredients in a thick saucepan, add water and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes. Then you can wrap the pilaf for about ten minutes so that it “reaches” completely.

Beneficial features

It contains vital vitamins, proteins, fiber, valuable amino acids and other microelements for humans. The composition contains zinc, iron, manganese, cobalt, phosphorus, copper, iodine and others. Its vitamin composition is no less broad, represented by groups A, B, E and PP.

If you eat porridge at least twice a week, it will have a positive effect on the appearance of your hair, nails and skin. This will also benefit those people who suffer from all kinds of fungal diseases. One of the components of pearl barley - hordecin - is a strong antifungal substance with an antibacterial effect.

Its daily use helps remove toxins from the body, as well as other harmful substances. It helps normalize the functioning of the stomach and intestines. It is especially useful for children, as it gives the child’s body a lot of substances necessary for its growth and development.

In addition, the regular presence of porridge on the table will provide strong immunity and significantly reduce the likelihood of colds. Lysine, which is part of it, has an antiviral effect against colds or herpes. It is also useful for people with diabetes and various allergies. The many amino acids contained in pearl barley reduce the body’s sensitivity to any kind of external irritants that cause allergic reactions.

Among all cereals, pearl barley contains the maximum amount of phosphorus. And this, in turn, ensures the normal functioning of the endocrine system and enhances brain activity. It is especially popular among athletes as it increases the speed of muscle contraction.

It is also recommended to use it for inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the postoperative period. It also has a positive effect on the digestive process due to its high fiber content.

Among other things, pearl barley is actively used in the treatment of kidney and gall bladder diseases.

Benefits for the body and chemical composition

Cereals have a rich chemical composition, so they are very good for health.

It contains:

alimentary fiber;
ash;
water;
beta-carotene;
vitamins B, E, K, PP;
choline;
calcium;
potassium;
magnesium;
sodium;
phosphorus;
iron;
zinc;
copper;
selenium.

The composition of BJU porridge is optimal for people who are losing weight and those who monitor their health. This allows for the proper functioning of many body systems. A large amount of vitamin B ensures the health of the nervous system and blood vessels. Proper consumption of porridge leads to rapid weight loss because:

accelerates the metabolic process;
stabilizes the functioning of the digestive system;
removes waste and toxins from the body;
normalizes the functioning of the kidneys and bladder;
activates fat metabolism.

Cereals are considered to be a filter for the body. It is used for cleansing in cases of acute intoxication (poisoning). This is due to the large amount of selenium in the grains. Mineral poisons are especially effectively removed.

When consumed regularly, porridge slows down the aging process in the body. General health is maintained, the functionality of all systems returns to normal.

Negative sides of pearl barley

Unlike many products, pearl barley porridge does not cause any harm to the body. However, it has a number of contraindications. Therefore, before you go on a pearl barley diet, you should pay attention to them.

In particular, it is not recommended for those who are prone to constipation or suffer from high levels of stomach acidity.

This also applies to pregnant women. Gluten contained in porridge in large quantities leads to increased gas formation, reduces libido and disrupts digestion, which cannot have a positive effect on the course of pregnancy.

In all other cases, it only brings benefits. The main thing is to use it in moderation, just like any other product.

How to properly prepare and consume

Classic pearl barley porridge recipe

So, pearl barley is soaked in cold water for 10 hours. Calculation: 1 glass of cereal per liter of water.
After the time has elapsed, the water is drained and the cereal is poured into heated milk. For 1 cup of dry cereal you need 2 liters of milk. Salt to taste.
Boil the milk and wait another 5 minutes of boiling. Then remove from the heat and place a large saucepan there - a water bath. It is necessary to ensure that the porridge does not burn, since it is simply impossible to participate in the cooking process for all 6 hours. The fire needs to be turned down.
The porridge continues to cook for 6 hours.
After the time has passed, stir the porridge and add butter.

It’s interesting that pearl barley porridge was Peter I’s favorite porridge.

Recipe with carrots and onions

For 1 cup of dry cereal you need to take onions, carrots (1 piece each), a clove of garlic, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, a piece of butter, salt and herbs.

Prepare food. Soak the cereals in advance for 10 hours.
Rinse the swollen cereal to remove mucus.
Place in a saucepan, add salt and water. Let it cook for an hour.
Chop carrots, garlic and onions. Fry in vegetable oil.
Add cereal. Put butter, herbs, add salt.
Mix everything and heat for no more than 5 minutes.

Pearl barley soup

For 2 liters of broth you need half a glass of pearl barley, carrots and onions (1 piece each), potatoes (2-3 pieces), vegetable oil. – 2 tbsp, laurel, salt, pepper, herbs.

The cereal is washed, brewed, left for 2 hours, after which it is washed to remove stickiness.
Pour the broth over the pearl barley and cook until crumbly.
Add potatoes and cook.
Oil, onions, carrots are sautéed and added to the soup. Add spices and salt.
Served with parsley.

How to use pearl barley?

When choosing a product, it is important to remember that there are two types of it on sale - whole peeled and polished grains and crushed cereals. In the first option, it can be stored for quite a long time, but it must be poured into a glass jar. Otherwise, various insects may appear in it and moisture will penetrate. The same rules apply for the second option. The only difference is the shelf life. In crushed cereals it lasts up to 6 months.

It is recommended to use it for food only when hot, as this is the only way it will contain the maximum amount of useful substances. Due to the fact that its calorie content is very low, it can be consumed quite often. During diets, the optimal dose is up to one glass per day, and on ordinary days it is best to use it as one of the components of a dish up to 3-4 times a week. This amount will be quite enough to saturate the body with all the vitamins and microelements contained in it.

Meat for porridge

There are two ways to prepare meat for this dish: separate and combined.

The preparation of meat as an additional product is practiced by cooking cereals in a thermos. The meat is prepared as usual, without special additives. To improve the taste, you need to add an onion (remove it after a while), at the end of cooking, add some salt to the broth, add peppercorns, carrots, and bay leaves. Cooked meat should be easily separated into fibers.

When cooking together (water bath and gas stove), the process should be organized as follows:

Cook the meat separately until half cooked;
remove from broth, divide into pieces;
combine the meat with the porridge (by this time it should have been boiled in a water bath for about five hours, and in a gas stove for two hours), stirring;
The pearl barley porridge with meat is cooked until cooked for the required (calculated) time, then removed from the heat.

Dishes with pearl barley

Among the variety of recipes, there are also the simplest and true culinary masterpieces. Since cereal can thicken dishes, many of them can be saved with its help.

The most common options for preparing pearl barley are the porridge itself, as well as soups and goulash. Cereals give dishes a varied texture and add a unique, pleasant aroma. Still, the most popular recipe is pickle.

For variety, you can cook other simple dishes during the pearl barley diet:

salad with cereals and cucumbers;
porridge with vegetables and boiled chicken;
pearl barley casserole with tomatoes;
cabbage soup with mushrooms and others.

How to choose and prepare cereals

Delicious pearl barley porridge with meat requires that the cereal should be fresh, without bitterness or mold. It is impossible to find out the condition of packaged pearl barley upon purchase: the label only shows the date of packaging. How long had it been in storage before that? At what temperature and humidity levels? This is unknown to us.

Only by touching the product can rancidity be detected.

It’s easier to check a weighted product, but it’s practically impossible: small retailers don’t buy large, heavy bags, and chain retailers don’t buy pearl barley as a slow-moving product. Therefore, lovers of such a dish as delicious pearl barley porridge with meat have what is offered to them.

The barley needs to be sorted out to remove impurities. Rinse thoroughly several times, constantly draining the water.

Reviews about losing weight with pearl barley

For me, this type of eating has simply become a way of life. Every month I arrange a barley week for myself in order to cleanse and rejuvenate the body and, of course, to maintain my weight in a normal state. The diet itself is very monotonous and boring for a person who is not used to eating this way. But, to the surprise of many, I do not have an aversion to this product, so I eat it easily and with pleasure. And surviving a week is not a problem for me at all. The bottom line is that in addition to this porridge, you can only have water and teas without sugar. On the second day it becomes difficult, as the body begins to actively get rid of everything unnecessary. It is at this time that about 3 kilograms are lost, then it becomes easier. It is also important to observe portions: one should contain a volume not exceeding a fist. The number of meals is from 5 to 7 times a day. Be sure to have a glass of kefir at night. After seven days, at least 4 to 5 extra pounds will disappear. The main thing is not to start eating a lot after finishing, otherwise everything can quickly come back.
I also came across this method. There are many different options for losing weight on pearl barley on the Internet. Some of them involve eating only porridge, some allow you to add vegetables to it. I alternated. I cooked it naturally with water, without salt and without oil. I stewed the vegetables and then mixed them with porridge. It turns out pretty good. In one day of such a diet, I lost almost 1.5 kilos, then I lost 400 - 600 grams per day. My problem is that I can’t maintain a diet for long, so I didn’t make it to the end of the week. But I’m still very pleased with the result.
I absolutely don’t understand those who go on all these mono-diets. This is a huge harm to any, even the strongest, organism. I personally haven’t tried the pearl barley version, but I won’t. And I don’t recommend it to anyone. My husband works as a nutritionist, so I know what I'm talking about. You can give yourself one fasting day, but a whole week is just terrible. After all, for healthy well-being, we need proteins, vitamins and other useful substances every day. And by eating the same product we deprive ourselves of this. It may help to lose weight, but it will certainly be to the detriment of your health. I do not advise!
The first time I turned to this diet was several years ago. At that time I was working as a cook and it so happened that I gained as much as 8 kilograms. Naturally, something urgently needed to be done about this. This method just caught my eye. For two whole weeks I ate only cooked food in water without salt, sugar or butter. I washed everything down with green tea. Also unsweetened. Already on the third day, of course, it became difficult, since such monotony quickly gets boring. And it's not very tasty either. But the result simply amazed me - during this time I lost 7 kilograms. It’s just very important not to pounce on food afterwards, as there is a big risk of returning everything back, and even with interest. Try it and lose weight. I recommend it.
I chose this method because of constant weight fluctuations. I like it because it does not require large financial expenses. The bottom line is that you can eat only porridge for 5 days without any additives. Sometimes a little boiled fish or an apple is allowed. It is recommended to use it with a vitamin complex and be sure to drink plenty of liquid. This way you lose about 2 kilos per week and also cleanse your body quite well. But there are also certain disadvantages. For example, a mono-diet is not very healthy, and after finishing it, you should never binge on food, otherwise the weight will return. Another problem that I encountered is constant irritability, because I want to eat, but it becomes impossible to look at the pearl barley. But if you really urgently need to lose weight, then I can recommend this method.
My problem with excess weight arose before my birthday. I really wanted to wear a beautiful dress, but it turned out to be difficult to fit into it. I had to go on an emergency diet. I accidentally saw the pearl barley version and decided to try it. Moreover, I have repeatedly heard many positive reviews about it and that pearl barley is very useful. During my life I tried a lot of weight loss methods, but they all turned out to be ineffective. And in this case, I was pleasantly surprised by what I got in the end. I lost 1 kilogram per day. In just 5 days I lost almost 5.5 extra kg and also cleansed my body at the same time. I am incredibly satisfied and recommend it to everyone.

Important!

Pearl barley porridge with meat is a dish that cannot be left for tomorrow (later). It must be eaten immediately; as it cools, the cereal releases water and becomes hard very quickly. Only after mastering the cooking technology can you predict the end of the process by lunchtime.

Forgotten detail! Green onions, parsley and celery grated with salt are served separately.

Weight loss with pearl barley from celebrities

Many Hollywood stars owe their ideal forms to the popular and successful trainer Harley Pasternak. He recently developed a special weight loss system that gives amazing results.

In its classic version, it is designed for five weeks, during which it allows you to lose enough excess weight. It is not harmful, so it can be used not only as a diet, but also as a permanent way of eating. The main component is pearl barley, which must be consumed five times a day with an interval of 3 to 4 hours. Such short-term breaks stabilize the level of insulin in the blood, which allows you not to experience powerful attacks of hunger. You can also eat vegetables, boiled meat or fish. Everything should be combined so that at each meal the body receives proteins, fiber, enough fatty acids, carbohydrates and liquid.

Physical exercise is also important: it is enough to allocate 25–30 minutes daily. Exercises can be absolutely anything - jogging, squats, just walking, etc. To avoid a nervous breakdown, once a week you have a free day when you can eat whatever you want and not exercise.

This method has received many rave reviews from famous stars. Of course, every body is individual, so some will be able to lose more, some less. But such a diet will definitely not harm anyone.

Soaking pearl barley

With proper preparation, you will get a first-class dish - pearl barley porridge with meat. The soaking recipe is unique in time and simple in composition. After pouring a glass of barley with a liter of water, you need to leave the cereal for half a day (10-12 hours). Starch takes up water slowly, this is a property of barley grain. Although it gives away quickly, that’s why the porridge is bad after it cools down - it’s real “tinny”.

During soaking and cooking, pearl barley will increase in volume up to 5-6 times, so you need to take water in a volume five times larger than the cereal.

After twelve hours, the water can be drained; the grains will no longer become larger or more tender.

Options for dietary recipes with cereals

There are many recipes for barley-based dishes that can be added to the menu when losing weight. To preserve the beneficial properties of the product, you need to prepare it correctly:

Cook on the stove with soaking.
In a slow cooker - from 60 to 90 minutes.
In the oven – an hour at 180-200 degrees.

Pearl barley makes a delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner. With this ingredient as a base, you can prepare aromatic soups (vegetable or meat), original main courses and even desserts.

Classic porridge

Not everyone can prepare crumbly pearl barley with a delicate taste in water. This dish is suitable for fasting days and long-term diets.

Recipe:

Pour 1 liter of water into a glass of cereal.
In the morning, drain the liquid, rinse the cereal, pour it into the multicooker bowl, and add 3 glasses of fresh water. Set the “Extinguishing” mode for 40-60 minutes.
Add salt to the finished porridge, season with a small amount of olive oil, cover with a lid, wrap and leave for another 40 minutes.

The consistency of the grains will remain elastic, but they will become tender and softer than usual.

Pumpkin-barley soup

This aromatic light soup will be a real salvation when losing weight; it will quickly satisfy your hunger and will not spoil your figure.

Cooking steps:

Boil 300 g of pearl barley until tender.
Chop 1 onion, 200 g pumpkin, simmer for 15-20 minutes in a mixture of 1 tbsp. l. olive oil and 2 tbsp. l. water.
Separately, boil 2 liters of water, add cereal, pumpkin, onion, and some spices.
After 5-10 minutes, remove from the stove.

This is a very simple recipe that even novice cooks can handle.

Serve the dish with chopped herbs and croutons.

Rassolnik

This recipe also does not contain potatoes, as they contain a lot of starch. If you wish, you can add 1-2 vegetables, but then it is better to reduce the amount of cereals and carrots.

Prepare tomato soup according to this plan:

Boil 200 g of pearl barley.
Simmer chopped onions and carrots in a frying pan for 5-7 minutes, then add 2-3 tbsp. l. tomato, simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the frying pan, add a little salt, sugar and spices to the tomato.
Add pearl barley, tomato dressing, diced pickled cucumbers to 1.5 liters of boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan and sprinkle the soup with dill or parsley.

Creamy soup with pumpkin and chicken

This version of pearl barley soup is preferred by meat eaters. It turns out to be more high-calorie than the previous ones, but still a dietary dish.

Recipe:

Bring 750 ml of vegetable broth to a boil, add 100 g of chopped pumpkin, chopped onion, a clove of garlic, and a sprig of celery.
When the vegetables are ready, remove them and blend with a blender. Add 70 g of boiled chicken breast, 8 tbsp. l. boiled pearl barley. Add 250 ml of broth, cook for another 5 minutes after boiling.
Add beaten raw egg, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Risotto with vegetables

You can supplement your diet with this bright, aromatic, satisfying second course.

Step-by-step preparation:

Chop 2 tomatoes, 1 paprika, grind the carrots, finely chop the onion and parsley.
Sauté the onion with 2 melted cloves of garlic.
After 3-5 minutes, add water, a little oil, throw in the carrots.
After 5 minutes, add 8 tbsp. l. boiled porridge, pour 500 ml of water or broth. When the contents of the pan boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has completely evaporated.

Season with olive oil. This simple recipe will help satisfy your hunger while losing weight.

Pearl vinaigrette

A salad with vegetables and cereals will quickly satisfy your hunger and satisfy your taste needs.

Cooking instructions:

Separately boil 200 cereals, 200 g beets and 1 carrot.
Chop beets, 2 pickled cucumbers, carrots, and onions.
Add ready-made barley, 100 g of sauerkraut, 100 g of canned green peas, chopped herbs to the vegetables.
Season the salad with 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oils

Such a simple recipe will be a real salvation for people who don’t have a lot of time to cook.

Porridge with vegetables and meat

When you combine pearl barley with meat, weight loss will not stop; the main thing is to use low-fat varieties.

Recipe:

Cut 500 g of chicken breast or turkey into small pieces, onions, and grate the carrots.
Simmer meat, vegetables and 200 g of overnight-soaked cereal in a saucepan in a mixture of olive oil and water.
After 10-15 minutes, add spices, 440 ml of water, 1/3 cup of tomato sauce.
When the mixture boils, reduce the heat and cook the dish for about 40 minutes, covered.

The result is a dish with a rich taste and aroma, which is very important when losing weight.

Sweet porridge with dried fruits and apples

Sometimes for lunch you can treat yourself to delicious sweet porridge with milk diluted with water. But it is better to use a low-fat product to continue losing weight.

Step by step recipe:

Soak 200 g of cereal in water and rinse in the morning.
Pour the cereal into the multicooker bowl, pour in 400 ml of skim milk and 200 ml of water.
Simmer on the same mode for 40-60 minutes.
10 minutes before the end of cooking, add a handful of dried fruits cut into small pieces, a little salt, 1 tbsp. l. brown sugar or honey.
Add 1 tsp to the finished porridge. orange zest, 1 grated apple. Add cinnamon if desired.

Wrap the dish for 20 minutes so that all the flavors mix, and then eat.

What is pearl barley?

Pearl barley is a grain that is made from a plant of the cereal family - barley. The name “pearl” comes from the word “perla”, which means “pearl” and is due to the fact that the shape and color of pearl grains are similar to freshwater pearls. In another way, pearl barley is also called “peasant rice.”

>Pearl barley porridge is mainly made from pearl barley. There are several varieties of so-called pearl barley. Pearl barley is a whole grain that has undergone primary processing - removing the top layer. This bran-free cereal is used in the preparation of soups, porridges and fillings. Dutch is also a whole grain that has been subjected to deeper processing, that is, completely freed from the awn and shaped like a ball. This grain produces porridge with a more delicate consistency, which cooks much faster than regular barley. Barley is the same as pearl barley, only very finely chopped. It is also used to prepare porridges, including koliva porridge from national Russian cuisine.

Pearl barley has long been a traditional product of Russian cuisine, but in the old days it was considered exclusively a dish for the royal table. It was pre-soaked for about 12 hours, after which it was boiled in milk and simmered until completely cooked in the oven. The royal porridge was seasoned with fresh cream.

Pearl barley, like other cereals, is a source of fiber and a number of vitamins we need. Barley has not gained such popularity as, for example, rice, millet, and buckwheat. But it does not lag behind them in its nutritional properties. There is one more property for which pearl barley is valued. The calorie content of pearl barley is low, which is why it is recommended for baby food and for consumption by the elderly. Pearl barley is a dietary product.

How many calories are in pearl barley?

Let's first figure out how many calories 100 g of pearl barley boiled in water contains. After all, this can be an excellent side dish for any other products: meat, fish, vegetables, fruits.

The calorie content of boiled pearl barley in water without salt is 105-109 kcal per 100 grams. By adding salt to the food, the calorie content will increase to 126 kcal.
The calorie content of pearl barley boiled with milk will be higher than in water, by about 40-50 kcal, that is, 100 grams of milk porridge will contain 150-160 kcal.
Porridge cooked in meat broth provides approximately 130-140 kcal.
With the addition of butter, the calorie content increases by 5-10 kcal, depending on the fat content of the butter.
But vegetable oil retains the original calorie content of the finished product, so it is recommended to add it, especially for those who are watching their figure and counting calories.

By cooking pearl barley in a slow cooker, you will get 112 kcal per 100 grams of the finished food.

Due to its high fiber content, pearl barley satisfies hunger well. Even two tablespoons of porridge keep you feeling full for a long time. Nutritionists recommend consuming 150 grams of such food per day to get maximum benefits.

Vitamins and minerals contained in pearl barley

Vitamins:

PP – 3.7 mg, B9 – 24 µg, E – 3.7 mg, B1 – 0.12 mg, B2 – 0.06 mg, B5 – 0.5 mg, B6 – 0.36 mg, E – 1.1 mg.

Minerals:

nickel – 20 mcg, fluorine – 60 mcg, copper – 280 mg, sulfur – 77 mg, sodium – 10 mg, magnesium – 40 mg, calcium – 38 mg, phosphorus – 323 mg, potassium – 172 mg, iron – 1.8 mg, zinc – 0.92 mg, manganese – 0.65 mg, chromium – 12.5 µg, molybdenum – 12.7 µg, cobalt – 1.8 µg, titanium – 16.7 µg.

Read useful information about other cereals:

Oatmeal Millet Bulgur Basmati Corn grits Quinoa Rice Buckwheat

How and how much to consume boiled pearl barley during a diet

A diet with intensive consumption of barley helps normalize metabolism due to its low fat and salt content.

To effectively lose weight, you need to follow several principles of healthy eating:

Before boiling the cereal, you need to soak it overnight. Due to this, the cooking time will be significantly reduced, which means that most of the nutrients will be preserved.
It is better to cook porridge in water; if you use milk, the calorie content of the finished product will increase.
When preparing porridge, it is better not to use sugar, salt, butter and sour cream.

The pearl barley diet lasts only a few days, so nutritionists advise using it before some important event, when you need to quickly lose 3-5 kg. There are several options for a pearl barley diet. They all differ in the number of days and the list of allowed products.

How and how much to consume boiled pearl barley during a diet

A combined diet involves eating not only pearl barley porridge, but also some vegetables and fruits. A strict diet involves eating only pearl barley. To achieve maximum effect, you must strictly follow all recommendations. Any errors can cause the weight to come off slowly.

With a combined diet, you can eat not only pearl barley porridge cooked in water, but also the following products:

unsweetened fruits and berries;
fresh or steamed vegetables;
fermented milk products with minimal fat content;
fresh herbs;
low-fat cottage cheese.

But it is worth remembering that pearl barley porridge should predominate in the diet, and other products should only supplement the menu.

During your diet, you can eat barley dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are diets designed for 5, 7 and 10 days. The strict diet is designed for 3 days and during it you can only eat boiled pearl barley without oil and salt. It is allowed to add only fresh herbs. Throughout the day, be sure to drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters).

Approximate menu for a gentle pearl barley diet for 5 days:

breakfast - boiled pearl barley, a cup of green tea;
snack - pear;
lunch - soup with barley and vegetables, rosehip decoction;
afternoon snack - 250 ml of yogurt;
dinner - 200 g of cottage cheese, tea;
before bed, drink 1 tbsp. low-fat kefir.

After the pearl barley diet, it is important not to break loose and get out of it correctly. To do this, after finishing the diet, you need to eat only low-fat foods for another 7 days.

Boiled pearl barley is an inexpensive dietary ingredient. The calorie content of the porridge is low, due to which it is possible to get rid of 5 kg of excess weight in just a week. By following all the recommendations, you can quickly and easily get back into shape, while your diet will be varied if you stick to a gentle diet.

How to choose products for boiled pearl barley

To prepare a tasty and healthy barley porridge, you need to know which cereal to choose. It is sold packaged in bags or by weight. The main selection criteria are the golden brown color of the grains, no inclusions or impurities.

If the grains are stuck together, this indicates that the product is of low quality. This means that the storage conditions were violated. When buying cereal by weight, you need to evaluate the smell - there should be no sharp or bitter notes. You can store cereals for a year, provided that all the rules are followed.

How to choose products for boiled pearl barley

There are several types of pearl barley, which differ in the processing principle:

Regular. This is a cereal made from whole grain barley with the hull removed.
Dutch. It is also made from whole grains, but undergoes additional deeper processing, due to which it cooks faster.
Barley. This is a grain with a small grain fraction, so it is the fastest to prepare.

Any of the types can be used as a dietary food for weight loss, but the most useful is still the one that does not undergo any additional processing - ordinary cereal. You can cook pearl barley dishes for weight loss, both first and second. You can also make desserts.

Results

Pearl barley is a healthy and nutritious porridge that needs to be included in the diet not only of girls and women who want to lose weight, but also of male athletes to achieve the best results during training. The product has a positive effect on the body as a whole, improves health and speeds up metabolism. Pearl barley porridge has practically no contraindications, and it can cause harm to the body only if the daily norm is exceeded, which is 200 g during a normal meal and 400 g during a mono-diet.